Liquid hydrogen as a new frontier to decarbonize the aviation sector and promote more sustainable mobility in airports: this is the objective of the ALRIGH2T project (Airport-Level Demonstration of Ground Refueling of Liquid Hydrogen for Aviation), coordinated by ENEA, which includes 21 companies and research institutions at both national and international levels, including SEA, the operator of Milan's airport system.
ALRIGH2T, funded by the European Commission with approximately 10 million euros, aims to develop innovative solutions for components, technologies, and systems for the use of liquid hydrogen in the airport sector. This will strengthen Europe’s leadership in both research and experimentation, as well as in the industrial field, while also consolidating the role of airports as hubs for the creation and dissemination of the hydrogen economy.
THE PROJECT
The project includes testing at two airports, Milan Malpensa and Paris, to study, validate, and demonstrate two different approaches to hydrogen refueling for aircraft and ground handling vehicles. In Milan, SEA will experiment with the "direct" refueling of liquid hydrogen, while also defining operational protocols to ensure safety and speed in operations; in Paris, refueling will be demonstrated through the replacement/exchange of the liquid hydrogen tank, which is filled elsewhere. The challenge of the project lies in exploring two completely different approaches with the goal of comparing their performance in terms of reliability, operability, boil-off, safety, and costs. In addition to coordinating the project, ENEA will also contribute to the development and evaluation of the various technological solutions to be implemented from a technical, economic, and environmental perspective.
FOCUS
This proposal originates from an ENEA initiative with the goal of capitalizing on the work of OLGA. The consortium, coordinated by ENEA, includes SEA, AdP, AIT (Austrian Institute of Technology), SAG/Test Fuchs (aircraft tanks), Piaggio DigiSky, SINTEF (Norwegian research institute), Ineris (French environmental risk institute), GEH (France handling), and Linde (responsible for the entire H2 component). The objective is to develop a demonstrator system for H2 refueling for aircraft, which could be implemented at Malpensa for the refuel-in-to-airplane solution and in Paris for a tank swap solution. The project is supported by an Advisory Board, which includes ENAC as a member.
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PROJECT NAME: HORIZON-CL5-2023-D5-01
NUMBER: 101138105
DURATION: 48 mesi
TOTAL BUDGET: € 12.958.900
EU CONTRIBUTION: € 9.999.720,01
COORDINATOR: ENEA
PARTNERS: AIT-Austrian Institute of Technology, Lkr-Leichtmetallkompetenzzentrum ranshofen Piaggio aero industrie, Linde sag new technologies, Test-fuchs, Israel Aerospace Industries, Dgsky tld europe, Universal Hydroge; Group Europe Handling, Regourd Aviation, Aeroport de Paris, Sintef Energi,Ineris – Institut National de l’Environnement Industriel et de Risques, Atena- Distretto Alta Tecnologia Energia e Ambiente, Tum-Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Zabala Innovation Consulting sa