Impact of Thermal Management System Design on Aircraft Performance in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powertrains

Hydrogen fuel cell propulsion systems are gaining traction for zero-emission regional aviation, yet their integration requires advanced thermal management due to significant waste heat. This work presents a novel computational tool for modeling the thermodynamic behavior and aerodynamic penalties of fuel cell cooling lines. The tool is coupled with a parametric aircraft design environment to assess the impact of cooling system design on performance metrics. A regional aircraft concept with 80 passengers and a liquid hydrogen– powered electric propulsion system is investigated under a fixed set of top-level requirements. A series of parametric studies is conducted for two different cooling line designs. Results demonstrate how a correctly designed thermal management system allows for the matching of performance requirements, especially for climb and cruise phases. The methodology supports early-phase trade studies for future hydrogen aircraft architectures, explicitly accounting for the role of thermal management integration.