Cryoworld and Futura are participants in the consortium that has set itself the goal of building a passenger aircraft that flies on hydrogen. Both companies from North Holland North contribute specialist knowledge in the field of storage and distribution of liquid hydrogen.
The Dutch consortium responsible for the development is called Hydrogen Aircraft Powertrain and Storage System (HAPSS)It is a public-private partnership in aviation, with seventeen participants including aircraft manufacturer Fokker, TU Delft and the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR). In North Holland there are Cryoworld and Future joined as partners. Futura from Heerhugowaard contributes composites that are needed for the hydrogen capsules. Cryoworld from Wieringerwerf focuses more specifically on the development of piping systems for the distribution of liquid hydrogen.
The initiators are converting existing aircraft into aircraft that are suitable for liquid hydrogen. The entire chain in an aircraft, from fuel to propulsion, is being greened and renewed in its entirety. Where the fuel is currently stored in the wings, in the new aircraft it will be replaced by hydrogen capsules in the tail of the aircraft. The hydrogen is then transported to the engine and converted into electricity. “It sounds easier than it is, the piping is a complex matter, for example,” says Bert Klarus of the South Holland development company InnovationQuarter. “If you want to transport hydrogen through pipes, you have to keep it under control with pressure regulators and compressors. And a lot of heat is also released, you have to do something with that.”
The financing of the HAPPS project comes from the National Growth Fund, which makes 110 million euros available. The consortium receives this public money on condition that at least the same amount of private money is provided in return. The passenger aircraft that HAPPS wants to build is suitable for forty to eighty people and has a range of 750 kilometers. The intention is to make a first flight to London in 2028.
During the presentation of the HAPPS project, BNR allowed Marcel Keezer of Cryoworld to speak, among others. This company is also involved in the development of the HYDRA 2L hydrogen drone. Listen to the broadcast below.
