“Taking Off” with Fuel Cells on-board of Aircraft

Although air transport is responsible for only about 2 % of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions, the rapidly increasing volume of air traffic leads to a general concern about the environmental impact of aircrafts. Future aircraft generations have to face enhanced requirements concerning productivity, environmental compatibility and higher operational availability, thus effecting technical, operational and economical aspects of in-flight and on-ground power generation systems. Today’s development in aircraft architecture undergoes a trend to a “more electric aircraft” which is characterised by a higher proportion of electrical systems substituting hydraulically or pneumatically driven components, and, thus, increasing the amount of electrical power. Fuel cell systems in this context represent a promising solution regarding the enhancement of the energy efficiency for both cruise and ground operations. In cooperation with Airbus several fuel cell applications within the aircraft for both ground and cruise operation were identified. In consequence fuel cell systems capable to support or even replace existing systems were derived. In this context, kerosene tank inertization and electrical cabin power supply including water regeneration represent the most promising application fields. The contribution will present the state of development and further directions of development