CFRP outer tank cap, part of composite dewar construction for cyrogenic liquid hydrogen storage. Source | © DLR. Alle Rechte vorbehalten

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute for Lightweight Systems (Braunschweig), together with INVENT GmbH (Braunschweig, Germany), has developed a 1.9-meter-diameter carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) cylindrical tank component for storing liquid hydrogen (LH₂) for zero-emission propulsion. DLR reports using LH₂ as an energy carrier for short-haul aircraft will become a reality by 2040. For this to succeed, lightweight tanks are needed that can be produced safely, easily and efficiently.

Source | © DLR. Alle Rechte vorbehalten

The 1.9-meter CFRP structure is the shorter of two segments comprising an outer tank for a dewar construction with vacuum between the inner and outer tanks, standard in cryogenic storage. It was reportedly made using materials and processes already approved for aviation, including DLR’s autoclave infusion process.

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It was presented for the first time at the Hydrogen Technology World Expo 2025 (Oct. 20-22, Hamburg, Germany).

DLR Institute for Lightweight Systems develops and tests new system technologies based on lightweight materials, structures and functional integration for resource-efficient and climate-friendly structures in aerospace, transport and the energy and security sectors. As part of its work in the German-funded LUFO UpLift project, this first full-scale test structure was produced using DLR’s autoclave infusion process — considered an innovative approach for producing large-scale CFRP tanks.

Source | © DLR. Alle Rechte vorbehalten

The LH₂ tank must withstand cryogenic temperatures of -253°C, a pressure between 2 and 10 bar and must also provide lightweight yet robust leak-tight storage to meet the requirements of commercial aircraft. Aircraft with 100 seats and a 1,000-nautical mile range are the first target for such composite tank developments. The UpLift ground test facility enables testing of full-scale composite tank components and under realistic operational conditions for this segment of future short-haul aircraft.

This development, titled “Lightweight liquid hydrogen tanks for sustainable aviation,” is one of six finalists for the Lower Saxony Innovation Award 2025 in the Key Technologies category. Possible applications are said to include cryogenic space tanks — particularly in the upper stage for the Ariane launch vehicle — and as LH₂ or ammonia storage tanks in the maritime sector. The experience gained in the manufacture of large, thin-walled, low-pressure vessels could also be beneficial toward further advancing high-rate production of future aircraft fuselages and other large components such as pressure bulkheads or rudder shells.