Rolls-Royce has successfully completed a flight of its 747 Testbed aircraft using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on a Trent 1000 engine.
Rolls-Royce Trent 1000. Credit: Kurush Pawar / Flickr (Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0)
A Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine, the same kind that was filled with sustainable aviation fuel during the test. Credit: Kurush Pawar / Flickr (Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0)
Working alongside Boeing and World Energy, the aircraft flew from Tuscon airport in Arizona, flying over both Texas and New Mexico before touching back down at the same airport nearly four hours later.
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While the plane's other three engines - all RB211 engines - still ran on jet fuel, the flight marks a milestone for Rolls-Royce as it looks to further SAF for commercial use as part of a push to reduce emissions in the sector.
Initial reports from the company hint there were no engineering problems encountered during the flight.
The flight was aided by Boeing, who provided technical support and oversight on aircraft modifications and assurance of the aircraft systems for the flight test, while World Energy supplied the fuel.
In a statement, Rolls-Royce has hinted all its Trent family engines could be powered using 100% SAF by 2023 and has called for greater collaboration to reduce emissions in aviation, alongside working with governments to bring in legislation and more ambitious targets.
It also hopes to enable the transition for long-haul aviation towards net-zero ahead of goals set by the UN's Race to Zero campaign.
“We believe in air travel as a force for cultural good, but we also recognise the need to take action to decarbonise our industry", said Simon Burr, the director for product development and technology at Rolls-Royce's Civil Aerospace arm.
"This flight is another example of collaboration across the value chain to make sure all the aircraft technology solutions are in place to enable a smooth introduction of 100% SAF into our industry.”
Most aircraft are currently only certified to fly on 50% SAF, but Rolls-Royce claims certification of flights on 100% non-blended fuel are essential in decarbonising the long-haul sector.
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Initiatives such as US President Joe Biden's Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge or the European Commission's ReFuelEU scheme are looking to increase commercial adoption of SAF in the aviation sector.
World Energy's CEO Glen Gebolys said: “Rolls-Royce’s work to prove the viability of powering the jet engines they make with the 100 per cent renewable SAF […] lays the groundwork for fossil-fuel-free flight. This work is incredibly important, and we applaud and appreciate Rolls-Royce for working with us to do it".
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