Successful entry: AETHERIUS – TU Darmstadt
Successful entry: AETHERIUS – TU Darmstadt
AETHERIUS is a modular, CS-23-compliant research aircraft designed to experimentally validate a hybrid hydrogen-electric propulsion system that combines high-temperature PEM fuel cells (HT-PEMFC), a 150-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery buffer, and a DEP on a high-aspect-ratio wing with high-lift systems. The central scientific question is: how can DEP, combined with high-lift surfaces, overcome the transient power deficits and thermal challenges of an HT-PEMFC drive in a regional aircraft? The modular architecture allows rapid switching between the fuel cell drive and a hydrogen turbine-generator propulsion system, with both systems communicating via a shared 800-volt DC main bus and a standardised interface. The combination of DEP blowing, a high aspect ratio (AR = 10) and an intelligent energy management system (EMS) enables short take-off and landing performance within 750 metres, along with high aerodynamic efficiency. AETHERIUS thus serves as a central platform for testing future emission-free aircraft technologies and developing future certification criteria.
Credit:
TU Darmstadt/AETHERIUS