Sandia, Boeing investigate back-up power unit for aircraft

LIVERMORE, CA, USA, May 30, 2007. Sandia National Labs and Boeing are collaborating on a project to look at the feasibility of using a hydrogen-powered fuel cell to provide back-up power in aircraft.

Commercial and military aircraft use a variety of techniques for providing back-up electrical power to critical subsystems during emergency scenarios. Depending on the aircraft, these may include dedicated battery power, in-flight operation of the auxiliary power unit, a ram air turbine or other technologies.

This project is a new task under an umbrella cooperative R&D agreement signed between the two organizations in 2002. It focuses on the use of a PEM fuel cell for back-up power. Sandia, which is leading investigations, is looking at electrical and environmental requirements, storage issues and efficiency.

“A significant part of our focus at Boeing Commercial Airplanes is looking at environmentally progressive technologies that can further reduce dependencies on oil-driven power sources,” explains project manager Joe Breit, an associate technical fellow at the Boeing Systems Concept Center. “Our collaborative work with Sandia on this application is a step forward in that regard.”

The project taps Sandia’s 60 years of experience in hydrogen storage for weapons applications, and more recent R&D into materials science and hydrogen storage engineering, through its DOE-sponsored Metal Hydride Center of Excellence at Sandia’s Livermore site in California.

Sandia’s PEM researcher Chris Cornelius will evaluate fuel cell requirements, implementation and efficiency, while Lennie Klebanoff, project manager of Sandia’s Livermore site, will provide analysis of hydrogen storage options and issues.

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