KIT engineers run compressor-free hydrogen turbine for record five minutes

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have demonstrated a hydrogen turbine that removes the traditional air-compressor stage by employing pressure-gain combustion. In a trial lasting 303 seconds—over five minutes—the device generated electricity while detonation waves inside the combustion chamber created the required pressure. Conventional gas turbines usually consume about half of their output compressing air, so this design promises higher overall efficiency and fewer moving parts.

Professor Daniel Banuti, director of the Institute of Thermal Energy Technology and Safety, described the result as a major step toward flexible, high-efficiency hydrogen power for a carbon-free grid and potentially lighter aviation turbines. The achievement also broke NASA's earlier record of 250 seconds for a similar system. The breakthrough highlights hydrogen's suitability for such applications because of its rapid reaction characteristics.