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Rolls-Royce conducts first tests of 100% sustainable aviation fuel for use in business jets

Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engine. [Credit: Rolls-Royce]

 

 

Rolls-Royce has conducted the first tests of 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in a business jet engine. The company aims to become a leader in an industry-wide effort to reach net zero carbon by 2050.

The tests on the company's latest business aviation engine in development, the Pearl 700, in Dahlewitz, Germany, come just weeks after unblended SAF was successfully used for the first time in engine ground tests on a Trent 1000 engine in Derby, UK.

SAF is a substitute for fossil jet fuels. Instead of being refined from petroleum, SAF is produced from sustainable resources, which can include waste oils with a biological origin, agriculture products/byproducts, or non-fossil CO2.

These tests aim to demonstrate that Rolls-Royce's current engines for large civil and business jet applications can operate with 100% SAF as a full "drop-in" option, laying the groundwork for moving this type of fuel toward certification. At present, SAF is only certified for blends of up to 50% with conventional jet fuel and can be used on all current Rolls-Royce engines.

The SAF that was used in the tests was produced by low-carbon fuel specialist World Energy in Paramount, CA, sourced by Shell Aviation, and delivered by SkyNRG. This unblended fuel has the potential to reduce net CO2 lifecycle emissions by more than 75% compared to conventional jet fuel, with the possibility of further reductions in future.

The highly efficient Pearl 700 combines the Advance2 engine core, the most efficient core available across the business aviation sector, with a brand-new low-pressure system, resulting in an 8% increase in take-off thrust at 18,250 lb compared to the BR725 engine. The engine offers a 12% better thrust-to-weight ratio and 5% higher efficiency, while maintaining its class-leading low noise and emissions performance.

Rolls-Royce says Pearl 700 technology also includes a highly efficient 51.8-in. blisked fan, a high-pressure compressor with a market-leading pressure ratio of 24:1 and six blisked stages, an ultra-low emissions combustor, a two-stage shroudless high-pressure turbine, and an enhanced four-stage low-pressure turbine that is one of the most efficient and compact in the industry.

Source: Rolls-Royce

Published February 2021

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