Simulation and modelling of a hydrogen-electric aircraft

This project aims to develop a Simulink model of the Stralis A36-HE Bonanza aircraft and hydrogen electric propulsion system (HEPS). This model will be used to support the design process for the A36-HE Bonanza technology demonstrator project and as a basis for Stralis’s Hardware-in-the-Loop testing.

Participants

• Stralis Aero
• Queensland University of Technology

Project background

Australia’s path to net-zero emissions requires all parts of the transport sector to transition and adopt new technologies and renewable fuel solutions, including one of the hardest to abate sectors which is aviation.

Stralis is developing a hydrogen-electric propulsion system (HEPS) for aircraft and will install it into a Beechcraft Bonanza A36 aircraft. This is a key step in the longer term Stralis roadmap to retrofit a Beech 1900 aircraft (19 seats) and develop a larger, 50-seat, clean-sheet aircraft design. Stralis intends to manufacture and market these solutions, capitalising on the sustainable aviation transition to become a world class aircraft manufacturer.

In order to obtain best outcomes from the HEPS development process, it is beneficial to consider the propulsion system and aircraft performance holistically. This will allow optimisation of the requirements for each component in the system to get the lowest Cost per Available Seat Kilometre (CASK), the key aircraft operating cost metric that is beneficial to minimise.

Mathworks Simulink is a suitable tool for system modelling and is widely used in the aerospace and automotive industries, as well as education and academia. Stralis is already using this software tool, and additionally has a Speedgoat high performance computer (for real-time simulation, data acquisition and control) that allows the simulation to interact with the physical world in real time. The aim of this project is to develop a model of the entire HEPS and the aircraft in Simulink, to support the HEPS development, aircraft retrofit design and future aircraft design.

The Simulink model developed as an output of this project will inform Stralis’s next steps and decision making, in particular for investment and future designs, and has the potential to inform broader government policy, initiatives, and investment to help drive the development, production and future use of HEPS and similar technologies in aircraft.

Project objectives

The project objective is to develop a Simulink model for a hydrogen-electric propulsion system and aircraft that can be used to:

1. Validate design requirements at the system, sub-system, and item levels
2. Inform the design of the system and components (e.g. used for trade studies)
3. Develop, evaluate, and validate system control software
4. Provide a basis for Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing of system components

UPDATE: January 2025

In mid-December 2024 Stralis Aircraft successfully completed a hydrogen-electric powered propeller spin on a ground-demonstrator aircraft at Brisbane Airport. The test, shown in the video below, was using the aircraft known as “Clyde”, a sister ship to “Bonnie”, which is the experimental flight-demonstrator Bonanza A36 aircraft Stralis will fly later this year. This hydrogen-electric propeller trial is the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

“This is a huge win for Stralis. We have safely trialled the introduction of hydrogen in a controlled environment at Brisbane Airport for use in aircraft propulsion, which required strong collaboration and upskilling of everyone involved. This lays the foundation and builds momentum as we work towards Australia’s first hydrogen-electric flight next year, ”said Bob Criner, CEO and Co-founder of Stralis Aircraft.

For more on the trial, and the aircraft, see: Stralis Aircraft developing cleaner and cheaper hydrogen-electric plane