Rolls-Royce signs Sustainable Aviation Fuel agreement with Air bp for engine tests
22 March 2022
Rolls-Royce has signed an agreement with Air bp that will reduce lifecycle carbon emissions for gas turbine tests carried out at three sites and support one of the organization’s key sustainability commitments. The agreement ensures that all of the aviation fuel supplied for engine testing at Rolls-Royce facilities in Derby and Bristol, UK and Dahlewitz, Germany will be a 10% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend.
The SAF is derived primarily from waste-based sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oils and will be blended with traditional aviation jet fuel by Air bp. Deliveries will begin this summer and the 10% neat SAF element will total around three million liters a year.
In addition, Air bp will provide the fuel for the very first run of the Rolls-Royce UltraFan demonstrator engine, which will be carried out entirely on 100% SAF later this year.
UltraFan will deliver new levels of aviation sustainability in terms of improved fuel burn efficiency and 100% SAF capability. The demonstrator will be the largest aero engine in the world.
The three Rolls-Royce testing centers of excellence cover engines for different aerospace sectors: Derby, civil aviation; Bristol, defense, and Dahlewitz, near Berlin, business aviation. Engines from the Trent, EJ 200 and Pearl families are routinely tested before delivery to customers, while product improvement tests are also regularly conducted.
Testbed 80 Trent XWB Derby
Rolls-Royce has previously committed to ensuring all of its Trent and Business Aviation engines are compatible with 100% SAF by 2023. All Trent and Business Aviation engines are already certified and ready to operate on a 50% SAF blend with traditional fossil-based aviation jet fuel.
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