Rolls-Royce, easyJet power engine in take-off conditions with hydrogen.
Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LSE:RR.) and easyJet PLC (LSE:EZJ) have successfully powered a jet engine in take-off conditions solely using hydrogen.
A Pearl 700 engine reached maximum takeoff thrust during the test, easyJet said having been purely powered by hydrogen.
The airline explained:
🔥 What about we co-host a webinar? Let's educate, captivate, and convert the hydrogen economy!
Hydrogen Central is the global go-to online magazine for the hydrogen economy, we can help you host impactful webinars that become a global reference on your topic and are an evergreen source of leads. Click here to request more details
This involved overcoming significant engineering challenges, as hydrogen burns far hotter and more rapidly than kerosene.
New fuel spray nozzles were designed to control the combustion process, easyJet added, with Rolls-Royce chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini dubbing the project “incredible […] in a short space of time”.
Having successfully powered a jet engine using hydrogen for the first time late last year, the result marks the pair’s latest milestone in a bid to develop this alternative fuel for flight, following the pair joining a three-way alliance with Airbus as the aviation sector tries to reach net zero by 2050.
Hydrogen can be classed as a ‘green’ fuel if it is produced using renewable energy and, even though here are sizeable challenges for it to become a widespread aviation fuel, aerospace companies are looking at it as an alternative to carbon-dioxide-producing kerosine, alongside other more sustainable aviation fuels.
easyJet added:
Both […] are committed to being at the forefront of the development of hydrogen combustion engine technology capable of powering a range of aircraft, including those in the narrow-body market segment, from the mid-2030s onwards.
The tests, which were run alongside Loughborough University and the German Aerospace Centre, prove that hydrogen can be combusted in maximum take-off thrust conditions.
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
Rolls-Royce, easyJet power engine in take-off conditions with hydrogen, September 26, 2023
