Airbus has opened a Zero Emissions Development Center (ZEDC) for hydrogen technologies in the UK. UK ZEDC’s priority will be the development of a low-cost cryogenic tank in Filton near Bristol.
This tank is needed for zero passenger aircraft to enter service by 2035. As the UK ZEDC will work in partnership with the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), the UK Government’s recent funding commitment to Airbus will see ATI benefit a total of £685 million (€804 million) over the next three years.
Airbus intends to conduct overall system and low-temperature testing at Filton and thus be able to map out the entire development chain. “The development of the end-to-end fuel system, featuring Airbus in the UK, is one of the most complex technologies critical to future hydrogen aircraft performance,” the statement said.
Last year, Airbus decided to pool its efforts for metallic hydrogen tanks and set up Zero Emissions Development Centers (ZEDC) in locations in Germany, Spain and France, notably in Bremen, Madrid and Nantes.
“The creation of ZEDC in the UK extends Airbus’ in-house industrial capabilities to design, develop, test and manufacture cryogenic hydrogen storage tanks and related systems for the ZEROe project in four of Airbus’ home countries,” said Airbus CTO Sabine Clock he said. “This, together with our partnership with ATI, will allow us to leverage our respective expertise to realize the potential of hydrogen technology to support the decarbonization of the aviation industry.”
airbus.com
