Preliminary Design of Air Inlet Systems for Fuel Cell-Powered Electric Propulsion Systems for Regional Aircraft

Kurzfassung

Electrified propulsion systems powered by hydrogen fuel cells are a promising technology for future, sustainable aircraft. However, operating a fuel cell in an aircraft poses challenges to other components, such as the air inlet system. Not only does the fuel cell have to be supplied with a constant stream of clean air for the cold combustion, but also high amounts of waste heat have to be discarded into the atmosphere by utilizing air liquid heat exchangers. This paper introduces and evaluates different air inlet system options using analytical methods. Inlet concepts are identified by analysing the state of the art. Promising concepts are selected using a qualitative evaluation. The most promising concept is sized for a reference propulsion system. The results of this study highlight the importance of careful air inlet design to ensure reliable operation and acceptable performance of fuel cell-powered aero engines. Performance and sizing data gained from the analytical calculations can serve as a baseline for the preliminary design of air supply systems for fuel cell-powered aircraft. Additionally, the process used in this work can be implemented for inlet systems designed for other engine types. Thereby, this work assists in the development of carbon-neutral air travel.