Airbus to build cryogenic fuel innovation centre in UK

Aerospace company Airbus has revealed it will be building an innovation centre in the UK to research the feasibility of hydrogen-based technologies such as cryogenic fuels.

The Zero Emission Development Centre (ZEDC), set to be based in Bristol, will help the airliner release its first fully zero-emission aircraft, the Airbus ZEROe, which is currently on the drawing board, by 2035 at the latest.

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This comes as part of the British government's plans to increase investment in green aerospace technology in a bid to bring the sector in line with its decarbonisation goals. By 2050, the government is hoping that all industrial sectors will be net-zero.

To this end, a record £685 million has been granted through its Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme, set to aid the development of technologies over the next three years.

In total, the industry could see well over £1 billion in funds towards greener engines.

“Establishing the ZEDC in the UK expands Airbus’ in-house industrial capabilities to design, develop, test and manufacture cryogenic hydrogen storage tanks and related systems for the ZEROe project across Airbus’ four home countries", Airbus CTO Sabine Klauke said in a statement.

"This, coupled with our partnership with ATI, will allow us to leverage our respective expertise to realise the potential of hydrogen technology to support the decarbonisation of the aviation industry", she added.

The plant will continue the work conducted by Airbus engineers overseas, such as in its innovation centres in Spain and Germany, both of which are focusing on cells and the development of liquid cryogenic hydrogen.

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It is being developed due to the hydrogen being able to be stored at a low temperature, which means it can be stored for significant lengths of time. This can lead to bulk production and a substantial decrease in transport costs.

While cryogenic fuels in general typically contain release fewer emissions than their traditional counterparts, cryogenic hydrogen - depending on how it is generated - can be entirely emissions-free.

Another advantage is that cryogenic fuels are also typically non-pollutant, so potential spillages will not be as hazardous.

Airbus hopes its first functional hydrogen tank will be ready to unveil to the public by next year with mass production planned for 2026.

With the fuel sorted, the airliner can then move onto the development stage of the ZEROe craft.

Airbus has been toying with the idea of using hydrogen jets for a few years now, first unveiling concepts back in September 2020.

Since then, it has formed a joint venture with aviation firm CEM International for the development of hydrogen combustion jets as part of its plans to become net-zero within two decades.

Read more: Airbus to pioneer hydrogen combustion jets

Hydrogen has several key advantages over electricity for heavier and longer-haul vehicles such as planes, trucks and ships - the primary one being that they can travel for far longer than most current electricity cells can offer.

As such, the development of hydrogen technologies is considered a key technology for decarbonising some of the most difficult-to-abate sectors.

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