PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND MODELLING OF A HYDROGEN-POWERED AIRCRAFT FUEL SYSTEM

Francesco Sciatti, Vincenzo Di Domenico, Lazzaro Zagaria, Dami Adeyemi, Paolo Tamburrano, Andrew R. Plummer, Nathan Sell, Elia Distaso, Riccardo Amirante

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceedingChapter in a published conference proceeding

1 Citation (SciVal)

Abstract

Addressing the pressing challenge of reducing carbon emissions necessitates the development of aircraft powered by renewable energy sources. Among potential solutions, transitioning from kerosene to hydrogen combustion is a promising strategy for sustainable aviation in a future where 'green hydrogen' is readily available. An aircraft's fuel system manages fuel storage, transfer, and distribution throughout all flight phases, and meters fuel to the engines to control their thrust and speed. Conventional gas turbine aircraft fuel system components have been optimised to be lightweight, compact, and capable of working with liquid fuels (i.e. kerosene-based fuels). Among them, each engine's fuel metering unit (FMU) includes a fuel metering servovalve, bypass valve, actuator valve, pressurizing valve, and shut-off valve, and is required to accurately control the fuel flow delivered to the engine and adjust the angle of the compressor inlet guide vanes. Hydrogen aircraft fuel systems might follow a similar architecture, with hydrogen stored on-board as a liquid (LH2) at low temperature. However, controlling the flow of liquid hydrogen poses challenges, especially in maintaining cryogenic conditions in the supply line. This constraint can be relieved by vaporizing the LH2 upstream of the metering system using heat exchangers. Consequently, it is necessary to adapt the system components to handle gaseous hydrogen (GH2 ). In this context, this paper provides a preliminary investigation into modelling a potential architecture and the main components of future hydrogen aircraft fuel systems, building upon a previous comprehensive Simulink model of a conventional aircraft fuel system. Firstly, the layout of the conventional aircraft fuel system is presented. Then, the necessary system changes are proposed to obtain a potential architecture of a future aircraft fuel system. Finally, a detailed model of the novel architecture is given, and results under specific operating conditions are shown and discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of BATH/ASME 2024 Symposium on Fluid Power and Motion Control, FPMC 2024
Place of PublicationU. S. A.
PublisherThe American Society of Mechanical Engineers(ASME)
ISBN (Electronic)9780791888193
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Sept 2024
EventBATH/ASME 2024 Symposium on Fluid Power and Motion Control, FPMC 2024 - Bath, UK United Kingdom
Duration: 11 Sept 202413 Sept 2024

Publication series

NameProceedings of BATH/ASME 2024 Symposium on Fluid Power and Motion Control, FPMC 2024

Conference

ConferenceBATH/ASME 2024 Symposium on Fluid Power and Motion Control, FPMC 2024
Country/TerritoryUK United Kingdom
CityBath
Period11/09/2413/09/24

Keywords

  • Aircraft fuel system
  • hydrogen
  • modelling
  • Simulink

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
  • Control and Systems Engineering

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