Airbus Upnext sources hydrogen fuel cell for aircraft APU tests

H3 Dynamics is to supply a customised airworthy 500kW hydrogen fuel cell as part of a demonstrator to replace the jet fuel-powered APU on an Airbus aircraft.

In a significant move towards progressing decarbonised aviation, H3 Dynamics has been contracted by Airbus UpNext for the supply of a customised airworthy 500kW (0.5MW) hydrogen fuel cell as part of a demonstrator to replace the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) on an Airbus aircraft.

On conventional airliners, the APU is a supplementary engine that operates on standard jet fuel, and facilitates non-propulsive aircraft functions such as air conditioning and electrical power for onboard systems.

New design features and integration techniques will contribute to maturing operational parameters and will demonstrate the stable operation of a fuel cell. The Airbus UpNext demonstrator was announced at the Paris Airshow last year.

H3 Dynamics is now providing a full line up of advanced hydrogen solutions across the aviation value chain: from 50kW to 2MW fuel cell systems addressing in-flight power and airport ground equipment, to multi-MW-scale on-site hydrogen production systems enabling e-fuel production and the start of hydrogen airport hubs.

Unlike main power propulsion applications that require several megawatts of constant power, and thus a significant amount of hydrogen, lower power non-propulsive solutions present a near-term opportunity to support the decarbonisation of operations both in-flight and on the ground.

H3 Dynamics has been building up its delivery capability in Toulouse, with plans to accelerate a dedicated production line for high performance solutions for the global aviation sector in both Europe and the MENA region.