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In late 2023, the ZEROe teams powered on the iron pod, the future
hydrogen-propulsion system designed for Airbus' electric concept aircraft. As
well as the hydrogen fuel cell system, the iron pod contains the electric
motors needed to spin a propeller and the units that control and keep them
cool. Its successful power-on at 1.2 megawatts is a pivotal step on Airbus'
ZEROe roadmap to put a hydrogen-propulsion aircraft into service by 2035.
 
In 2020, Airbus shared four hydrogen-powered aircraft concepts with the
public. Three used hydrogen combustion and hybrid engines for power, and the
fourth was fully electric, using hydrogen fuel cells and a propeller
propulsion system. These fuel cells work by transforming the hydrogen into
electricity through a chemical reaction. The by-product of the reaction is
simple H2O, resulting in almost zero emissions.
 
The huge potential of hydrogen fuel cells to decarbonise aviation made it one
of the key technologies chosen to be further explored for the ZEROe
demonstrator - but there was a challenge. Although hydrogen fuel cells already
existed on the market when the project began, none provided the energy needed
to power an aircraft while remaining at an acceptable weight level. So in
October 2020, Airbus created Aerostack, a joint venture with ElringKlinger, to
develop hydrogen fuel cell stacks that would be at the heart of the electric
propulsion system on a ZEROe aircraft.
 
Extensive testing on the fuel cell system took place in Ottobrunn, Germany,
just 13 kilometres from Munich, at the E-Aircraft System House (EAS). The
Airbus facility is the largest test house for alternative propulsion systems
and fuels in Europe, and it is where the main components of the propulsion
system that will power the demonstrator's propellers are tested.
 
In June 2023, Airbus announced the successful test campaign of the hydrogen
fuel cell system, which reached its full-power level of 1.2 megawatts. It was
the most powerful test ever achieved in aviation of a fuel cell designed for
large-scale aircraft, and set the stage for the next big step of the project:
integrating the full propulsion system with the electrical motor.
 
The big day took place at the end of 2023, closing out the year on a high for
the ZEROe team. After successfully completing testing of the fuel cell system
at 1.2 megawatts in June and the powertrain at 1 megawatt in October, the
electric motors of the iron pod were powered on with the hydrogen fuel cells
for the first time.
 
"It was a huge moment for us because the architecture and design principles of
the system are the same as those that we will see in the final design," says
Mathias Andriamisaina, Head of Testing and Demonstration on the ZEROe project.
"The complete power channel was run at 1.2 megawatts, the power we aim to test
on our A380 demonstrator."
 
Observing how the many systems interact during this testing is key to enabling
the next steps of the project. "This process is how we learn what changes need
to be made to make the technology flight-worthy," says Hauke Peer-Luedders,
Head of Fuel Cell Propulsion System for ZEROe. "We measure how the propulsion
system as a whole works by testing the power needed for several different
flight phases, such as takeoff, where we are reaching maximum power levels,
and cruising, when we use less power but over a longer period of time."
 
"It has been three years since we revealed an aircraft concept 100% powered by
hydrogen fuel cells. Since then, we have adhered to our initial timeline and
made tremendous progress. The recent success of powering on the iron pod
system at 1.2 megawatts is a crucial step towards our goal of putting a
hydrogen-powered aircraft in the skies by 2035."
- Glenn Llewellyn, Vice President of ZEROe Aircraft at Airbus
 
Testing will continue on this first version of the iron pod throughout 2024.
Once completed, the next step for the ZEROe team will be to optimise the size,
mass and qualifications of the propulsion system to meet flight 
pecifications. Qualifications include the system's reactions to vibration,
humidity and altitude, among other factors.
 
Once these optimisations and tests are complete, the fuel cell propulsion
system will be installed on the ZEROe multimodal flight test platform - the
very first A380 ever produced by Airbus, MSN001. This will be followed by the
ground testing of the systems before the pivotal stage of testing them in
flight on the A380, currently scheduled for 2026.
 
Moderator's observations:
 
1) I hear nothing from Boeing in this field
2) How did you say that hydrogen will be produced ? 

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