Hydrogen-fuelled aero engine achieves major milestone

The hydrogen turbine testing which was supported by the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), is set to take prominence in the light aviation market.

In September 2024, Turbotech, Safran and Air Liquide completed ground demonstration testing of a hydrogen-fueled gas turbine aero-engine based on an ultra-efficient regenerative cycle fed from a liquid hydrogen tank. 

This demonstration follows a first test phase in January 2024 using hydrogen fuel stored in gaseous form to perform an initial engine characterisation.

In this second test phase, the engine was coupled to a cryogenic (–250°C) liquid storage system developed by Air Liquide to demonstrate the end-to-end integration of a propulsion system replicating all functions on a complete aircraft.

Damien Fauvet, CEO of Turbotech highlighted the success of the project.

“This is a major step forward in the transition to fully decarbonized aircraft propulsion, which will be ready to fly as soon as the world mass-produces green hydrogen.”

Fauvet added: “This work aimed to achieve a similar energy density to a conventional Avgas or Jet A-1 fuel system while taking account of the constraints associated with the retrofit, operability and certification of a cryogenic hydrogen propulsion solution. The project has been a complete and rapid success, thanks to a remarkable team effort by the aerospace majors and SMEs involved.”

BeautHyFuel collaboration and industry implications

Turbotech, Elixir Aviation, Safran, Air Liquide and Daher formed the BeautHyFuel joint research project in June 2022.

This project aims to design and ground test a hydrogen propulsion system rated for light aviation and develop a methodology so it can be certified for retrofit.

BeautHyFuel benefits from the unique combination of the companies strengths. This includes Turbotech’s ultra-efficient light turbine technologies, Safran’s expertise as an aero-engine manufacturer and fuel system designer, Air Liquide’s cryogenic hydrogen storage technologies for aerospace propulsion, Elixir’s role as a manufacturer of innovative light planes and Daher’s experience in aircraft development, certification, production and maintenance.

The BeautHyFuel project is supported by the French government through DGAC within the framework of the country’s post-pandemic stimulus program. It further complements other initiatives by Safran to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of air transport.

Pierre-Alain Lambert, VP of Hydrogen Programs, Safran added: “This second stage marks the successful culmination of the project. By coupling our technology to Air Liquide’s cryogenic storage system, which provides the energy density needed for aircraft applications, we’ve 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, it rounds out the range of small-scale, agile exploratory projects we’ve been conducting, which are particularly valuable for addressing specific challenges in hydrogen propulsion for commercial aviation.”