Rolls Royce, a leading supplier of aviation engines with more than 400 customers, has decided to venture into clean engine production. Automobile giant Rolls-Royce and European airline Easy Jet announced that they have successfully tested hydrogen jet engine technology. The invention of this technology might eventually mitigate or completely erase aviation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The director of aerospace technology at Rolls-Royce, Alan Newby, stated, “The reason we are looking at hydrogen is the drive at Netzero; the beauty of using a fuel like hydrogen, is that it does not contain any carbon and when it burns, it produces CO2.”
This test marks the first successful hydrogen engine test by Rolls Royce, as aviation is one of the most expensive and difficult sectors to green up, as it is much more expensive and difficult to make an electric aeroplane than an electric car.
There is no doubt that batteries charged with renewable energy are greener and safer for the environment, so airlines and plane manufacturers are looking to produce engines that can run on cleaner fuels like hydrogen instead of conventional carbon dioxide.
Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe; the sun is mainly composed of hydrogen in the plasma state, and most of the hydrogen on earth exists in molecular forms such as water. Hydrogen gas was first produced in the early 16th century by the reaction of acids on metals by inventor Henry Cavendish.
The hydrogen engine will be used similarly to a gasoline engine with internal combustion. The liquid or gaseous hydrogen is burned in a gas turbine engine to generate thrust. Hydrogen’s volatile nature and high auto-ignition temperature make it a suitable choice for combustion and in-run engine fuel.
The engine test was conducted in the United Kingdom for the Rolls-Royce AE-2100A engine. The European Marine Center produced the fuel used for the testing. Although they have recorded early success, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before a hydrogen-powered engine hits the air. Rolls-Royce and EasyJet are planning more ground tests in the future.
According to the International Air Transport Association, a major hurdle for the hydrogen-powered flight will be the fact that they will have to introduce and redesign a new aircraft to run on hydrogen fuel, and the new aircraft will also have to be redesigned to incorporate larger fuel tanks. With those limitations in mind, green hydrogen will only be effective for short flights.
A report by the European Union estimated that hydrogen-powered passenger airlines that can travel up to 3000 kilometres could hit the aviation market by 2035. Do you feel it will be possible to fly on the wings of hydrogen in the next decade? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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Photo by Rolls Royce
