Descrizione del progetto
Progressi nei sistemi di produzione di energia per aeromobili
Il progetto BRAVA, finanziato dall’UE, svilupperà tecnologie rivoluzionarie destinate ai sottositemi chiave di un sistema di produzione dell’energia basato sulle celle a combustibile per l’industria dell’aviazione, con una gamma di potenza di 2,4 MW. Tra i progressi nei sottosistemi figurano un modulo di celle a combustibile e componentistica e sistemi ausiliari (a livello di anodo e catodo), un sistema di gestione termica, una progettazione di scambiatori di calore e un’architettura destinata a un sistema di alimentazione dell’aria, che fungeranno da elementi costitutivi per questo sistema di propulsione aeronautico multilivello composto da otto stack di celle a combustibile da 300 kW. Alcuni di questi sistemi di produzione dell’energia basati sulle celle a combustibile multi-MW saranno impiegati per alimentare un velivolo in grado di trasportare fino a 100 passeggeri su distanze che raggiungono le 1 000 miglia nautiche.
Obiettivo
The Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell technology emerging from the automotive industry is of high interest for the future aeronautic industry. While automotive industry fuel cell (FC) systems are usually limited to 100 kW, aircraft require a significantly greater amount of power (multi-MW) and must operate at both different temperatures and pressures, while keeping the system’s safety and reliability levels to aeronautical standards.
BRAVA will develop breakthrough technologies for a FC-based Power Generation System (PGS) for aviation. The overall target is a high-performance PGS with a power range of over 2 MW. The foreseen future multi-MW system will be a multi-stack aircraft propulsion system. Airbus reckons that several of such multi-MW FC-based PGSs can be used to propel an aircraft capable of carrying up to 100 passengers on distances of up to 1,000 nautical miles.
Advances in the FC stack and balance of plant components, the thermal management system, heat exchanger design and technology, and air supply system architecture, will act as building blocks for this multi-MW FC-based PGS. The key project results are:
• New catalysts and membranes with higher performance, durability and higher operating temperature capability to enable integration into new Membrane Electrode Assemblies to reach high efficiency, low weight, compactness and long lifetime;
• 2-Phase cooling based thermal management system (including a newly designed fuel cell stack) for compactness, weight reduction and hence improved fuel consumption;
• Additive manufactured heat exchangers for increased heat rejection, compactness, lightweight and low drag;
• A new air supply architecture and components designed and optimized to provide low parasitic power and weight reduction and thus enabling lower fuel consumption and equipment cost.
Each of the breakthrough technologies for these FC system subsystems will be advanced to TRL5, i.e. technology validated in relevant environment.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringthermodynamic engineeringheat engineering
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringaircraft
- natural scienceschemical sciencescatalysis
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfuel cells
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.2.5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility Main Programme
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-JU-RIA - HORIZON JU Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinatore
21129 Hamburg
Germania