Turbotech and Safran have successfully tested the first hydrogen-fuelled gas turbine engine for the light aircraft market, conducted at the ArianeGroup’s Vernon test facility in France.
Although the initial trial was conducted using gaseous hydrogen, a second phase will see the engine powered by a cryogenic liquid storage solution (developed by Air Liquide) to ‘demonstrate the end-to-end integration of a propulsion system replicating all functions on a complete aircraft’.
“This first experiment carried out using a Turbotech TP-R90 regenerative turpobrop engine shows we can convert previously proven internal combustion technologies to create a working zero-carbon solution for general aviation,” said Turbotech CEO Damien Fauvet.
He added that the liquid-hydrogen fuelled version will offer “a high energy-density propulsion system with real commercial applications” and will be “readily retrofittable on light airplanes”.
Safran VP of hydrogen programmes Pierre-Alain Lambert described the first stage of the project as having exceeded expectations, fulfilling an objective to “validate the behaviour of the engine and fuel control system at all phases, from engine start to full throttle, as well as strategies in the event of a failure”.
The BeautHyFuel project was formed by Turbotech, Elixir Aviation, Air Liquide and Daher in June 2022 to ‘design and ground test a hydrogen propulsion system rated for light aviation and develop a methodology so it can be certified for retrofit’. It is supported by the French government and the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC).