As part of efforts to decarbonize the general aviation sector, Turbotech, Safran, and Air Liquide have successfully ground-tested a liquid hydrogen-fueled gas turbine engine designed for light aircraft. The test, conducted at Air Liquide’s Grenoble Technologies Campus in France, is part of the ongoing BeautHyFuel project to develop hydrogen propulsion systems for aviation.

The BeautHyFuel program also includes Elixir Aviation and Daher and is supported by the French government, with all testing to date having been conducted in France. The ground test reported on January 13 follows an engine qualification test conducted in January 2024, which involved gaseous hydrogen. This second test phase introduced a cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage system, developed by energy group Air Liquide, to replicate a fully integrated propulsion system suitable for light aircraft.

“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,” said Safran's v-p of Hydrogen Programs, Pierre-Alain Lambert.

France's DGAC civil aviation authority granted financial support to the BeautHyFuel project under the post-Covid stimulus program. The project brings together some of the biggest names in global aerospace innovation, collaborating to create a solution that could be certified in the future for retrofit into existing aircraft.

“This is a major step forward in the transition to fully decarbonized aircraft propulsion,” said Turbotech CEO Damien Fauvet. The partners view the work as a significant first step to introducing a carbon-free alternative to fuels currently used by piston and small turbine engines in the general aviation fleet.

In 2023, Air Liquide supported German propulsion pioneer H2Fly in an exercise to trial refuelling of its HY4 technology demonstrator aircraft with liquid hydrogen. This work was part of the Project Heaven sustainable aviation project funded by the European Union.