A landmark refuelling operation at Christchurch Airport has demonstrated how liquid hydrogen and high-tech composite tanks are converging to power the next frontier in aviation. Fabrum engineered lightweight, triple-skin composite cryogenic storage tanks, which were successfully filled with on-site liquid hydrogen for the first time in preparation for the region's first hydrogen-electric flight. The integration of liquid-hydrogen infrastructure and advanced composite materials paves the way for zero-emission aircraft with longer range and lower weight—signalling a major leap forward in sustainable aviation.
Fabrum designed and manufactured the advanced composite liquid-hydrogen tanks for the aircraft companies AMSL Aero and Stralis Aircraft. The refuelling was successfully completed at Fabrum's dedicated liquid-hydrogen test facility at Christchurch Airport, developed in partnership with the airport at its renewable energy precinct.
Christopher Boyle, Managing Director of Christchurch-based Fabrum, a world leader in zero-emission transition technologies, said: "Our lightweight composite tanks, together with our hydrogen liquefier and refuelling systems, are critical enablers for hydrogen-powered flight. By bringing all the elements together for the first time on site at an international airport—producing, storing, and dispensing liquid hydrogen into composite aviation tanks as a fuel—we're proving that liquid-hydrogen technologies for aircraft are now available and that hydrogen-electric flight will soon be a reality in Australasia."
Dr Adriano Di Pietro, CEO of Sydney-based AMSL Aero, the developer of the world-leading hydrogen-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft Vertiia, said: "Vertiia is the world's first eVTOL designed from inception to be powered by hydrogen for long-range, cargo and passenger operations. Vertiia must be as light as possible to achieve its 1,000 km range, 500kg payload and 300 km/h cruising speed. Liquid hydrogen is the lightest zero-emission method of storing energy for long-distance flight; no other technology currently comes close. Today, with Fabrum, we have demonstrated the key steps in that process: from producing liquid hydrogen, to filling our ground transport container, then filling the tanks that we will install to our aircraft before our first liquid hydrogen flights next year. This is a major milestone."
Bob Criner, CEO of Brisbane-based Stralis Aircraft, a developer of high-performance, low-operating-cost hydrogen-electric propulsion systems, said: "It's fantastic to see more of Fabrum's hydrogen technologies unveiled and tested. We are working with Fabrum to develop onboard tanks for our fixed-wing test aircraft to supply hydrogen to our hydrogen-electric propulsion system."
Christchurch Airport CEO Justin Watson said, "It's fantastic to welcome aviation industry leaders paving the way for a transition to a low-emissions future here at the airport."
Pioneering Liquid Hydrogen Technologies Unveiled
Fabrum's triple-skin composite onboard aviation fuel tank technology provides enhanced thermal insulation and fast refuelling compared to conventional double-skin tank designs, delivering up to 70% faster refuelling times and an 80% reduction in boil-off losses during refuelling. AMSL Aero received composite onboard aviation tanks developed by Fabrum for installation on its Vertiia aircraft for long-range flights. Stralis Aircraft is expanding its hydrogen technology portfolio with the procurement of a cryogenic Dewar for storing and refuelling liquid hydrogen, complementing the onboard liquid hydrogen tanks and fuel system, mounted on the wings of Stralis fixed-wing test aircraft. Stralis expects its hydrogen-electric propulsion system will enable travel up to ten times further than battery-electric alternatives and save 20-50% on operational costs compared to fossil fuel.
Industry Collaboration
These hydrogen advancements stem from strong industry collaboration aimed at accelerating zero-emission aviation. Fabrum, AMSL Aero, and Stralis Aircraft are members of the Hydrogen Flight Alliance in Australia. AMSL Aero was recently awarded a grant from the Australian Government Department of Industry, Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Program for a Liquid Hydrogen Powered Aircraft for Regional and Remote Australia project, with Fabrum among the collaborators.
Source - fabrum.nz
