Climate Impulse: ArianeGroup kicks off design of plane’s hydrogen tanks

January 15 saw a further step in ArianeGroup’s participation in the Climate Impulse project. This bold project, initiated by Swiss explorer and climate activist Bertrand Piccard, aims to develop a liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft prototype that will be capable of making a non-stop round-the-world trip with two pilots (Bertrand Piccard and French engineer and fellow adventurer Raphaël Dinelli).

ArianeGroup is playing a key role at the very heart of this technological exploit, with responsibility for designing the plane’s on-board hydrogen tanks, a crucial component of the aircraft’s architecture.

For the kick-off of the critical design phase, the teams were assembled simultaneously at ArianeGroup’s Les Mureaux and Vernon sites in France and Bremen in Germany. Each of them contributes expertise that is vital to the project’s achievement of its objectives. The tank plans are produced in Les Mureaux by the launchers mechanical design department; the teams at Vernon are assigned to conducting the functional studies, while the Bremen teams are carrying out thermal analyses. A total of 18 technical sectors are helping to ensure the success of this ambitious technological challenge.

This design phase will be completed in a few months with delivery of the qualification model drawings. And that is just the first step …