Cranfield University has been awarded over £500,000 for a range of manufacturing projects, including three initiatives focused on how materials respond to H₂, which could help accelerate the adoption of H₂-fueled engines and assist industries with reaching net zero carbon emissions.

With funding from The Henry Royce Institute through its Industrial Collaboration Program, Cranfield’s specialist facilities in the Surface Engineering and Precision Center (SEPC) are set to advance understanding of how materials behave and react with H₂, paving the way for wider use of this clean fuel.

Professor Dame Helen Atkinson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing, said, “H₂ is one of the most exciting clean energy developments, but it simply can’t scale up without this crucial work to make the production, transport and storage of it cost-effective and feasible. This funding will enable Cranfield’s specialist facilities and expertise in this area to support the developments that industry absolutely needs to move forward with a net zero agenda.”

Professor David Knowles, Royce CEO, said, “This funding will stimulate important materials-related research and technology developments which have real potential to deliver substantial impact in UK science and in society, and we look forward to sharing the impact.”

New facility to test water vapor corrosion

Adapting existing engines to run with H₂ or sustainable aviation fuels could be an effective solution to reduce CO₂ emissions from transport, as H₂ combustion only produces water vapor and nitrogen oxides. But water vapor corrosion of components can be a significant issue in H₂-fueled engines, currently being developed for aerospace and automotive industries. It’s estimated that H₂ combustion in an aerospace gas turbine produces 2.6 times more water vapor than kerosene fuel, which could lead to corrosion in engine components, currently optimized for kerosene.

Project SAUNA, in collaboration with Rolls-Royce, Zircotec and Imperial College London, will examine corrosion in materials operating in environments with up to 100% water vapor volume.

Testing capabilities covering the temperature and water vapor ranges required by industry do not currently exist, so this project will upgrade a horizontal tube furnace at Cranfield University to test in up to 100% water vapor and 1000°C. This facility will be of fundamental importance to all industries aiming to develop H₂-fuelled engines, and the data on a range of key materials and coatings will help commercialize H₂-fuelled engines, helping aviation and transport industries to achieve net zero emission goals.

Moving aviation to H₂ power

Gas turbine powered aircraft account for 96% of aviation carbon emissions, so moving aviation to alternative energy sources is key for zero carbon flight. Establishing materials that are compatible and safe with H₂ is an urgent priority and will be essential for the future certifications of H₂ powered gas turbines.

H₂ Embrittlement Testing - the project “Mechanical Assessment of Aerospace Engine Materials in H₂” looks at how materials may become brittle in H₂ environments, testing them at elevated temperature and using micro-scanning technologies to evaluate their susceptibility to embrittlement. The project will run H₂ fatigue tests, seeing how materials are stressed in H₂ environments. A third package of work will test where H₂ gets trapped in the microstructures of materials.

Working with Rolls-Royce and the University of Manchester, this project will develop the technologies crucial to creating H₂-powered aviation.

Platinum/iridium-free catalysts for carbon-free H₂ generation

Project “neWCat: Novel Tungsten Carbide Electrocatalysts for Green H₂ Electrolysis” focuses on developing new catalyst materials to enable the direct electrolysis of seawater for the economical and sustainable production of H₂.

The researchers will develop new catalysts based on tungsten carbide, used widely in the coatings and precision machining industry, to replace existing noble-metal catalysts such as platinum and iridium for the electrolysis process. As an additional benefit, the new tungsten carbide catalysts can protect against corrosion, enabling the direct electrolysis of seawater and marinization of electrolyzers for use in freshwater scarce areas.

The research developed in collaboration with Hardide Coatings and The University of Manchester could reduce the costs of green H₂ production without increasing freshwater stress. The research capitalizes on the photo/electrochemistry facility at Cranfield University, of fundamental importance for development and testing of new materials for next generation electrolyzers and fuel cells.