Rolls-Royce and EasyJet reach key milestone in development of hydrogen-powered engines

Rolls-Royce and EasyJet achieved a new milestone in their combined efforts to develop hydrogen-fueled engines.

The two companies announced that they had successfully tested a full annular combustor on a Pearl 700 engine, running 100% on hydrogen, and achieved maximum take-off thrust.

Key to reaching that milestone was the successful design of advanced fuel spray nozzles to control the combustion process, as hydrogen burns "far hotter" and more quickly than kerosene.

Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer at Rolls-Royce, said: "This is an incredible achievement in a short space of time.

"Controlling the combustion process is one of the key technology challenges the industry faces in making hydrogen a real aviation fuel of the future. We have achieved that, and it makes us eager to keep moving forward."

Rolls-Royce added that combustor operability and emissions were both in line with expectations.

The achievement was the product of a joint effort between Loughborough University and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).