Evaluation of the Potential of Metal Hydride Applications in Future Hydrogen-powered Aviation

Abstract

Hydrogen, used in a gas turbine or in fuel cells of electrified propulsion systems, is a promising energy carrier for future sustainable aviation. However, many challenges, like the storage of hydrogen or the thermal management, have to be tackled in the upcoming years. Metal hydrides, being one option to store hydrogen, are not only achieving high volumetric hydrogen storage densities, but also enable various auxiliary functions like high-power thermal applications or hydrogen compression. This study investigates potential use cases of metal hydrides in future hydrogen powered aviation. Hence, the possible applications of metal hydrides are presented. The following seven potential use cases for aviation are examined and evaluated: hydrogen emergency storage, cabin airconditioning, thermal management of fuel cells, gas gap heat switches, hydrogen boil-off capture, onboard hydrogen compression and hydrogen safety sensors. The evaluation is performed by means of a weighted point rating. The results of this evaluation reveal the high potential of metal hydrides for hydrogen boil-off capture, hydrogen safety sensors and cabin air-conditioning. This study outlines, how metal-hydride-based components can contribute to the transition to future sustainable aviation.