Challenges in the Production of Fuel Cells for Aviation

The influence of increasing resource scarcity and climate change has a significant impact on aviation. Therefore, the European Commission has set ambitious goals with a 75 % reduction in CO2 and a 90 % reduction in NOX as part of the Flightpath 2050 vision. Achieving these goals requires the use of disruptive technologies in aviation, especially in propulsion. In addition to the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), the use of hydrogen is a promising alternative. There is the possibility of using a fuel cell which acts as an energy converter and powers the primary electric drives, offering the potential to fly emission-free, especially for short- and medium-range flights.
However, successful integration of the fuel cell into the aircraft’s powertrain requires a significantly increased gravimetric power density compared to the status quo. Furthermore, the fuel cell and the entire manufacturing process chain must fulfill the stringent safety requirements of aviation. Therefore, the bipolar plate and, respectively, its production process are key elements for the fuel cell.
This paper describes how to establish a basis for the production of the bipolar plate in accordance with aviation requirements. For this purpose, the process chain is explained step by step and for each process step different technology alternatives and corresponding challenges are identified. Finally, an aggregated view of the holistic process chain is given.