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Consortium for the AdVent of aero-Engine Demonstration and aircraft Integration Strategy with Hydrogen

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CAVENDISH (Consortium for the AdVent of aero-Engine Demonstration and aircraft Integration Strategy with Hydrogen)

Período documentado: 2023-07-01 hasta 2023-12-31

In line with the European Green Deal target of reaching carbon neutrality in the aviation industry by 2050, breakthrough technologies related to direct (100% hydrogen) combustion systems will be researched, prototyped and integrated onto a modern donor aeroengine for ground testing (starting in late 2024) in Project CAVENDISH. This aeroengine test on liquid hydrogen will be a first of a kind in Europe and the cornerstone to further in-flight demonstration, eventually leading to product development aimed at meeting Europe’s and the industry’s ambition for the entry in service (EIS) of commercial, mass-transport, hydrogen-fuelled aircraft in 2035.
CAVENDISH’s second objective will be to work on system and powerplant aircraft integration with several established airframers and a supplemental type certificate organisation to define certification pathways and formulate a route to permit to fly. This activity will directly benefit the flight test of the donor engine scheduled for the next phase of the Clean Aviation programme.
CAVENDISH will also explore alternative enabling technologies in the form of a dual fuel combustor system (capable of operating on 100% hydrogen and 100% SAF) and in the form of a cryo-compressed tank system. Both these technologies will offer flexibility and could ease the introduction of hydrogen in aviation.
CAVENDISH brings together expertise-leading European organizations in aeronautics, power and propulsion, combustion, fuel and controls systems and aircraft. It builds on multiple national technology programmes heralding from the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands, and is in effect the marriage and acceleration of these technology pathways into an early demonstration and a first minimum viable product (MVP) of a liquid hydrogen combusting aeroengine. The project is also connected to activities in other Clean Aviation calls, on SMR and Certification activities specifically, notably project proposals HEAVEN and CONCERTO.
During Reporting Period 2 (RP2), comprising M7-M12, the CAVENDISH consortium ramped up resources and deliveries.
The industry and academic partners have progressed their technical work.

In Q3, 4 deliverables were submitted, and 1 milestone achieved (as agreed with the CAJU Project Officer). Most of the outstanding deliverables and milestones are expected to be achieved within Quarter 4. Resource ramp up has reached 72% effort, while adherence to deliverables and milestones lowered to 20% and 50%, respectively. Arrears improved within in Q3: Cumulative deliveries and milestones are now at 82% and 46%, respectively.

In Q4, 4 deliverables were submitted, and 2 milestone achieved (as agreed with the CAJU Project Officer). Most of the outstanding deliverables and milestones are expected to be achieved within the first half of 2024. Resource effort has slightly lowered to 68%, while adherence to deliverables and milestones was better than previous quarter, at 44% and 33%, respectively. Arrears caught up within in Q4: Cumulative deliveries and milestones are now at 77% and 74%, respectively. The delayed activities into 2024 were discussed with the Project Officer, and most should be resolved within the first half of 2024.
The CAVENDISH consortium two Main and three Enabling Objectives are defined in the Grant Agreement Annex 1 Part B, Chapter 1.1. The project has 8 technical work packages which contribute to achieving these objectives.

The Clean Aviation JU guidance and metrics on Impact Monitoring is being subject of harmonisation studies at different committees and product integration pillars. In this preliminary guidance, three levels are identified: Aircraft, Sub-System and Key Technology.

Although CAVENDISH is listed within the Sub-System Level, the consortium is developing Key Technologies, in line with the project objectives. The study of Sub-System or Aircraft level products is not part of CAVENDISH. However, the exploitation of CAVENDISH results can contribute to impact at Sub-System or Aircraft level in other projects or in upcoming proposals for Clean Aviation calls.

First, a hydrogen gas turbine product is explored at the Clean Aviation project HEAVEN with data generated by the Rolls-Royce led work packages of CAVENDISH. This cooperation is addressed both in the Grant Agreement, and in the cooperation related deliverables.

Second, among CAVENDISH participants there are three aircraft manufacturers which participate in various work packages. These focus on developing knowledge through theoretical studies of aircraft-engine integration, including safety analysis methods for flight clearance. One work package is developing key technologies for hydrogen storage. The exploitation of all these results from CAVENDISH can yield proposals in upcoming Clean Aviation calls.

In these first months of the CAVENDISH project there has been good progress towards defining a exploitation strategy and impact monitoring. This is a key focus of the project coordination. In subsequent reporting period reports more information will be shared as the metrics are agreed across Clean Aviation JU projects.

For these reasons, the CAVENDISH project focuses on defining Key Technologies to monitor the impact of the CAVENDISH consortium contributions to the energy transition of aviation.