Rolls-Royce achieves ‘milestone’ in hydrogen engine research

According to the companies, these results are the first in the world for air travel. “We are taking the industry one step further towards hydrogen-powered flying,” said the joint statement.

700 pearls
The engine used for the research is the Pearl 700. Because hydrogen burns faster than kerosene, Rolls-Royce had to equip the engine with advanced fuel nozzles to control the combustion process. The Pearl 700 was developed for the Gulfstream G700 business jet.

Rolls-Royce and partner EasyJet carried out the research in collaboration with Loughborough University in the UK and the German aviation center DLR. The tests should support more space travel with the use of hydrogen as an aviation fuel. The companies want to enable the first hydrogen-powered aircraft between 2030 and 2040.

“Controlling the combustion process is one of the key technological challenges for the industry to make hydrogen a true space fuel of the future,” said Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer of Rolls-Royce. “Now we have achieved that and this gives us the motivation to do more research.”