The Boeing Company http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/index.html
Boeing Prepares Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane for Ground and Flight
Testing
Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane illustration
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2007/q1/070327e_pr.html
Click image to view Photo Release.

MADRID, March 27, 2007 -- In an effort to develop environmentally
progressive technologies for aerospace applications, Boeing [NYSE: BA]
researchers and industry partners throughout Europe plan to conduct
experimental flight tests this year of a manned airplane powered only
by a fuel cell and lightweight batteries.

The systems integration phase of the Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane
research project, under way since 2003 at Boeing Research and
Technology -- Europe (BR&TE), was completed recently. Thorough systems
integration testing is now under way in preparation for upcoming
ground and flight testing.

"Given the efficiency and environmental benefits of emerging fuel cell
technology, Boeing wants to be on the forefront of developing and
applying it to aerospace products," said Francisco Escarti, BR&TE
managing director. "The Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane project is an
important step in that direction."

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen
directly into electricity and heat without combustion. Fuel cells are
emission-free and quieter than hydrocarbon fuel-powered engines. They
save fuel and are cleaner for the environment.

The Boeing demonstrator uses a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel
cell/lithium-ion battery hybrid system to power an electric motor,
which is coupled to a conventional propeller. The fuel cell provides
all power for the cruise phase of flight. During takeoff and climb,
the flight segment that requires the most power, the system draws on
lightweight lithium-ion batteries.

Flight tests, which will take place in Spain, will demonstrate for the
first time that a manned airplane can maintain a straight level flight
with fuel cells as the only power source.

"While Boeing does not envision that fuel cells will provide primary
power for future commercial passenger airplanes, demonstrations like
this help pave the way for potentially using this technology in small
manned and unmanned air vehicles," Escarti said. "It also gives us
hands-on experience to complement other fuel-cell studies being
carried out throughout the company."

Boeing researchers see promise in other types of fuel cell technology
as well as the PEM system. An example is a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell that
could be applied to secondary power-generating systems, such as
auxiliary power units. This technology could be mature enough in 10 to
15 years for potential use in commercial aviation.

BR&TE, part of the Boeing Phantom Works advanced R&D unit, which is
chartered to provide innovative technology and system solutions to
meet future aerospace needs, has worked closely with its colleagues in
Boeing Commercial Airplanes, its Spanish partners, and with companies
in Austria, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States
to design and assemble the experimental airplane.

The PEM fuel-cell system used on the flight demonstrator, for
instance, was designed and built by the UK-based firm Intelligent
Energy.

The demonstrator aircraft is a Dimona motor glider, built by Diamond
Aircraft Industries of Austria, which also performed major structural
modifications to the aircraft. With a wing span of 16.3 meters (53.5
feet), the airplane will be able to cruise at approximately 100
kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) using fuel cell-provided
power.

The Madrid-based avionics group Aerlyper performed airframe
modifications, as well as the mounting and wiring of all components;
SAFT France designed and assembled the auxiliary batteries and the
backup battery; Air Liquide Spain performed the detailed design and
assembly of the onboard fuel system and the refueling station; the
Electronic Engineering Division of the Polytechnic University of
Madrid (School of Industrial Engineering) collaborated in the design
and construction of the power management and distribution box;
post-integration bench testing is being conducted in a facility that
belongs to the Polytechnic University of Madrid (INSIA); and SENASA
(Spain) will provide a test pilot and facilities for flight tests.

Other suppliers for the Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane include UQM
Technologies Inc. (United States), MT Propeller (Germany), Tecnicas
Aeronauticas de Madrid (Spain), Ingenieria de Instrumentacion y
Control (Spain), GORE (Germany), Indra (Spain) and Inventia (Spain).

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