CELLSIUS 

Rarely has a sponsorship opportunity matched our business better than this. For BOPP, the important considerations are the geographical location of the recipient, sharing the same values and with a mission we too can support. Also, a prospective sponsor would be untruthful if the visibility of their brand were not also integral. With CELLSIUS, the attributes go well beyond this.

Not only does the project originate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), one of the most renowned technical universities in the world whose campus is located a kilometre from our Head Office, but it also supports research into a sustainable future and young students in their education. With the CELLSIUS project, both the intended purpose and the areas of application dovetail with our products. 

BOPP supplies meshes for aerospace, fuel cells and electromagnetic shielding – CELLSIUS is building an experimental small aircraft powered by fuel cells and combating electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the cockpit. The perfect combination.    

Our mission at CELLSIUS is to demonstrate as a pioneer to the key players in the market that hydrogen represents a practical and viable alternative to conventional fuels. _CELLSIUS

The aircraft frame, a Sling High Wing, is made by the South African company of the same name, ordered without a combustion engine and now equipped by CELLSIUS with Powercell fuel cells. What sounds like a ‘simple’ exchange of the power train in fact goes far deeper into the aircraft design. The wings had to be extended to achieve greater lift, fairings had to be designed to incorporate the hydrogen tank, the fuel cell system was built into an appropriate package to match the weight and balance of the aircraft and, last but not least, the blessing of the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation in terms of airworthiness has to be achieved.    

Whilst the fuel cells are a self-contained system and significant noise reduction can only be achieved using stainless steel meshes in combination with an underlying honeycomb structure, as in larger aircraft, which goes beyond the scope of this project, the high EMI values can be shielded using steel meshes. Therefore, BOPP and CELLSIUS have settled upon a combination sponsorship involving both the supply of materials and a financial contribution. If required, we are also on hand to provide advice for the CELLSIUS team.     

CELLSIUS is located on the site of the former military airport in Dübendorf, near Zürich. Here, they have found the perfect location on the Zürich Innovation Park which is currently under development; plenty of space in a disused military hangar, privacy and above all a runway at the front door. The team consists of twelve mechanical engineering students, who have all passionately set themselves a challenging goal to cross the Alps in the first aircraft powered by alternative fuels.    

At BOPP, we are delighted to be working with the highly motivated CELLSIUS team and are very excited about the first planned flight in September.

More information here https://cellsius.aero

Technical data on the aircraft:

• Maximum power: 105kW
• Range: 200km
• Maximum flight time: 2h
• Speed of travel: 162km/h
• Maximum launch weight: 1050kg
• Hydrogen capacity: 5.2kg
• Wingspan: 10.24m