Subsidized 50% by the ATI (Aerospace Technology Institute), this project called AETHER is the result of a partnership between TISICS, M.Wright & Sons, OXECO and the IISE institute (Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Engineering) of the University from Derby. Their goal is to devise revolutionary manufacturing techniques that will enable the production of safe tanks for future liquid hydrogen aircraft.

Fuel cell aircraft will play a crucial role for the UK to achieve its ‘zero emissions’ targets by 2050. Powering a hydrogen device in flight proves to have 75-90% less impact to the climate than that of a kerosene-powered plane.

AETHER wishes to solve the liquid hydrogen storage problems currently faced by manufacturers of aircraft tanks made from traditional materials. To meet the functional requirements of these receptacles, the project aims to develop new scalable technology and optimize different materials to design sophisticated hydrogen tanks for both the UK and global markets.

A crucial project for the UK

“Our company is delighted to bring its expertise in advanced modelling, multi-material coatings and 3D fabricated composites to this project”explains Stephen Kyle-Henney, CEO of TISICS.

“We are proud to financially support the AETHER project as it is a very important initiative for the UK”, concludes Professor Simon Weeks, technical director of the ATI. “These new tanks designed from high-performance materials will allow a fundamental weight reduction for the development of future hydrogen aircraft..”