Farnborough Airshow: Rolls-Royce and easyJet to test hydrogen gas turbines
Bristol-based Rolls-Royce has broken ground on a unique engine test site to perform outdoor, full-scale gas turbine hydrogen testing.
The announcement came at this week’s Farnborough International Airshow.
Development of the site and engine testing is in partnership with easyJet and will be located at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
This will be the third Rolls-Royce test stand at NASA Stennis, expanding a relationship with NASA that goes back decades and includes joint research on a variety of aerospace technologies.
The testing will demonstrate the integration of technologies required for 100 per cent hydrogen fuel operation on a modified Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 engine.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is providing engineering expertise for the project.
Deborah Robinson, director – test and experimental engineering for Rolls-Royce, said: “Rolls-Royce is at the forefront of developing technologies that will be needed to reach net zero by 2050.
“We are excited to partner with other global leaders like easyJet and NASA to explore the viability of aviation decarbonization through the introduction of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.”
John Bailey, director of NASA Stennis, added: “We welcome the opportunity to team with Rolls-Royce on its new test project.
“Rolls-Royce has been a valued tenant of NASA Stennis for many years, and we look forward to working together with them on this noteworthy endeavour.”
The testing scheduled for NASA Stennis represents the culmination of a global programme to prove that hydrogen can safely and efficiently deliver power for aerospace engines.
Rolls-Royce also receives support for hydrogen research through the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute HyEST, RACHEL and LH2GT programs, Germany’s LUFO 6 WOTAN program, and the European Union’s Clean Aviation CAVENDISH program.
In 2022, easyJet and Rolls-Royce set a world first by successfully running a modern aero engine, the Rolls-Royce AE2100, on 100 per cent green hydrogen at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire.
