A tiny aircraft jet engine is conducting testing in a windy area of a
military installation on Salisbury Plain. These experiments might one day
result in significant improvements for the aviation sector.
The engine is almost entirely conventional. It is a Rolls-Royce AE-2100A
gas turbine, which is a kind that is often seen on smaller aircraft all
around the globe.
The gasoline being utilized is completely peculiar about it. This is the
first time that hydrogen has ever been used in a contemporary airplane
engine.
It is attached securely to a solid test rig without a body and has its
sophisticated wiring and pipes exposed. Engineers are gathered around a
number of screens in the control room, safely away.
Rolls-Royce is conducting the tests after development work in Derby and in
collaboration with the airline easyJet.
The immediate goal is to demonstrate that a jet engine can be operated and
controlled using hydrogen fuel rather than traditional aviation fuels.
In the long run, it is intended for hydrogen power to play a significant
role in enabling the aviation sector to continue expanding while drastically
reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
According to Alan Newby, director of aerospace technology at Rolls-Royce,
"the push for Net Zero is basically the reason we're looking at
hydrogen."
"Normally, kerosene would be used to power this device. Since kerosene is a
hydrocarbon, burning it releases carbon dioxide.
"The beauty of looking at a fuel like hydrogen is that it contains no
carbon and, as a result, when it burns, it creates no CO2," says the
author.
EasyJet is funding the initiative and has provided several million pounds
for the early testing.
The business thinks that the best way to reduce emissions from short-haul
flight is to use hydrogen power.
According to David Morgan, chief operating officer of easyJet, "We began
looking at what may power the aircraft of the future a few years ago."
"When we examined battery technology, it became abundantly evident that it
would likely fall short for the huge commercial aircraft that we fly.
"We've determined that hydrogen is a really intriguing option for us," the
statement said.
Since hydrogen produces far more power per kilogram than batteries do, it
has an advantage over the latter. Simply said, heavier aircraft cannot be
powered by batteries.
Aviation using hydrogen, however, is still very far off. The results of the
experiments performed so far merely demonstrate that a jet engine powered by
hydrogen may be started and operated at a modest speed.
However, it will need a lot more study and a substantial expenditure to go
on to developing a whole new engine that can safely power a passenger
aircraft.
A redesign of the aircraft is also necessary. Even in liquid form, hydrogen
occupies nearly four times the volume of kerosene when used to fly the same
distance.
It has to be cooled to -253C before it can become a liquid. Then, it has to
be transformed back into a gas before being burnt.
From an aviation perspective, there has been a significant shift, according
to Rolls-Alan Royce's Newby.
"They will need to have a tank to store the hydrogen. You must maintain it
at this very low temperature.
"How do you send it through to the engine?" is another matter.
The source of the hydrogen itself is the other crucial concern, since it
will significantly affect the environmental advantages it may provide.
The so-called green hydrogen utilized in the experiments was created at the
Orkney Islands' European Marine Energy Centre.
It is created by splitting water into its component parts, hydrogen and
oxygen, using an electric current. Tidal and wind energy are used to
generate the necessary amount of electricity. As a result, it is a highly
clean fuel.
However, the majority of the hydrogen generated for industrial usage today
comes from a procedure that involves combining high pressure, high
temperature steam with natural gas.
However, a significant quantity of carbon dioxide is produced as a result,
which is subsequently released into the atmosphere. It also needs a lot of
energy, which is often produced by burning fossil fuels.
Blue hydrogen is one possible replacement. While still being created in the
same manner, this captures the carbon dioxide and either stores it or uses
it again.
Theoretically, this ought to result in a cleaner, low-carbon gasoline. But
in an article published this year,
scientists from Cornell
and Stanford universities disputed that viewpoint.
They argued that utilizing blue hydrogen would still endanger the
environment more than burning fossil fuels.
The campaigning organization Transport and Environment's UK policy
director, Matt Finch, claims that there is now a lot of hydrogen hype.
"Many individuals are arguing that hydrogen is both useful and necessary.
You hear it for automobiles, trucks, ships, and aircraft as well as for home
heating and chemicals.
"The UK essentially generates no green hydrogen at the present. It is
utterly impossible to satisfy everyone's demands."
According to Mr. Finch, this indicates that green hydrogen supplies would
likely need to be rationed for decades to come and that governments may not
place a high premium on aviation.
All of this indicates that it will probably be several years before
zero-emission hydrogen aircraft are a common sight.
Even then, they will probably first only be available in short-distance
markets. Synthetic sustainable fuels are anticipated to provide a more
viable answer for long-haul routes.
Nevertheless, these first trials on Salisbury Plain could be seen in the
future as the hesitant first steps of an industry-wide technological
revolution.