Honeywell fuel cell powertrain begins ground testing under EU project

Honeywell Aerospace is considering how a 1MW-class fuel cell powertrain developed under an EU Clean Aviation project might eventually be flown, as the programme works through its first phase of ground testing.

Project NEWBORN, short for next-generation high-power fuel cells for aviation applications, has been running since 2023. It is meant to produce a full 1MW-class powertrain at technology readiness level 4 when it finishes at the end of March next year.

Testing of the power-generation system has been building up since late August at a dedicated site in the Czech Republic. That system covers the fuel cell stacks, their balance of plant and the thermal management system. Honeywell project lead Ondrej Kotaba said it had been run 22 times, averaging about 30 minutes per run, with roughly two more weeks of testing and optimisation left there. The facility is at the UJV Nuclear Research Institute in Rez, near Prague.

About two more weeks will then be needed to pack the equipment for transport to consortium partner Pipistrel's test site in Gorizia, Italy. There it will be integrated with a 1MW electric motor, controllers and inverters from the University of Nottingham, a hydrogen storage and supply system from Aciturri/Sonaca, and a battery pack designed by Pipistrel.

The electric motor is in its third iteration, having been reworked to address several small issues including rotor overheating, and testing continues in the UK. Kotaba said he was fully confident it would work. Honeywell is also considering how the integrated propulsion system could be flown in future trials, though the source does not detail a timeline for flight tests.