A collaborative work between Rolls-Royce, Boeing and World Energy made possible the successful completion of a test flight of the 747 flying testbed using sustainable aviation fuel – SAF, for its acronym in English – in a Trent 1000 engine.
As we reported in the note Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Shell seek to accelerate zero emissions on long-haul flights, the British engine manufacturer announced that by 2023 all engines in the Trent family used in long-range aircraft will be able to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel. The tests carried out with the 747 show the progress of the developments to achieve this objective.
The aircraft that carried out the test departed from the Tucson Airport, in Arizona, and passed through the states of New Mexico and Texas, with a Trent 1000 engine running exclusively on SAF. Likewise, the other three engines that complete the propulsion of the four-engine are of the RB211 model, and used conventional fossil fuel.
According to a statement issued by Rolls-Royce, preliminary information confirmed that no engineering problems were detected, which can be taken as great news in relation to the potential introduction of this technology in the short term, given that the tests with SAF in the Trent 1000 model are added to those already made by the company in the XWB and Peral models, from the same family.
Simon Burr, Director of Technology and Product Development – Civil Aerospace at Rolls-Royce, said that “we believe in air travel as a force for cultural good, but we also recognize the need to take steps to decarbonize our industry. This flight is another example of collaboration across the value chain to ensure that all aeronautical technology solutions are in place to enable a seamless introduction of 100% SAF into our industry. “
We have been observing for a long time that it is strictly necessary for the actors that make up the commercial aviation sector to join forces to promote the sustainable future of aviation. Rolls-Royce is one of the companies that, in addition to innovating, has been in charge of encouraging other industry leaders to join this trend. In order to carry out these tests, the British company had the support of Boeing and the fuel supplier World Energy.
Following the test, Sheila Remes, Vice President of Environmental Sustainability at Boeing, stated: “It is an honor to partner with Rolls-Royce and World Energy on this 100% SAF flight. Its success further illustrates that SAF can completely replace conventional fuel in the long term and is a viable renewable energy solution to decarbonize aviation for the next 20-30 years. “
For his part, Gene Gebolys, CEO of World Energy, said: “As the world’s first and only SAF producer and the only one in the United States, we are grateful for the pioneering work our partners are doing. Rolls-Royce’s work to demonstrate the feasibility of fueling the jet engines they manufacture with the 100% renewable SAF we produce lays the foundation for flight without fossil fuels. This work is incredibly important and we applaud and thank Rolls-Royce for working with us to do it. “
As Rolls-Royce reported, the United States government recently recognized the need to significantly increase SAF production from the launch of the initiative. Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge – Great challenge of sustainable aviation fuel- which aims to promote the production of 11 billion liters of SAF per year, by 2030. For its part, the European Union has launched the ReFuelEU Aviation program, which would require the incorporation of SAF into the fuels supplied at the airports of the union.
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