Parker Meggitt has joined Airbus’s ZeroE program team, working on plans to bring a hydrogen-powered airliner into commercial service by 2035. The aerospace group this week announced that it is developing an energy buffer system to be part of the energy storage equipment in the propulsion system for Airbus’s planned demonstrator aircraft.
According to a January 12 statement by Parker Meggitt, the system it calls the eBuffer “will maximize safety, efficiency, and weight while balancing electric and mechanical constraints,” describing the unit as an energy storage system that will use superconductor technology to deliver energy much quicker than a standard battery.
The company, which is part of the Parker Hannifin group, says that this part of the ZeroE powertrain’s electrical system will complement the hydrogen-electric fuel cell primary power source that Airbus is now working on with other partners. The first eBuffer prototype is expected to be ready to start ground testing early this year. Parker Meggitt’s engineering team is developing another example to be used as part of the flight test campaign that Airbus aims to begin in 2025 after it has selected one of three ZeroE airframe designs it has been evaluating since 2020.
One of the three designs is a blended wing airframe that Airbus indicated would be able to carry up to 200 passengers on flights of around 2,300 miles. The exceptionally wide fuselage, in which the wing merges with the main section of the aircraft, would provide space for a cabin as well as for hydrogen storage and distribution. However, in a presentation to journalists in late November, Airbus suggested that the blended wing concept is the least likely option to be selected.
The airframer is also working on a more conventional narrowbody model that would carry between 120 and 200 passengers on sectors of around 2,300 miles. The propulsion system would be based on a pair of modified gas turbine engines powered by liquid hydrogen that would be stored and distributed via tanks located behind the rear pressure bulkhead. The design features swept-back outer wing surfaces.
The third design is a 100-seat twin turboprop. It too would feature modified gas turbines fueled by hydrogen and, said Airbus, would have a range of around 1,000 nm.
“Parker Meggitt has deep expertise in power conversion and energy storage and a long track record of inventing pioneering technology,” said the company’s senior director of engineering, Patrick Blackburn. “We look forward to working with Airbus to enable innovative engineering breakthroughs that lead to a better tomorrow.”
The company now operates as part of the aircraft systems group Parker Aerospace, which specializes in flight controls, hydraulics, fuel and inerting equipment, fluid conveyance, thermal management, lubrication, and pneumatic systems.
