Universal Hydrogen Co.
Universal Hydrogen Co., a hydrogen fuel services provider using unique modular hydrogen capsule technology, completed an operational demonstration of loading and unloading its proprietary modular hydrogen capsules on its ATR-72 test aircraft. The company also showcased the fueling logistics solution for its new H2AmpCart, which is being designed and developed in partnership with JBT AeroTech, and will serve as a hydrogen fuel cell-powered, mobile battery charger for electric ground support equipment (GSE).
The demonstration marks significant progress when it comes to the near-term application of green hydrogen on airports being driven by this Task Force that is seeking to support the transformation of airports to greener solutions that will allow the industry’s continued sustainable growth. The Task Force welcomes live demonstrations of innovative technologies to showcase how the industry will continue to meet its high safety standards and operating requirements.
The demonstration on the ATR-72 showed the loading and unloading of Universal Hydrogen’s modular hydrogen capsules into the aircraft, simulating a turnaround procedure, and took place on the operational F50 apron of Toulouse Blagnac Airport.
Additionally, on the heels of announcing its joint development agreement with JBT AeroTech, Universal Hydrogen revealed the fueling logistics for its H2AmpCart showing the feasibility of recharging electric GSE (eGSEs) airside with hydrogen. This groundbreaking solution eliminates the need for expensive airport infrastructure investments. Hydrogen modules for the H2AmpCart have a discrete form-factor to those utilized in the aircraft and are being built and tested to support the year-end availability of the fully functional demonstrator H2AmpCart. By bringing the hydrogen and charger directly to the eGSEs on the airport aprons, the costly process of driving long distances to a central charging station is removed. Universal Hydrogen’s H2AmpCart hydrogen modules are filled away from the airport with green hydrogen and transferred to the airport landside leveraging existing intermodal freight infrastructure. From there, the modules are loaded onto a trailer for safe and efficient transportation to any location airside of the airport, facilitating opportunistic charging of eGSEs between operations. The trailer is then connected to the H2AmpCart with Universal Hydrogen’s purge-less quick connect system. This approach optimizes GSE operations and minimizes downtime.
“Many airports around the world already use hydrogen daily, but those are for landside operations such as shuttle buses. We took a step closer to hydrogen becoming a reality in the day-to-day operations at airports worldwide as we completed a hydrogen fueling turnaround of our ATR-72 aircraft and presented the fueling logistics of our new H2AmpCart. These airside capabilities underscore the impact our modular hydrogen capsule technology is having on our industry,” says Arnaud Namer, COO, Universal Hydrogen. “With no additional on-airport infrastructure required to make modular hydrogen refueling a reality, we are confident in our benefit to the immediate and cost-effective transition to true zero emissions.”