A Study on Thermal Management Systems for Fuel-Cell Powered Regional Aircraft
This work studies the feasibility of integrating a hydrogen-powered propulsion system in a regional aircraft at the conceptual design level. The developed system consists of fuel cells, which will be studied at three technological levels, and batteries, also studied for four hybridization factors (X...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/12/3074 |
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| author | Manuel Filipe Frederico Afonso Afzal Suleman |
| author_facet | Manuel Filipe Frederico Afonso Afzal Suleman |
| author_sort | Manuel Filipe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This work studies the feasibility of integrating a hydrogen-powered propulsion system in a regional aircraft at the conceptual design level. The developed system consists of fuel cells, which will be studied at three technological levels, and batteries, also studied for four hybridization factors (X = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20). Hydrogen can absorb great thermal loads since it is stored in the tank at cryogenic temperatures and is used as fuel in the fuel cells at around 80 °C. Taking advantage of this characteristic, two thermal management system (TMS) architectures were developed to ensure the proper functioning of the aircraft during the designated mission: A1, which includes a vapor compression system (VCS), and A2, which omits it for a simpler design. The models were developed in MATLAB<sup>®</sup> and consist of different components and technologies commonly used in such systems. The analysis reveals that A2, due to the exclusion of the VCS, outperformed A1 in weight (10–23% reduction), energy consumption, and drag. A1’s TMS required significantly more energy due to the VCS compressor. Hybridization with batteries increased system weight substantially (up to 37% in A2) and had a greater impact on energy consumption in A2 due to additional fan work. Hydrogen’s heat sink capacity remained underutilized, and the hydrogen tank was deemed suitable for a non-integral fuselage design. A2 had the lowest emissions (10–20% lower than A1 for X = 0), but hybridization negated these benefits, significantly increasing emissions in pessimistic scenarios. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2bf8f5e260b44ad09ad2de17cb7def84 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj-art-2bf8f5e260b44ad09ad2de17cb7def842025-08-20T03:27:10ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-06-011812307410.3390/en18123074A Study on Thermal Management Systems for Fuel-Cell Powered Regional AircraftManuel Filipe0Frederico Afonso1Afzal Suleman2Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalInstituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalInstituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalThis work studies the feasibility of integrating a hydrogen-powered propulsion system in a regional aircraft at the conceptual design level. The developed system consists of fuel cells, which will be studied at three technological levels, and batteries, also studied for four hybridization factors (X = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20). Hydrogen can absorb great thermal loads since it is stored in the tank at cryogenic temperatures and is used as fuel in the fuel cells at around 80 °C. Taking advantage of this characteristic, two thermal management system (TMS) architectures were developed to ensure the proper functioning of the aircraft during the designated mission: A1, which includes a vapor compression system (VCS), and A2, which omits it for a simpler design. The models were developed in MATLAB<sup>®</sup> and consist of different components and technologies commonly used in such systems. The analysis reveals that A2, due to the exclusion of the VCS, outperformed A1 in weight (10–23% reduction), energy consumption, and drag. A1’s TMS required significantly more energy due to the VCS compressor. Hybridization with batteries increased system weight substantially (up to 37% in A2) and had a greater impact on energy consumption in A2 due to additional fan work. Hydrogen’s heat sink capacity remained underutilized, and the hydrogen tank was deemed suitable for a non-integral fuselage design. A2 had the lowest emissions (10–20% lower than A1 for X = 0), but hybridization negated these benefits, significantly increasing emissions in pessimistic scenarios.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/12/3074hybridizationhydrogenfuel cellsthermal management systemspropulsion systemregional aircraft |
| spellingShingle | Manuel Filipe Frederico Afonso Afzal Suleman A Study on Thermal Management Systems for Fuel-Cell Powered Regional Aircraft Energies hybridization hydrogen fuel cells thermal management systems propulsion system regional aircraft |
| title | A Study on Thermal Management Systems for Fuel-Cell Powered Regional Aircraft |
| title_full | A Study on Thermal Management Systems for Fuel-Cell Powered Regional Aircraft |
| title_fullStr | A Study on Thermal Management Systems for Fuel-Cell Powered Regional Aircraft |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Study on Thermal Management Systems for Fuel-Cell Powered Regional Aircraft |
| title_short | A Study on Thermal Management Systems for Fuel-Cell Powered Regional Aircraft |
| title_sort | study on thermal management systems for fuel cell powered regional aircraft |
| topic | hybridization hydrogen fuel cells thermal management systems propulsion system regional aircraft |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/12/3074 |
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