GREENAIR

Generation of hydrogen by kerosene reforming via efficient and low emission new alternative, innovative, refined technologies for aircraft application.

Unibo team leader: Prof. Angelo Vaccari, Dip. di Chimica Industriale e dei Materiali

Fuel cells for power generation and additional purposes aboard aircraft have a promising potential to contribute to making aircraft "greener" and thus to "greening of air transport" which is a superior goal of European policy of climate change. GreenAir is addressing one of the key problems for fuel cell application aboard an aircraft - the generation of Hydrogen from Jet fuel (Kerosene) which will be the aeronautic fuel for the next decades also. While "mainstream" fuel processors (e.g. autothermal reforming) have been intensely investigated already, GreenAir is
focusing on two novel and unconventional methods to overcome some hurdles of "mainstream" reforming technologies:
- Microwave plasma assisted reforming (PAF), goal: development from TRL 3 to TRL 5
- Partial Dehydrogenation fuel processing (PDh), goal: development from TRL 2 to TRL 4
- Kerosene Fractionation will be investigated in addition. It shall extract fractions out of Kerosene favourable for reforming to facilitate the PAF and the PDh processes. The physical and chemical fundamentals of these methods will be elaborated. Furthermore, aircraft integration and safety concepts will be elaborated. For both methods, breadboard fuel processor systems will be built and tested for proof of concepts under standard and simulated flight conditions. Widespread dissemination via a website, publications and conference contributions and a special Forum will be ensured. Training and education of young scientists is foreseen. GreenAir combines 13 beneficiaries from 7 European countries which are from aircraft and fuel cell related industry as well as institutes and SMEs excelling in fuel cell and catalysis R&D. It will establish links to the JTIs ("CLEANSKY" and "Fuel Cells and Hydrogen") to maximize synergies.
The consortium of this 3 years project is well balanced in terms of the mix of 2 SMEs, 7 Academia and 4 industry partners as well as geographically.

 

Coordinator
EADS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH (Germany)
Other participants
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA
- Dip. di Chimica Industriale e dei Materiali
- Resp. scientifico: Prof. Angelo Vaccari 
COMPAÑIA ESPAÑOLA DE SISTEMAS AERONAUTICOS (Spain)
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE – CNR (Italy)
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE – CNRS (France)
DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUER LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT E.V. (Germany)
DR. ERICH ERDLE (Germany)
HYGEAR B.V. (The Netherlands)
INSTYTUT MASZYN PRZEPLYWOWYCH - POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK (Poland)
INSTYTUT NISKICH TEMPERATUR I BADAN STRUKTURALNYCH IM. WLODZIMIERZA TRZEBIATOWSKIEGO POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK (Poland)
JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC. (UK)
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES – DIRECTORATE GENERAL JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE – JRC (EU)
QINETIQ LIMITED (UK)

 

Start date 01/09/2009

End date 31/08/2012

Duration 36 months

Project cost 7.795.134 Euro

Project Funding 5.057.658 Euro

Subprogramme Area Systems and Equipment 

Contract type Small or medium-scale focused research project