Universal Hydrogen has conducted a first test run with its megawatt-class fuel cell powertrain using its proprietary liquid hydrogen module to supply the fuel. The module powered the company’s iron bird ground test rig for over 100 minutes in an exercise intended to simulate the typical flight time of one of the regional airliners it aims to convert to hydrogen propulsion.
According to Universal Hydrogen’s president and chief technology officer, Mark Cousin, this is the largest fuel cell powertrain ever to run on liquid hydrogen. The iron bird unit in Mojave, California, is a functional analog of the powertrain the company has been flight testing since March 2023.
The liquid hydrogen module can contain enough fuel to power the iron bird for over three hours at full power. Two of these modules would be sufficient to allow a 70-seat ATR72 twin turboprop aircraft to fly a sector of 500 nm, with reserves for flight diversions. Universal Hydrogen is working to certify conversion kits for the ATR72 and the Dash 8 aircraft and aims to have the first aircraft in commercial service in 2026.
The liquid hydrogen module was designed and developed at Universal Hydrogen’s facility at Toulouse in France. Each unit can contain around 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of fuel and is intended to be able to store it for long durations without evaporating.
Announcing the breakthrough on Tuesday, Universal Hydrogen said the technology “internalizes all the complexity of managing cryogenic hydrogen, while externally presenting a simple container interface compatible with existing intermodal freight and airport cargo handling equipment.” Each module includes systems to convert cryogenic liquid hydrogen into warm gaseous hydrogen that is consumed by the powertrain. It also features a hydrogen leak detection system and a mechanism for quickly connecting the module to the powertrain in the aircraft without fuel leaking.
“This end-to-end demonstration of a hydrogen molecule moving from our filler/dispenser into our storage module and then into our powertrain is the first time that all the pieces of our product portfolio for regional aviation have come together,” said Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen. “The next step is to upgrade our flight testbed to fly the powertrain fueled by our modules.”
Hydrogen-powered Electric Recharging Carts Demonstrated
Last week, the company announced the first operational demonstration of the AmpCart H2, which was developed in partnership with Oshkosh AeroTech as a solution for charging electric ground-support equipment at airports. The unit uses Universal Hydrogen’s modular fueling technology, which avoids the need to install hydrogen storage infrastructure.
The recent demonstration was conducted at Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles with a pair of DHL’s electrified tractors using the mobile AmpCart H2 prototype and portable hydrogen storage modules. The latter are filled with green hydrogen off-site and brought to the airport.
“In the last 10 years or so, there has been a major push among airlines, airports, and ground services providers to electrify airport ground support equipment," said Arnaud Namer, chief operating officer at Universal Hydrogen. "But, unfortunately, the charging infrastructure is significantly lagging, leading to the adoption of diesel generators for charging. We aim to change that by providing a clean, hydrogen-powered mobile charging solution for airports.”
