Development for Test Facility in Advancing Hydrogen Technology Development for Aeronautic Applications

Background
This notice is issued by the NASA/Glenn Research Center (GRC) to post a Request for Information (RFI) on understanding the development needs for a test facility to efficiently and safely advance hydrogen technology development for aeronautic applications.

The Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program (TACP) encourages revolutionary concepts and creates an environment for researchers to experiment with new ideas, perform ground and small-scale flight tests, and drive rapid turnover into potential future concepts to enable aviation transformation. NASA has over 70 years of experience handling both gaseous and liquid hydrogen, contributing to the advancement of hydrogen as a possible energy carrier for both terrestrial and aeronautics applications.

Work Details
The RFI seeks responses from interested parties regarding the development of a Cryogenic Hydrogen Test Facility as a national capability supporting the implementation of new materials, components, and technologies for aeronautical applications. The facility aims to facilitate testing endeavors that are often beyond the capability of many small- and medium-sized businesses due to high costs and infrastructure requirements.

Specific areas of inquiry include:
1) Current cryogenic hydrogen testing capabilities;
2) Future hydrogen testing needs;
3) Testing types for demonstrating cryogenic system integrity;
4) Confidence in standardized testing protocols;
5) Design, engineering, and environmental limitations;
6) Needed systems and components;
7) Material property shortfalls;
8) Infrastructure features that would facilitate technology demonstration;
9) Scale and duration of testing;
10) New standards for safe operations;
11) Cost-effective developments for testing with liquid and cryogenic hydrogen;
12) Specialized training requirements;
13) Existing facilities suitable for the test facility;
14) Desired outcomes from industry workshops on H2 storage and testing;
15) Organizational contributions such as workforce, expertise, funding, etc.;
16) Useful hydrogen consortia or forums.

Place of Performance
NASA/Glenn Research Center (GRC), with potential implications for various locations across the United States depending on responses received.