Eliminating localised wear of air foil thrust bearing for improved reliability and life of fuel cell system

Omega Dot is an engineering consultancy specialising in turbomachinery specific to air foil bearings (AFB). An application of our technology is within the hydrogen fuel cell system for electric vehicles (EVs). Turbomachinery can be used within the fuel cell system to boost efficiency, offer an oil-free operation that runs near frictionless and has low noise levels. The results from this project, partnering NPL with Omega Dot, will help to eliminate minor wear on the air foil bearings and thus improve on the performance and reliability of the bearing itself. The result of the project will identify strengths and weaknesses within the current AFB configurations and how they can be improved for production.

The outcomes from this project will push Omega Dot into commercialisation of their AFBs and allow Omega Dot to invest in their production and manufacturing capabilities. This will help to secure larger client orders which will give us sustained economic growth and boost the hydrogen fuel cell system supply chain.

The results from this project, partnering NPL with Omega Dot, will help to eliminate minor wear on the air foil bearings and thus improve on the performance and reliability of the bearing itself.