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Companies Develop And Test A Liquid Hydrogen Turbine Engine Promising To Revolutionize Aviation. New Liquid Hydrogen Turbine Promises To Boost Sustainability In The Sector.
Turbotech, Safran, and Air Liquide reported this week the success of tests on the first engine with a new liquid hydrogen turbine for the light aviation market at the Air Liquide Technological Campus in Grenoble, France. In September 2024, the three companies completed ground demonstration tests of an aircraft engine featuring a liquid hydrogen turbine based on an ultra-efficient regenerative cycle and powered by a liquid hydrogen tank.
Engine With Liquid Hydrogen Turbine Has Been In Development Since 2022
This demonstration test of the engine with the new liquid hydrogen turbine is part of the BeautHyFuel project to explore hydrogen propulsion solutions for light aircraft.
With the support of the 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 phase of testing in January 2024, at the ArianeGroup site in Vernon, France, using hydrogen stored in gas form to conduct an initial characterization of the engine.
In this second phase of testing, the engine with the new liquid hydrogen turbine 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 full aircraft.
The joint research project BeautHyFuel was developed in June 2022 with the goal of designing and testing on land a hydrogen propulsion system rated for light aviation and developing a methodology to ensure it can be certified for installation in existing aircraft.
New Liquid Hydrogen Turbine Represents A Significant Advancement Toward Sustainability In The Aviation Sector
BeautHyFuel benefits from the unique combination of ultra-efficient lightweight turbine technologies from Turbotech, the experience of Safran as an aviation engine manufacturer and fuel system designer, the cryogenic hydrogen storage technologies from Air Liquide for aerospace propulsion, the role of Elixir as an innovative light aircraft manufacturer, and Daher’s expertise in the development, certification, production, and maintenance of aircraft.
According to Damien Fauvet, CEO of Turbotech, this new engine with a liquid hydrogen turbine is a major breakthrough in the transition to fully decarbonized aircraft propulsion, which will be ready to fly as soon as the world produces green hydrogen in mass.
The objective of this work was to achieve an energy density similar to a traditional Avgas or Jet A-1 fuel system, considering the associated constraints of retrofitting, operability, and certification of a cryogenic hydrogen propulsion solution.
The project for the engine with the liquid hydrogen turbine was a complete and rapid success, thanks to a remarkable team effort from the large companies and SMEs involved.
Benefits Of The Project For The Involved Companies
According to Pierre-Alain Lambert, VP of Hydrogen Programs, Safran, this second stage marks the successful completion of the project.
By coupling its technology to Air Liquide’s cryogenic storage system, which provides the energy density necessary for aviation applications, we demonstrated that a complete high-tech propulsion solution with zero carbon emissions in flight is possible and can be directly integrated into light aircraft.
For Safran, the engine with the liquid hydrogen turbine completes a 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 Xavier Traversac, VP of Advanced Technologies at Air Liquide, decarbonization requires close collaboration among the various players in the industry.
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