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.
Rolls-Royce To Re-Engine A Fleet Of Aircraft That Went Into Service In 1955 For $2.6 Billion
This sounds like good business if you can get it for Rolls-Royce.
It’s all described in this press release from Rolls-Royce, which is entitled Rolls-Royce North America Selected To Power The B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Rolls-Royce North America has been selected to provide the powerplant for the B-52 Stratofortress under the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP), further extending a long history of powering the United States Air Force.
The decision means the American-made Rolls-Royce F-130 engine will power the B-52 for the next 30 years. The Air Force made the announcement after a vigorous multi-year competition.
Note.
- It looks like the B-52s will stay in service until 2050.
- That is not bad for an aircraft that first flew in 1952, when I was five.
Wikipedia describes the deal like this.
The USAF intends to purchase 650 engines (608 direct replacements, 42 spare engines) for its fleet of 76 B-52H aircraft in a $2.6 billion deal.
I suspect the accountants are pleased at Rolls-Royce, as $2.6 million is good cash-flow.
- The F-130 engine is a military variant of the BR725 engine, which was developed by Rolls-Royce Deutschland, which although it started as a joint-venture between Rolls-Royce and BMW, is now part of Rolls-Royce.
- The engines will be built by Rolls-Royce North America in Indianapolis.
So I suspect development costs will not be too horrendous!
The Anonymous Widower 