Airbus has opened a R&D centre in Stade, Germany that will develop composite materials and manufacturing processes for storing and distributing cryogenic liquid hydrogen.
The ZEROe Development Centre (ZEDC) at the Stade site, which is near Hamburg and employs around 2,000 people making composite aircraft parts is to prioritise the developing “cost-competitive” composite hydrogen systems, such as tanks.
The technology development will cover the product and industrial capabilities from elementary parts, assembly and the manufacturing-related testing of the liquid hydrogen (LH2) composite tanks.
Engineers at other Airbus ZEDC are also working on LH2 storage tanks, including at the Madrid ZEDC.
Airbus chief technical officer Sabine Klauke said, “Establishing a composite-related ZEDC in Germany strengthens our Research and Technology footprint in the country and ensures the involvement, from the start, of experts to support our decarbonization ambition.
“Furthermore, the ZEDC will benefit from the wider composite research and development ecosystem such as the Airbus subsidiary Composite Technology Center, the CFK NORD in Stade as well as from further synergies from space and maritime activities.”
Similarly to other ZEDCs opened previously in Bremen, Germany; Nantes, France; Madrid, Spain and Filton, UK. The Stade ZEDC is being supported by local government funding as part of programs to decarbonise the aerospace industry.
Airbus’ ZEROe program aims to get a hydrogen-powered aircraft in the sky by 2035.
