KIT Reaches Milestone: Power Generation with Innovative Compressorless Hydrogen Gas Turbine - NASA Runtime Record Surpassed
Karlsruhe (Germany) - The ramp-up of the hydrogen industry is still in its early stages. In this environment, intensive research activities repeatedly lead to significant technological breakthroughs. A current example comes from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with a newly developed compressorless hydrogen gas turbine.
Runtime Record for Hydrogen Gas Turbine Surpasses NASA Benchmark
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have set a runtime record with a compressorless gas turbine. The burner with pressure-gain combustion ran stably for 303 seconds in test operation, surpassing the previous NASA record of 250 seconds.
Earlier test runs often ended after just a few seconds due to thermal stress pushing the combustion chambers to their limits. The newly achieved runtime of slightly over five minutes is therefore considered an important technological milestone.
“This is an important step toward highly efficient and flexible hydrogen energy for a fossil-free energy system,” says Professor Daniel Banuti, Director of the Institute for Thermal Energy Technology and Safety at KIT.
At the heart of the innovation is so-called pressure-gain combustion. Unlike conventional gas turbines, the mechanical compressor - usually consuming about half of the turbine’s output to pressurize the air - is eliminated. “A conventional gas turbine, such as those used in power plants or under aircraft wings, consumes about 50 percent of its power to compress air to the high pressure needed for efficient combustion—power that is then unavailable for electricity generation,” Banuti explains.
In pressure-gain combustion, detonation waves in the combustion chamber generate the necessary pressure increase. These arise from flow instabilities, waves, and vortices - completely without mechanical compressors. This reduces moving parts and opens up efficiency potential.
First Successful Power Generation Without a Mechanical Compressor
In addition to the runtime record, KIT reports another breakthrough: a turbine was successfully coupled to the combustion chamber for the first time to generate electricity - without mechanical air compression.
The coupling is technically demanding. “This is extremely difficult because the very fast and intense combustion processes in the chamber make stable energy transfer to the turbine challenging. We are the first to successfully operate such a turbine and generate electricity in the process,” says Banuti.
The technology is not fundamentally limited to hydrogen. However, hydrogen is particularly suitable because it reacts very quickly and enables stable pressure rises. Looking ahead, this could lead to lighter, more cost-effective, and highly efficient turbines for stationary power generation as well as aviation applications.
The new hydrogen gas turbine will be presented from April 20 to 24, 2026, at Hannover Messe, Hall 11, Stand B06. For the energy industry, the runtime record achieved represents another developmental step toward a fossil-free energy system, according to KIT researchers.
Source: IWR Online, 17 Feb 2026
