Source | Fabrum

A team of New Zealand and Australian companies developing and deploying liquid hydrogen (LH₂) technologies to enable Australasia’s first hydrogen (H₂)-electric flights has made a significant step forward in the transition to zero-emission aviation. They successfully filled composite tanks with LH₂ produced and stored on-site for the first time at an international airport in preparation for pre-flight testing. This team includes:

• Fabrum (Christchurch, New Zealand), developer of zero-emission transition technologies, including composite LH₂ tanks.
• AMSL Aero (Sydney, Australia), developer of the Vertiia H₂-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
• Stralis Aircraft (Brisbane, Australia), developer of high-performance, low-operating-cost H₂-electric propulsion systems.

Fabrum designed and manufactured the advanced composite LH₂ tanks for the aircraft companies AMSL Aero and Stralis Aircraft. The refueling was successfully completed at Fabrum’s dedicated LH₂ test facility at Christchurch Airport, developed in partnership with the airport at its renewable energy precinct.

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The companies are demonstrating that LH₂ fuel is a credible alternative for the aviation industry. The testing event highlighted several LH₂ technologies — including Fabrum’s triple-skin onboard tanks, featuring what is reported to be “groundbreaking” composites manufacturing techniques and the culmination of more than 20 years of R&D in cryogenics and composites. Fabrum’s LH₂ tank technology provides enhanced thermal insulation and fast refueling compared to conventional double-skin tank designs — delivering up to 70% faster refueling times and an 80% reduction in boil-off losses.

AMSL Aero will install these tanks on its Vertiia aircraft for long-range flights, enabling it to achieve optimal range, payload and speed. In addition, Stralis Aircraft’s lightweight H₂-electric propulsion system will be powered by LH₂ from Fabrum’s cryogenic tanks, which are mounted on the wings of Stralis’ fixed-wing test aircraft. Stralis expects its H₂-electric propulsion system will enable travel up to 10 times further than battery-electric alternatives and save 20-50% on operational costs compared to fossil fuel. Its first H₂ test flight is expected to take off in Australasia within 6 months.

“Our lightweight composite tanks, together with our H₂ liquefier and refueling systems, are critical enablers for H₂-powered flight,” explains Christopher Boyle, managing director of Fabrum. “By bringing all the elements together for the first time on-site at an international airport — producing, storing and dispensing LH₂ into composite aviation tanks as a fuel — we’re proving that LH₂ technologies for aircraft are now available, and that H₂-electric flight will soon be a reality in Australasia.”

Since its inception, Vertiia was designed to be powered by H₂ for long-range, cargo and passenger operations. “It must be as light as possible to achieve its 1,000-kilometer range, 500-kilogram payload and 300 kilometer/hour cruising speed,” Dr. Adriano Di Pietro, CEO of AMSL Aero, explains. “LH₂ is the lightest zero-emission method of storing energy for long-distance flight; no other technology currently comes close. We often get asked, ‘You are flying Vertiia and are developing an end-to-end H₂ system, but what else needs to happen to make Vertiia fly on LH₂?’ With Fabrum we have demonstrated the key steps in that process: from producing LH₂, to filling our ground transport container, then filling the tanks that we will install to our aircraft before our first LH₂ flights next year. This is a major milestone.”

"It’s fantastic to see more of Fabrum’s H₂ technologies unveiled and tested,” adds Bob Criner, CEO of Stralis Aircraft. “We are working with Fabrum to develop onboard tanks for our fixed-wing test aircraft to supply H₂ to our H₂-electric propulsion system. We’re excited to see Fabrum’s H₂ fuel dispensing systems for these onboard tanks proven out in testing. This is a vital step toward our first LH₂ test flights.”

These H₂ advancements stem from strong industry collaboration aimed at accelerating zero-emission aviation. Fabrum, AMSL Aero and Stralis Aircraft are members of the Hydrogen Flight Alliance in Australia, which is advancing the development of H₂-electric flight. AMSL Aero was recently awarded a grant from the Australian Government Department of Industry, Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Program for a “Liquid Hydrogen Powered Aircraft for Regional and Remote Australia” project, with Fabrum among the collaborators. Stralis Aircraft and Fabrum have also received support from Ara Ake, New Zealand’s future energy center, to fast-track H₂ technology for Australasia’s LH₂-powered flight.