HyPoint partners with GTL to extend zero-emission flight with ultralight liquid hydrogen tanks

HyPoint (Menlo Park, Calif., U.S.) is developing zero carbon-emission hydrogen (H₂) fuel cell systems for aviation and urban/advanced air mobility (UAM/AAM). It is already supplying hydrogen aviation leaders ZeroAvia (Hollister, Calif., U.S.) and Piasecki Aircraft (Essington, Pa., U.S.). HyPoint has announced a partnership with Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories (GTL, Tullahoma, Tennessee, U.S.), an aerospace engineering R&D company, which has developed BHL Cryotank carbon fiber composite liquid hydrogen (LH₂) fuel tanks that have demonstrated a 75% mass reduction compared to existing state-of-the-art aerospace cryotanks (metal or composite).

HyPoint will integrate BHL Cryotank H₂ storage with its turbo air-cooled fuel cell system, enabling H₂-powered aircraft and eVTOL manufacturers to store as much as 10 times more LH₂ fuel without adding mass. As a result, aircraft can travel longer distances without refueling. HyPoint also announced that former GE Aviation and Rolls-Royce engineering executive, Umeed Ashtiani, has joined the company to lead its system engineering team and oversee the implementation of the tank technology.

“GTL offers a liquid hydrogen tank that is stronger and lighter than anything else on the market”

"Reducing weight is the most important factor for enabling longer-distance air travel with fewer stops to refuel," said Dr. Alex Ivanenko, founder and CEO of HyPoint. "Our hydrogen fuel cell system offers better specific power performance compared with any alternative available today, opening the door to short-haul zero-emission hydrogen flight and urban air mobility. This partnership with GTL goes even further by offering aircraft and eVTOL makers a liquid hydrogen tank that is stronger and lighter than anything else on the market, thereby significantly increasing fuel capacity. By utilizing this new fuel tank technology, longer-haul aircraft may be able to utilize hydrogen for the first time while eVTOL makers can effectively multiply their flight range and operational time. We're excited to be working with GTL to offer superior alternative power sources and accelerate the adoption of zero-emission hydrogen across the aviation industry."

 

GTL’s composite tank advantage

GTL specializes in developing advanced composite prototypes and technologies for aerospace and has won numerous development contracts with NASA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Air Force, and others. GTL incorporates many polymer-composite manufacturing processes, including filament winding, hand layup, and fiber placement to produce composite components. GTL has fabricated and tested multiple BHL Cryotank models at a range of scales that have been demonstrated to be leak-tight even after repeated cryo-thermal pressure cycles. This technology has achieved TRL 5+ and is compatible with a variety of cryogenic propellants including liquid oxygen, liquid methane and LH₂.

Weighing 67 kilograms and storing 150 kilograms of H₂ gives a storage ratio of 50% — up to 10 times greater than state-of-the-art H₂ storage tanks.

The pictured BHL Cryotank (held by Zachary Taylor, Vice President ofH₂ Engineering at GTL) measures 2.4 meters long with a 1.2 meter diameter and weighs 12 kilograms (roughly 26 pounds). When a skirt and vacuum dewar shell are added, the total system weight is 67 kilograms. This particular tank system can hold more than 150 kilograms of LH₂, giving it a storage ratio (the weight of stored H₂ fuel relative to total system weight) of at least 50% — up to 10 times greater than current state-of-the-art H₂ storage tanks. An aircraft equipped with GTL dewar tank technology could achieve as much as four times the range of a conventional aircraft using aviation fuel, cutting aircraft operating costs by an estimated 50% on a dollar-per-passenger-mile basis.

"Based on our internal analysis of a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q300, which seats 50 to 56 passengers, the standard PW123B engine would typically support a range of 1,558 kilometers,” said Sergei Shubenkov, co-founder and head of R&D at HyPoint. “By implementing HyPoint's system and a standard liquid hydrogen tank, the same aircraft could achieve five hours of flight time or a max range of 2,640 kilometers. With GTL's tank, it could fly for 8.5 hours or a max range of 4,488 kilometers, indicating that this aircraft could fly three times further with zero emissions by using HyPoint and GTL compared with conventional aviation fuel," "That's the difference between this plane going from New York to Chicago with high carbon emissions versus New York to San Francisco with zero carbon emissions."

With BHL Cryotanks, large aircraft will be able to use H₂ fuel for cross-country flights at least a decade earlier than expected.

"Similar to the carbon fiber that is used in racing bikes, our carbon-composite technology adds strength and durability while significantly reducing weight,” said Paul Gloyer, President and CEO at GTL. “With BHL Cryotanks, larger aircraft such as jumbo jets will be able to utilize hydrogen fuel for cross-country flights at least a decade earlier than expected. Similarly, eVTOL and drone makers can significantly extend their range and/or flight time, opening new markets and opportunities. HyPoint is pioneering hydrogen fuel cell technology and we are excited to be working toward a shared vision for zero-emission hydrogen aviation."