Photo: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce hits another milestone on the way to green aviation. Together with British airliner easyJet, it has accomplished the first successful ground test of a modern aircraft engine powered by hydrogen.
At the beginning of this year, Rolls-Royce kicked off the complex research program focused on hydrogen for aviation, which it had announced at the end of 2021. The two-year-long study was supposed to research and test hydrogen and electric technologies for all stages of commercial operation, from production to storage and handling.
As part of this project, Rolls-Royce joined forces with easyJet and, in a very short time, the two have already made a huge step.
The test was carried out at an outdoor test facility at the Ministry of Defense’s Boscombe Down unit, in the UK. A converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional aircraft engine was used as an early-concept demonstrator.
It’s also important to note that the hydrogen used for testing was green, meaning it was produced using renewable energy sources, and also made in the UK. It was supplied by EMEC (European Marine Energy Center) which produces it using wind and tidal power.
“This is a true British success story, with the hydrogen being used to power the jet engine today produced using tidal and wind energy from the Orkney Islands of Scotland,” said Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The two partners are already gearing up for the next testing phase, which will eventually lead to the full-scale ground test of a Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 jet engine.
The final goal? To demonstrate that green hydrogen could be the answer for carbon-free commercial aviation. These ground tests will be followed in the future by pioneering flight tests. In the meantime, Rolls-Royce is also a supporter of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) as the best solution available right now for “guilt-free flights.”
As part of this project, Rolls-Royce joined forces with easyJet and, in a very short time, the two have already made a huge step.
The test was carried out at an outdoor test facility at the Ministry of Defense’s Boscombe Down unit, in the UK. A converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional aircraft engine was used as an early-concept demonstrator.
It’s also important to note that the hydrogen used for testing was green, meaning it was produced using renewable energy sources, and also made in the UK. It was supplied by EMEC (European Marine Energy Center) which produces it using wind and tidal power.
“This is a true British success story, with the hydrogen being used to power the jet engine today produced using tidal and wind energy from the Orkney Islands of Scotland,” said Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The two partners are already gearing up for the next testing phase, which will eventually lead to the full-scale ground test of a Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 jet engine.
The final goal? To demonstrate that green hydrogen could be the answer for carbon-free commercial aviation. These ground tests will be followed in the future by pioneering flight tests. In the meantime, Rolls-Royce is also a supporter of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) as the best solution available right now for “guilt-free flights.”
Google News