Results from a NASA SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) programme have shown that GTL’s blended hybrid laminate (BHL) technology, designed for cryogenic tubing, can reduce the cooling time, hydrogen boil-off and the dry mass of cryogenic fluid transfer lines.

The US-headquartered firm said that up to 70% of liquid hydrogen can be lost during the transfer from one tank to another due to boil-off.

However, with the newly developed tech, an aircraft could fill its liquid hydrogen tanks in minutes and easily manage the small amount of hydrogen that is boiled off during fill operations, reducing fuel costs and increasing operational safety, the company claims.

During the NASA programme, GHL demonstrated the feasibility of its pipes in quickly reaching -273°C and beginning the flow of liquid hydrogen within two seconds.

The company’s President, Paul Gloyer, said, “We first had strong results with our tank technology and now we have tubes that demonstrate fast fill and refill capabilities.

“The ultralight weight BHL technology being used [and] validated in this effort marks another key milestone in our efforts to advance hydrogen-powered innovation and vehicles.”

The programme also tested these BHL tubes against its equivalent metal solutions, revealing that GTL’s product chills approximately ten times faster than stainless steel due to reduced thermal mass and enhanced heat transfer.

As part of the initiative, GTL “successfully fabricated” its BHL tubing for its disruptor suborbital rocket and is now integrating this technology into a prototype liquid hydrogen Dewar tank, with plans to validate it in various flight applications in the coming year.