PHOENIX: THE WORLD'S FIRST LIQUID HYDROGEN AIRCRAFT
Undoubtedly the biggest hydrogen enthusiasts at Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe 2022 were a group of Dutch university students who were captivated by the vision of a "clean sky future". To realise their vision, they founded the non-profit organisation AeroDelft ( https://aerodelft.nl/ ), suspended their studies for more than a year and embarked on their own hydrogen aircraft project, the Phoenix. At the Hydrogen EXPO, they unveiled a major attraction to the world - an unmanned prototype of this aircraft with a wingspan of 5.7 metres and a range of under 300 kilometres. This prototype is powered by a 1500 W fuel cell. Hydrogen is stored in a cryogenic tank at a temperature of -253 °C and then heated to 0 °C.
H2 TIMES learned at the AeroDelft booth that these Dutch students are already working on the design of a manned, full-size Phoenix aircraft. It will have a wingspan of 10 metres and a range of 400 kilometres.
Joseph Michaels of AeroDelft said in an official statement to Hydrogen EXPO: "This is our way of shaking up the industry. We've often said to ourselves that if we can fly (=our own hydrogen aircraft - editor's note) as a group of students who haven't even completed all their formal education, why can't the 'big players' do it too?"
By the way - just before the Hydrogen EXPO opens on October 13, 2022, AeroDelft signed a partnership agreement with Airbus. The latter has decided to collaborate on the Phoenix project and support academic research in the field of hydrogen-powered aviation.
Rob Postma, CEO of Airbus Netherlands, said on this occasion, among other things: "We are committed to making climate-neutral aviation a reality and believe that hydrogen is a very promising way to achieve this. We are thrilled that AeroDelft and a whole new generation of aviation students share the same ambition. What AeroDelft has achieved so far is impressive..."
Pictures: Dan Moc and AeroDelft
