The Anonymous Widower

Are Rolls-Royce Converting The World To Sussainable Fuels?

Rolls-Royce are certainly up to something.

• Versions of all their diesel and aero engines appear to be able to or will be able to run on hydrogen, SAF, HVO and other exotic zero or low-carbon fuels.
• They are replacing the engines on the USAF B 52s with new American-built Rolls-Royce engines, that can run on hydrogen.
• They are working with easyJet on zero-carbon engines.
• They are developing the UltraFan, which promises to be the most frugal turbofan engine ever. Will all long-distance wide-bodies end up Rolls-Royce powered?
• They have developed a frugal engine for business jets that can run on any fuel.
• Rolls-Royce have also developed a 2.5 MW electric generator based on the engine of a Super Hercules. This level of power is what you need for a railway locomotive.
• Are they building a retrofit for all the diesel-electric railway locomotives of the world, which runs on hydrogen?

Some of these developments could be moving from diesel, jet-fuel and SAF to hydrogen. Others will just reduce the amount of fuel needed.

I just can’t get the image of an iconic B 52, with RR on the side of the engines out of my mind.

But all of these developments seem to have one aim in mind. – To reduce the amount of aircraft and other large vehicles that have to run on standard jet fuel, diesel, SAF or HVO.

This will mean that long-distance air travel, which will be the most difficult to decarbonise will be able to use SAF and other exotic fuels made from renewable sources.

February 6, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Energy, Transport/Travel | Boeing B-52, Decarbonisation, Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce 2.5 MW Generator, Rolls-Royce mtu, Rolls-Royce UltraFan