Airbus and Conflux Technology Partner on Hydrogen Aircraft Thermal Management

 Conflux Technology just announced that the company will contribute to Airbus’ ZEROe project by developing an advanced heat exchanger for hydrogen-electric propulsion systems using additive manufacturing.

The heat exchanger is crucial for thermal regulation within megawatt-class fuel cell systems and is currently being assessed for technology readiness maturity.

Hydrogen fuel cells generate significant heat, which means they need thermal management solutions that are compact and efficient.

Conflux’s heat exchanger, developed through Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) modelling and validated in lab-scale testing, is tailored for aerospace integration, as it maintains high performance while being lightweight.

“Our work with Airbus marks a significant step forward in the application of additive manufacturing to sustainable aviation,” said Michael Fuller, CEO of Conflux Technology.

Fuller added, “Thermal management is a core enabler for hydrogen propulsion, and our expertise is helping to advance this technology from lab to flight.”

The Airbus ZEROe project is focused on delivering a commercially viable, fully electric, hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft into service and suppliers like Conflux are contributing with critical components that will enable safe, efficient, and certifiable flight systems.

The Conflux heat exchanger is undergoing evaluation to be integrated into Airbus’ hydrogen fuel cell architecture, with ongoing system-level testing and development over the coming months.