LIQUID HYDROGEN AVIATION
Composite cryogenic pipes for hydrogen aircraft
Enoflex is developing lightweight composite cryogenic pipe for the liquid hydrogen fuel systems future aircraft will require.
THE APPLICATION
Liquid hydrogen aircraft require fuel systems that operate at -253°C, far colder than any cryogenic environment in wide aviation use today.
Fuel distribution pipework at that temperature has to manage extreme thermal cycling and permeation risk while staying as light as possible, weight matters more in aviation than in almost any other application.
THE ENGINEERING CHALLENGE
Extreme temperature
-253°C is colder than most cryogenic engineering has had to solve for at scale.
Weight
Low weight matters more in an aircraft fuel system than almost anywhere else.
Thermal cycling
Repeated fuelling and flight cycles put material fatigue resistance under real pressure.
Aircraft packaging
Fuel systems must flex to fit tightly constrained airframe space.
PROGRAMME
Enoflex is leading a three-year UK programme to develop CryoReel® for liquid hydrogen fuel systems in zero-emission commercial aircraft. For aircraft fuel systems, reducing pipe weight contributes directly to lower aircraft mass, improving efficiency and operating economics. CryoReel® offers aerospace fuel-system manufacturers a lightweight alternative to conventional stainless-steel cryogenic pipe. Airbus's ZEROe programme is one of the efforts driving demand for hydrogen aviation fuel systems.
Working with the National Composites Centre (NCC) and National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Enoflex is adapting its existing cryogenic technology and manufacturing processes to meet demanding aerospace requirements.
The programme will advance CryoReel® to TRL6 through laboratory testing and validation, preparing the technology for subsequent flight trials.
Testing is of Enoflex for this application is conducted at the Composites, Adhesives and Polymers group at the National Physical Laboratory, in London NPL’s unique cyrogenic 20 Kelvin test environment.
PARTNERS
The SPCLH2 programme is funded by ATI and Innovate UK, with the National Composites Centre and National Physical Laboratory as technical partners, and GKN Aerospace as an active programme partner.
APPLICATIONS
Composite cryostat for cooling and former for HTS cable at -195°C.
Composite LNG terminals and pipeline at -165°C.
Lightweight composite pipe for liquid hydrogen fuel systems at -253°C.