HY4 – the world’s first passenger aircraft with hydrogen fuel cells
The combined efforts of the group, which included specialists in designing aircraft system designers with hydrogen fuel cells and researchers from some universities has led to the development and design of the first prototype passenger aircraft fuel cells.
And just recently this aircraft, called HY4, made its first test flight, taking off from runway of the airport in Stuttgart, Germany.
The plane HY4, wingspan which is 21.36 meters built on the aerodynamic configuration with the two fuselages, which are located between the nacelle with the engine. This design allowed the optimal placement of all elements of the power plant and provides the aircraft with the maximum possible load capacity. Each of the aircraft fuselage HY4 is a hydrogen tank containing 9 kg of hydrogen. This hydrogen is the fuel for low-temperature membrane fuel cell Proton Exchange Membrane, which turn contained in the hydrogen chemical energy into electrical energy.
Hydrogen fuel cells produce energy in an amount sufficient to implement only horizontal flight. And during takeoff and climb, comes to the rescue Li-polymer battery capacity of 21 KWh, which “pours” into the engines stored her extra energy.
The plane HY4 is able to fly the maximum distance of 1500 kilometers on one tank of hydrogen fuel and its 80 kW-tion engine is able to disperse the aircraft to a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour. At the same cruising speed, the rate at which the power plant of the works in the most economical mode, is 145 kilometers per hour.
During the first test flight of the plane HY4 stayed in the air for about 15 minutes, during which time he managed to make one lap around the airport in Stuttgart.
It should be noted that the project HY4 was first officially introduced in September last year at World of Energy Solutions. It involved the specialists of the company Pipistrel, which is engaged in the design and manufacture of light aircraft, the company Hydrogenics, which develops technologies for hydrogen fuel cells, and scientific and engineering support for the project was provided by researchers from the University of Ulm (University of Ulm) and the Institute of technical thermodynamics German aerospace centre (German Aerospace Center Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics).
Further work within the project HY4 is aimed at increasing efficiency of the power system of the aircraft, and the ultimate goal of the project is the creation of a relatively large aircraft on hydrogen fuel cell which will be able to carry 19 passengers at a time. “A small passenger aircraft, such as HY4, can be used for transport within regional airlines. And the electrical nature of these “air taxis” will provide environmental cleanliness of what can be considered a type of transport of the future,” says Joseph Calo (Josef Kallo), one of the leaders of the project.
