Structural sizing of a hydrogen tank for a commercial aircraft
Résumé
To respond to the current climate crisis, hydrogen-powered aircraft are seen as a promising solution in the aviation sector to cut down CO2 emissions. Hydrogen-fueled aircraft present however huge challenges, especially due to the complex storage of hydrogen. To achieve a reasonable fuel energy density for medium- to long-range missions, hydrogen must indeed be stored in liquid form in big and heavy pressurized tanks. Tank design must so be included in conceptual design, which now has an important impact on the aircraft. This study proposes a structural sizing methodology for a liquid hydrogen tank for a commercial aircraft. A parametric model of a cylindrical cryogenic tank placed at the back of the cabin in a conventional aircraft is created and sized to withstand pressure, bending, torsion and shear loads. The process integrates sizing standards for pressurized structures of the current CS-25 regulation in its methodology and remains general enough to consider both integral and non-integral tanks of any dimensions or materials. Initial analyses show a clear dependency of the tank's performance as well as the optimal stiffening structure configuration on the design pressure.
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