Parker Aerospace will start lab testing on parts it is developing to create a fuel cell collaboration with Airbus next month, says Mark Czaja, the supplier's group vice-president, technology and innovation.

"Real hardware will be in the lab," he says. Testing on components will start in the core of the fuel cell where hydrogen and oxygen energy is converted into electricity and will eventually move on to larger systems testing.

Parker will test the parts at a facility in Hamburg, Germany, which will later serve as a basis for flight and ground testing on an A320 in Toulouse. Airbus is estimating the first flight of a test aircraft with the fuel cell installed in 2016, says Axel Krein, Airbus's senior vice-president for research and technology. He says the manufacturer is in the process of looking for an A320 to test the technology for at least a two-year period.

The manufacturer has not yet carried out any modifications on the aircraft, but "the design has started", says Krein. He characterises the timeline as "midway on the technology development side" and expects the first modifications to occur in 2015.

Eventually, integration tests will move into a new applied research centre that Airbus will establish in Hamburg, which is scheduled to open by the end of 2014, says Krein. The building will be designed as a space for Airbus to collaborate on projects with its partners.

The fuel cell converts the energy contained in hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, producing a water byproduct.

The goal is to make several major systems obsolete on future aircraft systems, such as the ram air turbine and auxiliary power unit.

Krein says he has not seen any major obstacles in the testing so far, but notes that putting all of the different systems together can be difficult.

"The challenge is more in the integration of these elements," he says.

Parker Aerospace and Airbus first announced the partnership at the 2011 Paris air show. Airbus performed a first flight with the fuel cell system in 2008, which powered the aircraft's backup systems.

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Source: Flight Daily News

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