Fuel cell propulsion system for Aircraft Megawatt Engines

Green hydrogen as a fuel offers the possibility to significantly reduce or even eliminate all of aircrafts greenhouse gas emissions.

When liquid hydrogen (LH2) is used in fuel cells (FC) for power generation, this results in no CO2, no SOx and no NOx emissions.

The best way to achieve this solution is to develop a hydrogen propulsive FC system as an integral part of a new LH2 aircraft concept.

This means moving away from the current plug and play (separate motor development and aircraft architecture) philosophy towards a disruptive integrated way of development, which requires a co-creation approach of the propulsion system and the aircraft.

FAME follows this approach by collaborative research and development between on one hand partners involved in development of the needed systems of the fuel cell and on the other hand Airbus as and aircraft designer, manfacturer und integrator.

Thereby it is ensured that on all levels from material over component and sub-system up to propulsion system on aircraft level an optimization is realized.

The focus of FAME is on developing a complete compact high-efficiency full electric propulsion system based on LH2 as energy source for short to medium range (SMR) aircraft.

FAME will develop all the subsystems which are needed and integrate these in a MW FC Propulsion System ground demonstrator with the vision to scale it up to aircraft level (sufficient for SMR aircraft). FAME shows the feasibility of a multi-MW FC Propulsion system for hydrogen-powered SMR aircraft. The system will provide the basis for Clean Aviation in phase 2 to undergo a system flight test.