Bristol Airport has launched a liquid hydrogen (LH₂) refuelling project which is aimed to support emerging zero carbon emissions aircraft.
The airport will work with Ultima Forma, a company which develops technology to assist various sectors with net-zero transition, to deliver the project.
Andy Bushby, Chief Technology Officer at Ultima Forma, said: “Developing engineering solutions for the carbon transition is at the heart of Ultima Forma’s technology. Working with Bristol Airport has been exciting in exploring how decarbonised aviation could be brought to life.”
Funded through Bristol Airport’s ACT (Aviation Carbon Transition) Programme, the initiative represents a key move towards decarbonising regional air travel.
It has resulted in a pioneering technical report demonstrating how a LH₂ refuelling system could be built and operated at Bristol Airport.
LH₂ aircraft, which would make zero carbon emissions flight possible, are currently being developed by companies such as ZeroAvia and Airbus.
However, the aircraft would require hydrogen fuel storage and refuelling facilities at airports, presenting a challenge for their large-scale adoption.
Ultima Forma’s report sheds light on how liquid hydrogen could be delivered to and stored at the airport.
While technology to store liquid hydrogen at its required -253°C temperature is well-established, it has not yet been used at scale at an airport.
Hannah Pollard, Head of Sustainability for Bristol Airport, said: “Our region is at the forefront of global efforts to develop zero emissions, hydrogen-powered flight.
“The first regional hydrogen flights are expected in the coming years, and Bristol Airport wants to be an early adopter of this exciting new technology.
“Ultima Forma’s groundbreaking study is a huge step towards us hosting the storage and refuelling facilities that we’ll need in the future.”
