PITTSBURGH, PA, June 10, 2025 – Turbotech is leveraging Ansys simulation tools to develop hydrogen-fueled turbine engine for small passenger planes, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles, and drones. Working with the BeautHyFuel project, Turbotech has demonstrated an operational hydrogen turboprop engine. The use of simulation has played a key role in addressing technical challenges and advancing this technology toward practical application.
New turbine models face safety and reliability issues when using hydrogen for fuel. These issues include managing power output, fuel consumption, heat, and how long engine parts can last. Turbotech uses Ansys simulation software to design and develop a gas turbine that can work with different kinds of fuels, supporting a streamlined transition to hydrogen.
Simulation-led development helped Turbotech select two nozzle designs for testing, reducing prototyping costs and timelines. Fluent provided flame shape and temperature predictions. After 30 hours of hydrogen combustion, the nozzles maintained structural integrity, and emissions did not increase. Ansys solvers enabled these simulations to run on enhanced workstations, avoiding the use of large computing clusters needed for combustion modeling.
Turbotech first developed a novel regenerative turbine through the Ansys Startup Program. This work helped pave the way for a digital thread that connects and manages data, enabling the retrofit for hydrogen.
“Turbotech’s goal is to bring a built-in, deeply integrated solution to the light aviation market that reduces carbon emissions and empowers pilots to focus solely on flying,” said Guillaume Malet, chief technology officer at Turbotech. “The reliability of Ansys helped us tremendously throughout the redesign, successfully allowing us to retrofit the turbine for hydrogen on a much shorter timeline. It would not have been feasible to test or optimize our prototypes without Ansys simulation.”
This series of tests is part of the BeautHyFuel project, supported by the French Civil Aviation Authority and led by Turbotech and Elixir Aircraft, in partnership with Safran, Air Liquide and Daher.
“Ansys is dedicated to supporting customers like Turbotech in expanding the limits of what can be achieved through simulation,” said Walt Hearn, senior vice president of customer excellence and worldwide sales at Ansys. “This first-pass success was made possible not only by Turbotech’s expert engineers and their deep understanding of complex multiphysics, but by Ansys’ strong technical support across all phases of the project. The collaboration is critical to helping Turbotech save significant time, costs, and resources as they advance this new market.”
Source: Ansys
About Ansys
Ansys, founded in 1970, specializes in engineering simulation software. It offers tools for structural analysis, fluid dynamics, electromagnetic field simulation, and more, enabling industries to design and test products virtually. Ansys software has enabled innovators across industries to push boundaries by using the predictive power of simulation. Serving sectors such as aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, industrial equipment, materials and chemicals, consumer products, healthcare, and construction, Ansys supports innovation across diverse fields. Headquartered in Canonsburg, PA, Ansys continues to advance engineering simulation technologies, empowering organizations to enhance product development processes.
About Turbotech
Turbotech is a French aerospace startup founded in 2017 by former Safran engineers. Headquartered in Toussus-le-Noble, Île-de-France, the company specializes in developing propulsion systems for light aviation, focusing on hybrid-electric and conventional aircraft. Turbotech’s flagship product is the TP-R90 turboprop engine, which features a regenerative turbine design incorporating a micro-tube heat exchanger to recover exhaust heat, significantly improving fuel efficiency. This engine is compatible with various fuel types, including Jet-A1, diesel, avgas, and biofuels. The company also offers the TG-R90 turbogenerator, designed for hybrid-electric aircraft and eVTOL applications, providing onboard electric generation solutions. Turbotech has demonstrated its technology through successful integrations with aircraft such as the Bristell XL8 and Elixir Aircraft and is pursuing certification with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). As of 2025, Turbotech employs approximately 20 full-time staff and is financially supported by investors including Safran and GO CAPITAL.