Matt Moran has been developing power and propulsion systems and technologies since 1982; and first-of-a-kind liquid, slush and gaseous hydrogen systems for 36 years. He led engineering teams and completed projects for NASA, DARPA, Air Force, Navy, Missile Defense, energy, nonprofit, industrial, and commercial organizations. In addition, he has provided technology transfer and commercialization consulting to hundreds of companies.
Moran Innovation LLC is the seventh technology-based startup company he has co-founded. Matt also worked at NASA for 31 years culminating in the position of Sector Manager for Energy and Materials where he established strategic partnerships, captured new business, and negotiated license agreements. Prior to that position, he managed a portfolio of power and propulsion systems technology development projects and led a team of more than 40 scientists and engineers geographically distributed among five NASA Centers.
Matt has developed systems and technologies for the space shuttle, international space station, launch vehicles, spacecraft, satellites, aircraft, transportation, underwater vehicles, and microgrids. He is a subject matter expert in power & propulsion systems, hydrogen, cryogenics, thermodynamics, thermal management, microsystems, and systems engineering & integration.
Matt has an MBA in Systems Management; and a Bachelor’s degree and graduate work in engineering. He has three US patents and has authored over fifty publications, including the Cryogenic Fluid Management series. He also leads the LH2 Era™ Liquid Hydrogen Webinar Series and writes about liquid hydrogen on his LH2era.com blog. More about Matt can be found at: www.moraninnovation.com
Technological evolution often requires decades of incubation and advancement in a variety of fields before large scale commercial adoption is achieved. Hydrogen has followed these trends since its discovery in the late 1700’s and subsequent application for wide ranging industrial uses. Liquid hydrogen (LH2) has been in routine and continuous use in the space program since the early 1960’s. However, many are not aware that its roots in aerospace trace much further back in aviation to the initial jet engine research and development in the late 1930’s; and later with successful flight demonstrations of a liquid hydrogen fueled jet engine in the mid-1950’s.
Modern LH2 systems make use of vacuum jacketed dewars for long term storage on the ground. Flight vehicles have used single wall tanks with foam insulation which significantly reduces mass but is only viable if the consumption rate in flight is greater than the boil-off venting required to meet tank pressure constraints. Composite LH2 tanks of various types (with or without metal inner liners) have been attempted over the years with mixed success and are still under development
Safety with LH2 is a paramount priority. Key drivers are related to hydrogen’s properties, LH2 cryogenic temperatures, and liquid-vapor phase change within the system. Many legacy standards, codes and guidelines exist for LH2, and many more are in active formulation or revision. The three primary mantras to remember when designing and operating hydrogen systems is: 1) provide ventilation, 2) prevent leaks, and 3) eliminate ignition sources. Understanding the thermodynamic behavior of LH2 systems during various operations is also critical.
The development of future hydrogen systems can be optimized using an adaptive systems approach that treats hydrogen as a critical enabler in an overall system architecture rather than simply a commodity fuel. Selecting architecture options permit trade studies of candidate system concepts that can be assessed on the basis of technical, economic, environmental impact, and other key performance metrics. The end result is the ability to optimize systems for a multitude of hydrogen applications that can then be modeled, simulated, developed, assembled, and put into operation. Further, the proven ability to eliminate boil-off losses in LH2 systems – and provide better performing and sustainable propulsion and power relative to legacy fossil fuel systems – will play a key role in the global transition to hydrogen.Technological evolution often requires decades of incubation and advancement in a variety of fields before large scale commercial adoption is achieved. Hydrogen has followed these trends since its discovery in the late 1700’s and subsequent application for wide ranging industrial uses. Liquid hydrogen (LH2) has been in routine and continuous use in the space program since the early 1960’s. However, many are not aware that its roots in aerospace trace much further back in aviation to the initial jet engine research and development in the late 1930’s; and later with successful flight demonstrations of a liquid hydrogen fueled jet engine in the mid-1950’s.
Modern LH2 systems make use of vacuum jacketed dewars for long term storage on the ground. Flight vehicles have used single wall tanks with foam insulation which significantly reduces mass but is only viable if the consumption rate in flight is greater than the boil-off venting required to meet tank pressure constraints. Composite LH2 tanks of various types (with or without metal inner liners) have been attempted over the years with mixed success and are still under development
Safety with LH2 is a paramount priority. Key drivers are related to hydrogen’s properties, LH2 cryogenic temperatures, and liquid-vapor phase change within the system. Many legacy standards, codes and guidelines exist for LH2, and many more are in active formulation or revision. The three primary mantras to remember when designing and operating hydrogen systems is: 1) provide ventilation, 2) prevent leaks, and 3) eliminate ignition sources. Understanding the thermodynamic behavior of LH2 systems during various operations is also critical.
The development of future hydrogen systems can be optimized using an adaptive systems approach that treats hydrogen as a critical enabler in an overall system architecture rather than simply a commodity fuel. Selecting architecture options permit trade studies of candidate system concepts that can be assessed on the basis of technical, economic, environmental impact, and other key performance metrics. The end result is the ability to optimize systems for a multitude of hydrogen applications that can then be modeled, simulated, developed, assembled, and put into operation. Further, the proven ability to eliminate boil-off losses in LH2 systems – and provide better performing and sustainable propulsion and power relative to legacy fossil fuel systems – will play a key role in the global transition to hydrogen.
Legacy hydrogen systems will be summarized. The answer to most questions about developing and deploying hydrogen systems is usually “it’s already been done”. Therefore, understanding the history of hydrogen technological evolution is critical for developing new hydrogen systems and to avoid reinventing the wheel.
An overview of state of the art liquid hydrogen (LH2) systems will be presented. LH2 is the optimal storage form for many use cases. There are no true technology gaps in the deployment of LH2 systems. Required equipment is available from a variety of commercial vendors established over many decades.
