Development of an Integrated Cryogenic Pump, Electric Motor, and Power Electronics Drive for Hydrogen Fuel Systems
Project ID: 2531bc1599
(You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Energy and Decarbonisation
Research Area(s):
Hydrogen and alternative energy vectors
Electrical motors and drives and electromagnetics
whole energy systems
UCL Lead department: Mechanical Engineering
Lead Supervisor: Mehdi Baghdadi
Partner Organisation: Boeing
Stipend enhancement: £ 1,000
Project Summary:
Hydrogen-powered flight needs fuel systems that can move liquid hydrogen at ~20 K reliably, efficiently, and safely. This project will create a single integrated unit that combines a cryogenic pump, electric motor, and drive electronics, engineered to minimise cavitation and erosion, reduce heat leak into the hydrogen stream, and deliver long operational lifetimes suitable for aviation. You will develop high-fidelity models across hydraulics, electromagnetics, and thermal domains, then design and build two integrated demonstrators. These will be tested first in water and liquid nitrogen, progressing toward LH₂-readiness metrics. You’ll tackle practical challenges such as low-NPSH operation, cryogenic materials and insulation, EMI control, and thermal isolation of the drive. Supervised at UCL and collaborating with Boeing, you will undertake a placement within Boeing research teams to learn aerospace safety, verification, and system integration practices. This studentship suits applicants excited by multiphysics modelling and hands-on experimental work at the frontier of hydrogen aviation. Training spans CFD for cavitation, electric machine and drive design for extreme environments, cryogenic materials/insulation, and rigorous test methods. The outcome is a step toward lightweight, long-life LH₂ fuel delivery for zero-emission aircraft.