BRIGHT and the University of Stuttgart for sustainable aviation technology
Through a current project for the Institute of Aircraft Propulsion at the University of Stuttgart (ILA), BRIGHT is impressively demonstrating how innovative hydrogen technology can be integrated into existing test facilities. In the high-altitude wind tunnel there, aircraft engines will also be tested using alternative fuels in the future.
The customer, the ILA Stuttgart, operates a high-altitude wind tunnel where engines are tested under realistic environmental conditions. BRIGHT is supporting the institute in its transition toward more sustainable propulsion technologies.
BRIGHT’s engineers were tasked with expanding an existing test bench infrastructure so that combustion chambers can also be tested with hydrogen in the future. “Essentially, it involves setting up and controlling the hydrogen supply. This is a highly specialized yet complex task that requires close coordination between process engineering, automation, and customer requirements,” explains Philipp Riexinger of BRIGHT, describing one of the project’s particular challenges: switching between operating modes. “We had to build a system that ensures we can test incrementally without compromising temperature control.” To solve this, the BRIGHT team relied on an innovative recirculation line, where the hydrogen is circulated in a loop and brought to the necessary temperatures via the piping before it reaches the engine.
According to Riexinger, the key to success lies in the close integration of the various technical disciplines—that is, the interfaces between regulation, control, and process engineering. “Only by considering these fields together can you ultimately achieve a functioning overall system.” The project began in early 2025 and is being managed by an interdisciplinary BRIGHT team comprising process engineering, automation, and control specialists. BRIGHT is receiving support from Christian Perdok of Perdok Engineering.
The team is currently in the midst of commissioning the system using nitrogen, a process that is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The new combustion chamber is scheduled to arrive in early July. At that point, thanks to BRIGHT’s expertise, testing with hydrogen will actually begin at the ILA.