Rolls-Royce Achieves Controlled Hydrogen Burn

Rolls-Royce says it has run a modified version of a standard jet engine at takeoff power using hydrogen for fuel. The company said it's a key accomplishment in developing future carbon-free designs that can power future aircraft. “This involved overcoming significant engineering challenges as hydrogen burns far hotter and more rapidly than kerosene,” Rolls-Royce said. The tests were carried out on a modified Pearl 700 engine.

Newly developed fuel spray nozzles mix air with the hydrogen at precise levels to control the burn rate. A full ground test of the new technology is next. The work is being carried out by a consortium of companies and academics led by easyJet and Roll-Royce called the UK Hydrogen in Aviation alliance. “This is an incredible achievement in a short space of time," said Grazia Vittadini, technology chief for Rolls-Royce. "Controlling the combustion process is one of the key technology challenges the industry faces in making hydrogen a real aviation fuel of the future. We have achieved that, and it makes us eager to keep moving forward.”