Conflux Technology joins Honeywell-led consortium to advance hybrid-electric aircraft cooling systems

Summary points: 

• The project includes 28 partners across 10 European countries.
• Conflux will develop lightweight additive-manufactured heat exchangers for ACS and VCS systems.
• TheMa4HERA targets dissipation of 20–50 kW for systems and up to 1000 kW for batteries, APU, and fuel cells.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Conflux Technology in Warun Ponds, Australia, has joined the Honeywell-led Thermal Management for Hybrid Electric Regional Aircraft (TheMa4HERA) consortium, a clean aviation project aimed at developing advanced thermal management systems and architectures for next-generation hybrid-electric regional aircraft, with scaling activities for the short- to medium-range segment.

The consortium, under the auspices of the European Union’s Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, includes 28 partners across 10 European countries and is coordinated from Honeywell’s international development center in Brno, Czech Republic.

Conflux will contribute its experience in thermal management by accelerating the development of lightweight additive-manufactured heat exchangers. Its efforts will focus on Air Cycle Systems (ACS) and Vapor Cycle Systems (VCS), including an air-to-air heat exchanger for ACS and air-to-liquid heat exchangers for VCS evaporators and condensers.

Keeping cool

TheMa4HERA seeks to demonstrate dissipation of additional heat ranging from 20 to 50 kW for systems and 300 to 1000 kW for power storage and generation in batteries, the APU, and fuel cells in hybrid-electric regional aircraft. By comparison, today’s similar-sized aircraft generate only 35 to 50 kW of heat.

Related: Pratt & Whitney Canada to lead EU hybrid-electric aircraft demonstrator

The initiative addresses the growing complexity of thermal management in hybrid-electric aircraft, driven by the increasing integration of heat-generating components such as batteries, fuel cells, and power electronics. The project will explore and validate advanced thermal architectures and systems to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and meet evolving sustainability regulations. It aims to raise heat exchanger technologies to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 through component-level development and system testing.

By 2026, TheMa4HERA project partners plan to advance heat exchanger technologies to TRL 5 through digital twins, virtual demonstrations, and ground testing. Clean Aviation Phase 2, scheduled to begin in 2027, will focus on flight testing and further integration of the most promising solutions. The project aims to deliver scalable thermal technologies for hybrid-electric aircraft, supporting climate-neutral aviation by 2035.

Conflux Technology is headquartered in Australia with operations in Europe and is a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance heat exchangers using additive manufacturing. The company serves advanced industries including aerospace, automotive, motorsport, and energy.