Companies develop and test a liquid hydrogen turbine engine that promises to revolutionize aviation. New liquid hydrogen turbine promises to boost sustainability in the sector.
A Turbotech, Safran and Liquid air Air Liquide and Air Liquide Inc. today announced successful testing of the first new liquid hydrogen turbine engine for the light aviation market at the Air Liquide Technologie Fields in Grenoble, France. In September 2024, the three companies will complete ground demonstration tests of a liquid hydrogen turbine aircraft engine based on an ultra-efficient regenerative cycle and powered by a liquid hydrogen tank.
Hydrogen-powered turbine engine under development since 2022
This demonstration test of the new liquid hydrogen turbine engine is part of the BeautHyFuel project to explore hydrogen propulsion solutions for light aircraft.
With the support of French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) as part of the country's post-Covid stimulus program, BeautHyFuel is led by Turbotech and Elixir Aviation in partnership with Safran, Air Liquide and Daher.
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This demonstration follows a first test phase in January 2024 at the ArianeGroup site in Vernon, France, using hydrogen stored in gaseous form to perform an initial characterization of the engine.
In this second phase of testing, the engine with a new turbine powered by liquid hydrogen was coupled to a cryogenic storage system (-250ºC) developed by Air Liquide to demonstrate the complete integration of a propulsion system replicating all functions in a complete aircraft.
The joint research project BeautHyFuel was developed in June 2022 with the aim of designing and ground-testing a hydrogen propulsion system rated for light aviation and developing a methodology so that it can be certified for installation on existing aircraft.
New liquid hydrogen turbine represents a major step forward towards sustainability in the aviation sector
BeautHyFuel benefits from the unique combination of Turbotech's ultra-efficient lightweight turbine technologies, Safran's expertise as an aviation engine manufacturer and fuel systems designer, Air Liquide's cryogenic hydrogen storage technologies for aerospace propulsion, Elixir's role as a manufacturer of innovative light aircraft, and Daher's expertise in aircraft development, certification, production and maintenance.
According to Damien Fauvet, CEO of Turbotech, this new liquid hydrogen turbine engine is a major step forward in the transition to fully decarbonized aircraft propulsion that will be ready to fly as soon as the world produces it. green hydrogen in bulk.
The objective of this work was to achieve an energy density similar to a traditional Avgas or Jet A-1 fuel system, taking into account the constraints associated with retrofit, operability and certification of a cryogenic hydrogen propulsion solution.
The liquid hydrogen turbine engine project was a complete and rapid success, thanks to a remarkable team effort by the large companies and SMEs involved.
Benefits of the project for the companies involved
According to Pierre-Alain Lambert, VP Hydrogen Programs, Safran, this second stage marks the successful completion of the project.
By coupling its technology with Air Liquide’s cryogenic storage system, which provides the energy density required for aeronautical applications, we demonstrate that a complete high-tech propulsion solution with zero carbon emissions in flight is possible and can be integrated directly into light aircraft.
For Safran, the liquid hydrogen turbine engine completes the range of agile, small-scale exploratory projects it has been conducting, which are particularly valuable for addressing specific challenges in hydrogen propulsion for commercial aviation. According to Air Liquide’s VP of Advanced Technologies, Xavier Traversac, decarbonization requires close collaboration between the various industry players.