JRG-C3 - Fuel Cells for Aviation

Fuel Cells for Aviation

Sustainable aviation aims for carbon-neutral and pollution-free, which makes green hydrogen powered fuel cells a very promising power conversion solution. The power conversion process is also intrinsically quiet, which helps reducing the aircraft noise emissions. So far, aviation-specific requirements on fuel cell system designs remain largely unaddressed, especially on the megawatt level. Among them, drastic improvements on specific energy, reliability, lifetime, and flexibilities in operation and in airframe integration are of immediate interests. These challenges originated the Junior Research Group (JRG) “Fuel cells for aviation”, and have shaped its main deliverables.

Research areas

Thermofluid process modeling for LT-PEM fuel cell system optimal integrations and operation aboard a novel airliner concept.
Multi-physics & phase CFD simulations on new measures, eg, turbulence inducing, aiming for higher specific power & energy of aiviation LT-PEM fuel cells.
Multiscale modeling, including mesoscopic pore scale modeling, targeting more flexible operation settings.
More effective cooling.
Reliable operation and higher durability of aviation fuel cells.

New teammate being sought:

A new teammate is being sought on fuel cell innovative cooling. On the position, you may access the latest technologies on cooling for fuel cells (an EU pending patent, to be published soon).

For more details regarding the job vacancy, please click on the link below

the InES job market.

More information

Dr.-Ing. Xin Gao

Mr. Lennart Kösters

Ms. Min Li

Mr. Arne Graf von Schweinitz

Mr. Linus Kameni Monkam

Mr. Niraj Gurumurthy Iyer

Mr. Moritz Stahl

Mr. Hossein Salehi

(in chronological order)

& more

Academic assistants & thesis supervision

Mr. Jiang Liu

Mr. Sebastian Hawner (former)

Mr. Magnus Lenger (former)

Guests

Mr. Lijun Zhu, Wuhan University of Technology, 05 Nov. 2019 - 01 Aug. 2020.

Peer-reviewed publication

Patent

X Gao*, L Kösters. Method for Operationg A Fuel Cell, Computer Program and Fuel Cell System. European Patent Application, EP 4 141 998 A1. 03.2023.
X Gao*, L Kameni Monkam. Patent disclosure submitted and onhold, 2021.
A Graf von Schweinitz, X Gao*. Patent disclosure submitted and onhold, 2020.

Conference presentation/poster

X Gao. Aviation PEM Fuel Cells, and their Reliability Enhancement with Power Electronics. Presentation on Energytech 2022, Rome, Italy, 11.2022.
X Gao. Fuel Cells for Aviation--from general to specific. Presentation on SE2A conference, 10.2021.
X Gao. Poster for the virtual annual market of Energy Research Centre of Lower Saxony. 03.2021.
L Kösters, X Gao *. Increasing the specific power of an aviation fuel cell system from above the system level . Poster to DLRK 2020, Aachen.

Student thesis

Till Lennart Kösters. Feasibility study of hydrogen cooling for aviation PEM fuel cells. Master thesis, TU Braunschweig, 04.2022.
Linus Kameni Monkam. Thermodynamic design and optimisation of a hydrogen tank system for the operation of a fuel cell propulsion system for aviation applications. Student thesis, TU Braunschweig, 10.2021.
Lingfeng Li. Optimization Designs of the Cathode Flow Channel for PEMFC. Master thesis, TU Braunschweig, 09.2021.
Abdallh Alsaiad. New designs of PEM fuel cell bipolar plates aiming for higher stack performance and reliability. Master thesis, TU Braunschweig, 08.2021.
Keyu Hu. Model-based Optimization of a Liquid-cooled PEMFC System for Aviation. Master thesis, TU Braunschweig, 03.2021.
Till Lennart Kösters. Active Cooling Design Optimization for a Novel Hybrid Fuel Cell/Hydrogen Thruster Aircraft Engine Design. Student thesis, TU Braunschweig, 12.2020.
Magnus Lenger. Hydrogen state dynamics and control of cryogenic storage systems for airborne fuel cell applications. Master thesis, TU Braunschweig, 12.2020.
Magnus Lenger. Thermodynamische Modellierung und Regelkonzepte eines Flüssigwasserstoff-Speichersystems für die Luftfahrt (Thermodynamic Modeling and Control Concepts of a Liquid Hydrogen Storage System for Aviation). Student thesis, TU Braunschweig, 05.2020.
Sebastian Hawner. Modellierung eines Brennstoffzellengesamtsystems für den Antriebsstrang eines elektrisch angetriebenen Flugzeugs (Modeling of a fuel cell power plant for the powertrain of an electric aircraft). Student thesis, TU Braunschweig, 02.2020.
Arne Graf von Schweinitz. Virtueller Einbau eines neuartigen, elektrohydrodynamischen Triebwerks auf Wasserstoffbasis in einen Motorsegler (Virtual implementation of a novel, hydrogen fed electrohydrodynamic thruster design for a motor glider). Bachelor thesis, TU Braunschweig, 01.2020.

Abstract

L Kösters, X Gao*. Increasing the specific power of an aviation fuel cell system from above the system level. submitted to DLRK 2020, Aachen.
X Liu, X Gao*. Virtual Integration of a PEM Fuel Cell System for the Main Propulsion Power of a Clean and All Electric Aircraft. submitted to DLRK 2020, Aachen.

Contact

Project lead

Dr.-Ing. Gao, Xin

Institute of Energy and Process Systems Engineering (InES), until 01.2023.

Phone (InES): +49-(0)531-391-66925

Organisation

Institute of Energy and Process Systems Engineering (InES)

Technische Universität Braunschweig
Langer Kamp 19b
D-38106 Braunschweig

JRG-C3 Office:

Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF), Room 258

Hermann-Blenk-Straße 42, 38108 Braunschweig