Within the first 6 months of activity major activity has focused in:
- Issue an iteration of requirements and specification deliverables regarding LH2 storage function on an a/c and LH2 storage integral demonstrator respectively. Additionally, also a first analysis of the airworthiness CS25 code was performed to identify gaps and needs of modification
- Kick-off of activities with EASA in order to review requirements (in particular the ones related airworthiness)
- Definition and execution of initial stages of materials coupon testing, including the manufacturing of those coupons which implied also the first stages in the definition of the manufacturing process to be applied in the demonstrator
- Issue of several documentation regarding project management and coordination with other Clean Aviation projects covering: dissemination, communication, exploitation and IP management; internal project management procedures, gender action plan and cooperation plan
- FDR phase of the demonstrator was started and major areas of focus were prioritised in order to optimice resource use.
In the second 6 months of activity (from month 7 to month 12 of the project) activities and main achievements were the following:
- Important progress was made in the manufacturing technologies area. Both composite manufacturing technologies, for outer and inner tank of the LH2 storage demonstrators, produced further coupons to evaluate/confirm material characteristics. Additionally, for the inner tank in which additive manufacturing technology would be used, several larger size manufacturing trials were also executed. This validated the scalability potential of the technology as well as contributed to further mature and set-up the process parameters.
- The primary functions of the LH2 storage system were defined. A subsystem architecture was meticulously designed and represented in a fluids architecture diagram to effectively address those functions. In addition, vital parameters were established based on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the tank. Parameters that need to be monitored or controlled during operations were also identified, and corresponding sensors were integrated into the architecture.
- Interaction with EASA was reinforced and several workshops organised in which safety related technical aspects of the H2ELIOS LH2 storage concept were discussed. Important leanings have been gathered and applied to the project, triggering relevant decisions regarding a/c integration approach.
In 2024 H2ELIOS project went through a major phase of progress in which:
- The Preliminary Design Review of the demonstrator was performed with a very relevant participation of representatives of linked projects and other stakeholders, being specially relevant the active presence of EASA. Very important feedback was received which triggered specific actions that were closed within 2024 enabling a clear path towards Critical Design Review.
- Demonstrator definition progressed accordingly reaching a pre-CDR status by the end of the year. Outputs from this progress relevant for the impact monitoring activity, and in particular for the eventual products that could be based on the hydrogen storage technology escalated to use cases being developed in other Clean Aviation projects. H2ELIOS configuration show a very promising performance when extrapolated to a product; this is very remarkable as these figures are above targets identified for the associated aircraft configuration within Clean Aviation, and in H2ELIOS project considerations of crashworthiness and safety aspects are being taken into account which imply specific design features contributing to weight.
- Strong campaign of coupon tests were completed and relevant progress was achieved in component level testing. Very important activity was done in the field of insulation performance tests.
- Manufacturing and assembly tooling were cleared for final design and manufacturing in some cases within the year.
