The U.S. Department of Energy has picked Raytheon Technologies for two research and development projects to investigate the use of hydrogen and ammonia as effective, carbon-free alternatives for electricity generation.
“These projects are the latest examples of how we’re partnering with the Department of Energy to innovate the technologies that will power a cleaner, more sustainable future,” said Andreas Roelofs, director of the Raytheon Technology Research Center, the company’s central advanced research and development innovation hub in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Under the first project, Raytheon Technologies will validate the ability to run Mitsubishi Power Aero’s FT4000 gas turbine unit on hydrogen and hydrogen mixes. The FT4000 is a land-based derivative of the PW4000 turbofan aviation engine manufactured by Pratt & Whitney.
“Hydrogen has an important role to play in enabling the aviation industry’s pathway to net zero emissions, and we are focused on developing technologies to maximize the potential opportunities that this zero-carbon fuel source provides,” said Geoff Hunt, senior vice president for Engineering and Technology at Pratt & Whitney.
The hydrogen fuel test will complement other activities ongoing in the Hydrogen Steam Injected, Inter-Cooled Turbine Engine (HySIITE) development project. HySIITE is a Pratt & Whitney-led initiative financed by the Energy Department to develop hydrogen-fueled propulsion technology suited to single-aisle commercial aircraft.
On the second Energy Department project, Raytheon Technologies will collaborate with the University of Connecticut School of Engineering to study the use of ammonia, which is constituted primarily of hydrogen, as a zero-carbon fuel for power-generating turbines. Using ammonia has a number of advantages, including a preexisting production and transportation infrastructure that requires significantly less refrigeration than hydrogen and the capacity to be stored simply as a liquid.
