Press release
18 October 2023

NITIU develops conformable fuel tanks for the hydrogen-powered aviation industry

Europe's aviation industry has embraced the challenge of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. To succeed in this endeavor, it is necessary to replace current fossil fuels with renewable alternatives. Hydrogen is considered to have significant potential in this transition, and Sweden aims to be a leader in its development. To achieve this, solutions to a range of challenges are required.

In a new project, NITIU, in collaboration with Alleima, Volvo Group, and Saab, will develop a basic design for a conformable hydrogen tank that can facilitate the transformation of the aviation industry. According to the Steer Group's report "Analyzing the Costs of Hydrogen Aircraft[1]," hydrogen-powered aviation is projected to account for 65% of all travel within Europe by 2050. Airbus plans to launch the first commercial hydrogen-powered aircraft as early as 2035.

Fuel storage is a challenge. Since the energy density of liquid hydrogen is more than twice as high as that of gas, the tank solution must be capable of withstanding temperatures as low as -253 degrees Celsius. To withstand such extreme cold, an exceptionally strong material with high resistance to hydrogen embrittlement is required.

"The material in our storage tank is a stainless steel with extreme strength and high resistance to hydrogen embrittlement. The expertise within the Volvo Group and Saab, combined with NITIU's ILS® structure and innovative joining solution, as well as Alleima's materials, make the solution both safe and volume-efficient," says Patrik Eriksson, CEO of NITIU and project manager.

Liquid hydrogen requires four times more volume than fossil fuel, which means that the fuel tanks must be built for conventionally unused areas in the aircraft. The advantage of the industry group's solution is that the ILS® structure is conformal, allowing for larger storage of hydrogen without sacrificing passenger space.

"The project will build knowledge and enhance the competitiveness of the Swedish industry. We hope that our solution will give the Swedish industry a central role in the transformation of the entire aviation transport system," Patrik Eriksson explains.

Timeline

The project is part of the National Aviation Technology Research Program (NFFP), which is based on a collaboration between the Swedish government and the industry. The project is set to run for one year, starting in September 2023.

For questions, please contact:

Patrik Eriksson, CEO NITIU, patrik.eriksson@nitiu.se, +46 (0)70-662 32 15

[1] https://www.transportenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Study-Analysing-the-costs-of-hydrogen-aircraft.pdf