- The ALRIGH2T team benefits from the expertise of two AIT Centers and its subsidiary, LKR, which play a cross-cutting role in the project across four core pillars.
Supported by a consortium of partners with extensive experience in research across international, European, and national levels, the ALRIGH2T project is well-equipped to drive forward advancements in sustainable transportation. With a shared focus and deep knowledge in the sector, the project is strategically positioned to make a significant impact and establish a strong presence in a fast-evolving sector.
One of the central partners is the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), a distinguished organisation with a strong history of involvement in high-profile European research projects. AIT’s proven expertise makes it a reliable contributor to ALRIGH2T’s goals, which include evaluating and validating LH2 demand models for air transport, supporting the development of direct LH2 refuelling systems using digital twin models, and creating synergies with other relevant research and industrial efforts.
AIT & LKR, Innovation and Technology for a Sustainable Future
AIT, Austria’s leading non-university research institution, drives forward technology and innovation across diverse fields. Within ALRIGH2T, AIT plays a central role through its specialized research centers and affiliates, each addressing key aspects of future-oriented technology development.
- The Center for Transport Technology (Hybrid Electric Aircraft Technology group) is dedicated to creating solutions for sustainable, safe, intelligent future-proof mobility. Key research areas include electric powertrain and energy storage for aviation and automotive, transport infrastructure, lightweight materials and intelligent production technologies.
- The Center for Energy (Power and Renewable Gas Systems and Integrated Energy Systems groups) works on innovative and sustainable energy supply for the future, focusing in areas such as techno-economic assessments of hydrogen systems, smart grids, photovoltaics and thermal energy systems.
Additionally, LKR Leichtmetallkompetenzzentrum Ranshofen GmbH, an AIT subsidiary, contributes through the Competence Unit “Light Metals Technologies,” with a focus on high-quality light metal alloys, sustainable manufacturing processes, and functionally integrated lightweight components.
The ALRIGH2T research team is made up of experts from engineering, physics, and economics, with extensive experience in numerical modeling, thermophysics, and fluid dynamics. This diverse expertise enables AIT to contribute innovative, multidisciplinary solutions to meet the technological challenges of the future.
AIT, 4 key areas of collaboration in ALRIGH2T
The Austrian Institute of Technology plays a significant and multi-dimensional role in the project, with responsibilities covering research, analysis, and management across four core areas:
- Techno-economic assessment and analysis of the LH2 supply chain infrastructure and logistics. The Institute is conducting a comprehensive analysis to assess the techno-economic feasibility of using LH2 as an aircraft fuel, contributing to the specification of techno-economic boundary conditions for LH2 aircraft refueling technologies.
- Multi-physics Simulations of LH2 Tank. AIT develops and executes of multi-physics simulations of the LH2-tank in service, with particular attention to the behavior of LH2 inside of the tank during refueling and defueling, and the thermo-mechanical interaction between the fluid and material structure. The multi-physics simulations are supported and validated by experimental data acquired from the sensorised tank, and they feed computationally-lighter reduced order models. These models contribute to create a numerical digital twin of the direct refueling process, providing a simulation tool for better control and analysis of the process itself, thus enabling future modelling and design options beyond the scope of the project.
- Leadership of the demonstration efforts. The Institute leads the demonstration work package, where it conducts rigorous evaluations of the technologies demonstrated within ALRIGH2T. This includes assessing the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and analyzing the advantages, limitations, scalability, and potential for commercial application in the aviation sector.
- The coordination of the definition of the exploitation and IPR strategy is also carried out by AIT, building on and synergizing the efforts of the industrial partners.
Driving Sustainability: Involvement in key research programs
Both AIT and LKR have considerable experience in coordinating and participating to national, European and international research programs (e.g. Clean Aviation, Horizon Europe and CleanSky) for future, greener aviation and storage technologies.
Current European research projects such as SUSTAINair or MAST3RBoost leave no doubts about AIT’s firm commitment to the transitions towards sustainable transportation. The entity has proven experience in the manufacturing and optimization of LH2 tanks, developed in national projects e.g. LH2-WAM-Tank and LH2-LIWA-Tank, making AIT a reliable contributor towards ALRIGH2T’s objectives.
