{"id":124126,"date":"2021-03-11T10:36:23","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T09:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=124126"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:27","slug":"student-erasmus-university-helps-build-very-first-plane-powered-by-liquid-hydrogen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/03\/11\/student-erasmus-university-helps-build-very-first-plane-powered-by-liquid-hydrogen\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Erasmus University helps build very first plane powered by liquid hydrogen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last year, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Delft University of Technology agreed to intensify their existing partnership. Can Delft\u2019s science students and Erasmus University\u2019s social sciences and humanities students actually find common ground? What kind of complications do they run into, and when do these partnerships actually work out? The aeroplane designers of AeroDelft are already quite used to mixing things up. And what turns out? It\u2019s not that hard. \u201cIt benefits the project.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The AeroDelft team at work. To the left Sam Rutten<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The mould of the fuselage of the world\u2019s first liquid hydrogen-powered aeroplane? We\u2019re talking students here, so naturally it has been propped up with empty beer crates. And the students don\u2019t use expensive ovens to proof their glue, but polystyrene igloos in the toilet block. The red brick hall near the Rotterdam airport of Zestienhoven is rather chilly. \u201cWhich is why we set up that igloo in the toilet block: that\u2019s where the boiler for the central heating is, so the temperature\u2019s slighter higher there than in the other areas,\u201d says a smiling Sam Rutten (22), who studies Project Management at Delft University of Technology.<\/p>\n

Rutten is working together with EUR student Olivier van Haren (24) and 44 other students on what\u2019s intended to become the first aeroplane powered by liquid hydrogen. They are both on the AeroDelft management team. Van Haren, who\u2019s doing a master\u2019s in Accounting & Auditing at Erasmus School of Economics, is the first EUR student to become involved in this project \u2013 in the capacity of financial manager. He holds the purse strings, in other words. Their budget? \u201cClose to one million.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Olivier van Haren, master student at Erasmus University<\/span><\/p>

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The AeroDelft team are working hard on the first prototype for the aeroplane: the \u2018Phoenix PT\u2019. Some guys are walking around wearing gas masks, while others are experimenting with spark generators (sounds like a taser) on different parts of the plane to see whether they block sparks effectively. \u201cIf any of those comes in contact with hydrogen, the whole thing will blow sky high,\u201d says Van Haren. He knows how it works but refers to his colleague anyway, just to be sure. \u201cRight, Sam?\u201d he asks. Or: \u201cI have to check with my colleague here, to see whether I\u2019ve explained it correctly.\u201d It turns out he\u2019s right. \u201cHydrogen comes in two forms, gaseous and liquid. We\u2019re building the first aeroplane to be powered by liquid hydrogen.\u201d<\/p>\n

250 degrees below zero<\/h2>

Rutten tells us that this won\u2019t be the first time an aircraft is powered by hydrogen as such. \u201cUsually, you\u2019re flying with a tank full of hydrogen in gas form. But gaseous hydrogen is voluminous. On top of this you need a very heavy tank for transport, which isn\u2019t practical for aviation. When you convert this hydrogen to liquid, it takes up very little space \u2013 meaning you can install a far lighter weight tank.\u201d The catch: \u201cHydrogen only enters its liquid phase at minus 250 degree Celsius. So you have to construct a system that can handle extremely low temperatures .\u201d<\/p>\n

And hydrogen can be rather dangerous too. Van Haren: \u201cIf you mix it with air, it may explode and set the entire building on fire. It can already make a big blaze with as little as 4% hydrogen to air.\u201d But they can do this, says Rutten, with an assuredness that seems to make it the most natural thing in the world that this major breakthrough in sustainable aviation will be pulled off by students.<\/p>\n

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The prototype has been scaled down to one-third of the final design<\/span><\/p>

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Rutten and Van Haren are currently working together on the prototype: a 1:3 scale drone version of the actual plane. Van Haren\u2019s contribution is still mainly limited to practical jobs like sanding and carrying stuff. Rutten directs the team who are building the prototype and helps them with technical questions. Due to Covid, the two have spoken numerous times via video conferencing: this week of building is actually the first time they see each other face to face \u2013 taking due regard of the health precautions of course.<\/p>\n

Instagram and AA battery<\/h2>

How does a student at EUR end up contributing to a technical project like this? \u201cIt was very \u20182020\u2019, actually. I saw a call posted on Instagram. It\u2019s a great project, and it could make a real difference in terms of sustainability. Flying is one of the most polluting activities you could think of, so it would be very cool if I could actually help solve this problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the technical details are over his head. But the important thing is that he can clearly explain the gist of the project to the outside world \u2013 during talks with \u2018the partners\u2019. \u201cBy now, I\u2019ve accepted that I\u2019ll never completely understand what they\u2019re talking about when they go in-depth during meetings \u2013 I have to sit those discussions out.\u201d<\/p>\n

That could be hard in the beginning though. \u201cParticularly because it was all online. Although they filled me in on loads of stuff, and I did a lot of reading up. I keep an eye on the budgets and monitor whether enough money is coming in via sponsoring and partners, and how we\u2019re spending it. But if someone tells me, \u2018I have to buy a new battery: it will cost us 15,000 euros,\u2019 I have to take him at his word. As far as I know, he could be talking about an AA battery that you pick up at the Albert Heijn. So they also have a certain responsibility in that area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding investors can be a challenge, particularly in the midst of a pandemic. \u201cWe\u2019re on schedule in financial terms, but it\u2019s difficult to secure financing for aviation during the Covid crisis,\u201d says Van Haren with a smile. \u201cA lot of parties are interested in the project, but they mainly want to share their expertise. A law firm is helping us with the legal aspects \u2013 and we\u2019re very happy with their support. But sourcing new funds is more challenging. We\u2019re currently studying which grants we may be able to tap into.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Student Karel Brands shows us what is intended to become the rear wing<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Law firm<\/h2>

When it comes to financials, Van Haren has proven a real asset to the team, says Rutten. \u201cWe have all sorts of different departments that need to be managed \u2013 meaning you don\u2019t have time left to think about how we\u2019re going to pay all these plans. Olivier consistently serves as a link between the technical teams and the teams responsible for raising funds. We used to rely on fellow students from Delft for this. That went well too, but you can see that Olivier has a really good command of this material \u2013 including VAT and stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The collaboration has given them a taste for more. \u201cWe have also recruited a human resources manager from Rotterdam School of Management. And we\u2019ve sent out an e-mail to law students in Rotterdam regarding the various legal details associated with aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n

If things go according to plan, the plane will be making its maiden flight in 2025. They will be the very first team to get that far, expects Rutten. And get there they will, he doesn\u2019t mind reiterating. They plan to fly the prototype as soon as this summer. Their secret? \u201cWe\u2019ve got guts, no commercial interest, aren\u2019t accountable to anyone \u2013 meaning we have a lot of freedom \u2013 work on a voluntary basis and watch every penny.\u201d And that final point is also a feather in Van Haren\u2019s cap.<\/p>\n\n\t

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