Abstract:
Hydrogen-electric vertical takeoff and landing (H2eVTOL) (or fuel cell-electric VTOL) aircraft technologies are poised to emerge in the next coming decades and start operating from existing heliports and new vertiports. This paper assesses how key H2eVTOL design features interact with the ground infrastructure and how facility designers can address H2eVTOL specific facility requirements–especially the supply of hydrogen to the aircraft. Vertiport design should maximize compatibility are important to facilitate the accommodation of hydrogen technologies, minimize the need for extensive capital investments, and promote safety and operational efficiency. Considerations should be given to factors such as general aircraft configuration, electric and hybrid propulsion systems, and refueling infrastructure. The definition of notional aircraft concepts representing the evolution of critical VTOL aircraft over the next coming decades can help aviation facility planners and designers understand the type of vehicles they need to account for and also evaluate the future hydrogen demand. The lack of aviation-specific standards, especially when it comes to fire prevention, might adversely impact vertiports. Strategies are proposed for mitigating the effects of hydrogen operations at space-constrained facilities.