Conflux Technology has announced a key collaboration with Airbus to address one of the biggest engineering hurdles in hydrogen-powered aviation: thermal management. The Australian company is developing an advanced, additively manufactured heat exchanger for integration into Airbus’ ZEROe hydrogen-electric propulsion systems.
Hydrogen fuel cells are a promising path to decarbonizing aviation, offering high energy density and zero in-flight CO₂ emissions. However, when scaled to megawatt-class propulsion systems, fuel cells release significant thermal loads that must be effectively managed to avoid performance degradation or system failure. Conventional heat exchangers, often bulky and difficult to integrate in aerodynamic environments, present limitations for aerospace deployment.
Conflux Technology’s additively manufactured heat exchanger directly responds to this challenge, offering a compact, lightweight, and high-performance solution. Developed using advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling, the unit has been validated through lab-scale trials and is now undergoing a technology readiness maturity assessment for aviation use.
Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace Integration
Additive manufacturing enables highly complex geometries and optimized flow paths that are not achievable with conventional fabrication techniques. These capabilities allow engineers to maximize surface area and minimize pressure drop within the heat exchanger—two critical factors in balancing thermal efficiency and system performance. Moreover, the technology reduces weight and supports rapid iteration cycles, accelerating development timelines without sacrificing safety or reliability.
According to Michael Fuller, CEO of Conflux Technology, “Thermal management is a core enabler for hydrogen propulsion,” highlighting the company’s role in advancing hydrogen flight from laboratory proof-of-concept towards operational aircraft systems.
The Airbus ZEROe initiative aims to introduce the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft into service by the mid-2030s. Its roadmap includes the evaluation of both hydrogen combustion and hydrogen fuel cell propulsion technologies.
The Conflux heat exchanger is currently under evaluation for integration into Airbus’ broader hydrogen fuel cell architecture, with extended development and system-level testing anticipated in the coming months. If successful, this thermal management innovation could represent a breakthrough step in scaling hydrogen propulsion from ground demonstrators to flight-certified platforms.
