Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies in Aviation

Can Özgür Çolpan, Ph.D., received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Middle East Technical University in 2003 and 2005, respectively. He conducted his Ph.D. studies at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Carleton University between 2005 and 2009. He continued his studies as a post-doctoral researcher there between 2009 and 2010 and at Ryerson University between 2010 and 2012. He has been working as a member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Dokuz Eylül University since 2012. In 2014 and 2019, he was appointed to the positions of Associate Professor and Professor, respectively. Dr. Çolpan has conducted research in the field of fuel cells and hydrogen and the mathematical modeling of integrated energy systems. His areas of research include modeling of direct internal reforming solid oxide fuel cells, material development and mathematical modeling for direct methanol fuel cells, development of high-temperature PEM fuel cells, simulation and optimization of the fuel cell vehicle powertrains, catalytic dehydrogenation of solid hydrogen storage materials, analysis of organic Rankine cycle-based systems, and analysis of biofuel fueled turbojets.

Ankica Kovac, Ph.D., received her bachelor's and master's degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, Croatia. She is an Associate Professor with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture and Head of the Power Engineering Laboratory at the University of Zagreb. Dr. Kovac holds her Ph.D. in green hydrogen production, i.e. hydrogen production via water electrolysis using solar energy within which she has investigated hydrogen production technology without CO₂ emission, both experimentally and mathematically. Her research interests include the whole hydrogen value chain from hydrogen production (water electrolysis in conjunction with renewable energy sources), hydrogen storage, and distribution, to hydrogen usage in the fuel cells. She is a guest editor of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy and has authored and co-authored a number of scientific papers published in international scientific journals and conference proceedings. She is the founder and chair of the Renewable Hydrogen Energy Conference (RH2EC) which was held for the first time in September 2021. She designed the first Croatian hydrogen-powered bicycle and installed the first Croatian hydrogen refueling station. Because of the original and innovative design of the hydrogen refueling station, it was protected as intellectual property on the national level (trademark) and international level (design). To promote transportation based on hydrogen, in cooperation with Toyota Croatia Inc., she organized the Croatia Mirai Challenge road trip from Zagreb to Brussels. She is the project leader of the "Securing Electrical Energy in the Case of Climate Extremes and Natural Disasters"(H2ElEn) project, within which will be developed a hydrogen core based on green hydrogen production and usage in fuel cell stack for mobile and stationary applications. This project is funded through European Fund for Regional Development. Furthermore, she is the project leader of "Advanced Methods of Green Hydrogen Production and Its Transportation" research project which is funded through the Croatian Science Foundation. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Collaboration Programme on Advanced Fuel Cells and the committee's representative of the Republic of Croatia. Dr. Kovac is a member of the Council of the President of the Republic of Croatia for Energy Transition, Vice President of the Croatian Hydrogen Association, and Vice President of the expert working group for development of Croatian Hydrogen Strategy. She was awarded the Croatian Woman of Influence Award in the category of Leadership and Innovation.