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Project
Project
At Piasecki Aircraft, I worked on 2 programs within the Hydrogen Propulsion team for the company's PA-890 lightweight, compound helicopter.
HAXEL is a 330 kW experimental helicopter that will test the functionality of hydrogen propulsion. Using COTS components and a commercial helicopter, the team engineered a new control system for the cockpit and a new propulsion system to replace the existing IC engine. HAXEL aims to perform the world's first VTOL flight powered by high-temperature fuel cells in series.
STRAFI is a 660 kW hydrogen propulsion test stand funded by AFWERX. The team designed system layouts and packaging to interface with PA-890's rear fuselage (also used as ducting) and comply with its requirements. This test stand will further mature into a full-scale iron bird.
Purpose
Purpose
Benefits of high-temperature fuel cells and hydrogen propulsion in aviation:
Provide 50% lower operating cost than turbine-powered helicopters
5x specific power of Lithium-Ion Batteries and 3x that of low-temp. fuel cells
Lighter weight than IC engines and low-temp. fuel cells (no liquid cooling and humidity requirements)
More reliable with few moving parts
Zero emissions, low noise, and quick fuel up
Product
Product
HAXEL:
Developed a GSE to preheat high-temperature fuel cells to 180 °C during startup for power generation. The system consisted of an aluminum extrusion cart for mobility, air blowers with heaters for heating, ducts and junctions for routing, a sheet metal support structure, and custom adapters that directed flow and interfaced with the helicopter's turbo air-cooled power unit. Trade studies on blower selections and hand calculations on support structure were performed to verify the design.
Supported hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing by pipe cutting and bending, fitting selections (Swage & NPT), and layouts. The goal was to ensure correct readings and accurate controls of fluid components, including MFC, BPR, and DP gauges.
Composed drawings, BOM, part configurations, PO, and engineering-release documents for the helicopter assembly and program management.
STRAFI:
Designed a control station with aluminum extrusions and COTS parts. It seated 2 operators for data acquisition and system monitoring. My main design considerations included ergonomics for operators, efficient display of information, station mobility, and electronics storage.
Facilitated fuel system layout and packaging through Solidworks routing, COTS valve modeling, and component placements. I also helped with structural mounting and extrusion connections.
HAXEL (Source: Aviation Week)
PA-890 Helicopter Conceptual Design (Source: eVTOL News)
Studies on Fuel Cell Efficiency (Source: New Atlas)
HAXEL Compressor, Invertors, eMotor, Fuel Cell (Source: eVTOL News)
Me at The HITL Table
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