Alongside our continual drive towards ever greater engine efficiency using smarter technologies, the transition to cleaner fuels is key to achieving a net zero future for civil aviation. To help reduce aviation’s dependence on fossil-based fuels, Pratt & Whitney is advancing the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), while also developing novel technologies to support alternative, zero carbon fuels, like hydrogen.
Ready for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)
All Pratt & Whitney engines are ready to operate with SAF at blends of up to 50% with Standard Jet A Kerosene. We have been actively involved in SAF testing and certification for decades and helped regulators define the technical standards that enable multiple different SAF blends to be used today.
Pratt & Whitney continues to collaborate with industry partners to enable the use of 100% in future, and is working to ensure that next generation engines like the GTF Advantage™ are compatible with that 100% standard.
Why SAF?
SAF allows aircraft operators to reduce their carbon footprint, because – unlike Jet A Kerosene - it is manufactured from non-fossil-based feedstocks. Various different SAF are manufactured from sustainable feedstocks such as plant oils, used cooking oil, and municipal waste. This means that, on a lifecycle basis, SAFs could reduce carbon emissions by 80% compared to conventional jet fuel.
SAFs are also a “drop in” solution, requiring no additional investment in existing aircraft or fuel infrastructure. With the global commercial fleet forecast to reach 47,000 aircraft by 2030, SAF offers the most direct route to reducing the carbon footprint of aviation.
But our industry faces an urgent challenge in rapidly scaling up the supply of SAF to meet the demand necessitated by the net zero roadmap. Bridging the gap will require close partnership between governments and industry, to incentivize investment in production infrastructure and improve the economics of SAF for operators.
0.01% -Jet fuel demand served by SAF in 2019 $1.1-1.4 trn – estimated investment in SAF production infrastructure to reach net zero in 2050 (Source: ICF Fueling Net Zero Report)
Hydrogen Power for Zero Emissions Flight
Rich in energy, readily combustible, and free from carbon atoms, hydrogen has the potential to enable zero-emissions flight – but it also comes with significant challenges. With extensive expertise of hydrogen- fueled propulsion systems dating back to the 1950s, Pratt & Whitney understands these challenges and opportunities well.
Innovating Hydrogen-Fueled Propulsion Technology
Optimizing engine design to take full advantage of unique cryogenic properties of hydrogen will be key – that’s the essence of the Pratt & Whitney's Hydrogen Steam Injected, Inter‐Cooled Turbine Engine (HySIITE) project.
HySIITE will use liquid hydrogen combustion and water vapor recovery to achieve zero in-flight CO2 emissions, while reducing nitrogen-oxide (NOx) emissions by up to 80 percent and reducing fuel consumption by up to 35 percent for next generation single-aisle aircraft.
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