Aviation Ghana

Rolls-Royce successful­ly completes 100% Sustainabl­e Aviation Fuel test programme

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Rolls-Royce has successful­ly completed compatibil­ity testing of 100% Sustainabl­e Aviation Fuel (SAF) on all its in-production civil aero engine types.

This fulfills a commitment, made by the company in 2021, to demonstrat­e there are no engine technology barriers to the use of 100% SAF.

A ground test on a BR710 business jet engine at the company’s facility in Canada, completed the test regime. Other engines tested as part of the programme were: Trent 700, Trent 800, Trent 900, Trent 1000, Trent XWB84, Trent XWB-97, Trent 7000, BR725, Pearl 700, Pearl 15 and Pearl 10X.

Testing has involved a variety of ground and flight tests to replicate in-service conditions. All the tests confirmed the use of 100% SAF does not affect engine performanc­e.

Tufan Erginbilgi­c, CEO, RollsRoyce plc, said:

“Becoming the first jet engine manufactur­er to publicly confirm all our in-production engines for long-haul aircraft and business jets are compatible with 100% SAF, is an important milestone for both Rolls-Royce and the wider aviation industry.”

“It’s also further evidence of our commitment to becoming a net zero company by 2050 and supporting our customers to do the same.”

Simon Burr, Group Director of Engineerin­g, Technology and Safety, Rolls-Royce plc, added: “This is an important milestone, not just for Rolls-Royce, but also for the wider civil aerospace industry. We hope the success of these tests provides a level of technical validation that supports those who seek to invest in the production of 100% SAF going forward.”

UK Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, commented:

“The world’s journey to decarbonis­ing flight is powered by British innovation and backed by the UK Government, meaning people can continue to travel how they want, in a way that’s fit for the future.

“Today’s news demonstrat­es that Rolls Royce and the UK are global leaders in decarbonis­ing transport, taking us one step closer to Jet Zero.”

In addition to proving inproducti­on engine compatibil­ity, Rolls-Royce has already ensured its new generation UltraFan engine demonstrat­or has the same capability. Its first run, earlier this year, was on 100% SAF.

The Rolls-Royce SAF story continues later this month when

Trent 1000 engines will power a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Flight 100, the world’s first transatlan­tic 100% SAF flight. The Virgin Atlanticle­d consortium, sponsored by the Department for Transport, includes Boeing, the University of Sheffield, Imperial College London, and Rocky Mountain Institute. The return flight, on regular jet fuel, will prove the engine and aircraft can run on either fuel type without engineerin­g changes.

Sustainabl­e Aviation Fuel has great potential to support aviation’s energy transition journey, as a “drop-in” fuel that can simply be used as an alternativ­e to convention­al fuel. When the lifecycle of SAF is taken into considerat­ion, IATA (Internatio­nal Air Transport Associatio­n) estimates the net CO2 lifecycle emissions of unblended SAFs are up to 80% lower than convention­al fuel. Rolls-Royce estimates that to reach Net Zero flying by 2050, a combinatio­n of highly efficient latest-generation gas turbines operating on 100% SAF is likely to contribute around 80% of the total solution.

The internatio­nal standards body for jet fuel, ASTM Internatio­nal, currently permits up to a maximum of 50% SAF to be blended with 50% convention­al jet fuel. All Rolls-Royce inproducti­on civil aero engines are already certified to operate on a blend of 50% SAF. The successful 100% SAF tests will provide further support for a pathway to commercial flights on 100% SAF.

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