Watch: engines and fuel of the future

Title: Powering the Future of Aviation

Duration: 13.03

Description: The aviation industry has undoubtedly contributed to opportunities for economic progress and the development of social and urban cultures all over the world. However, with the industry contributing to 3% of the world's total percentage of carbon emissions, there is growing recognition that progress cannot be at the expense of our climate. Collaboration remains crucial to accelerate aviation's pathway to net-zero emissions. There is a need for all parties who benefit from aviation's progress - governments, businesses and passengers - to work together and tackle this challenge.

In this episode, Alex Macheras, aviation analyst, travel journalist, and a regular on the world's leading international news networks, takes a look a the ways on how the industry is reducing emissions - what the aircraft engine of the future will look like, and how the fuels of the future will power them.

[Background music plays]

Intriguing piano music

[Alex Mecheras]

The aviation sector is vital to global economies. It brings people together. It ensures the flow and transportations of goods and services, and often flights literally help make the world go round.

[Video footage]

Montage of aviation related scenes. First, timelapse footage of passenger aircraft taxi into the aircraft stand, and then an Aviation Refuelling Operator checking a refuelling nozzle hooked up to an aircraft, then a team of maintenance engineers working on an aircraft engine. The scene transitions to inside an aircraft cabin, where we see aircrew tending to passengers, and then to footage of a cargo aircraft being loaded up with pallets of air freight.

[Alex Mecheras]

But this sector aviation is also responsible for around 3% of total CO2 emissions. That's the figure that could very quickly rise to 22% by 2050 as other sectors decarbonize more quickly.

[Video footage & Graphics]

The scene transitions to footage of an aircraft flying low in the sky, then to a map centred on the Asia Pacific region, showing flights travelling from city to city. This transitions to a donut chart that shows the world's carbon emissions, in which air travel contributes 3%, the chart animates illustrating how that figure could rise 22% by 2050. We cut to a close up shot of Alex Macheras speaking off angle towards the camera, then to a wider shot of him facing and speaking to the camera.

[Alex Mecheras]

There's no question about the progress international aviation brings globally, but what has become very clear is that as an industry, we must come together to act now to decarbonize.

I'm Alex Macheras, aviation analyst.

[On Screen Graphics]

Alex Macheras

Aviation Analyst

Text animates onto the screen against a sky backdrop, which reads “AVIATION TOMORROW: THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT”, it then animates to read “ENGINES AND FUELS OF THE FUTURE” - PRESENTED BY ALEX MACHERAS

[Background music plays]

Contemplative piano music accompanied by soft strings

[Video footage]

We see Alex Macheras walking and talking to the camera, in the background is a parking lot and a grey building to the left of the screen.

[Alex Mecheras]

In episode one, we looked at the key role carbon offsets play in compensating for emissions, while other measures are developed for impact at scale.

[Video footage & Graphics]

The scene transitions to a rural village in Indonesia, location of the Katingan Mentaya Project, scenes of women carrying crops and a drone shot of a meandering river. It transitions to footage of a dreamliner at an airport, before close up footage of a pilot in the cockpit pressing an overhead button and pushing a lever forward. It cuts to a wide shot of an aircraft in the sky.

[Alex Mecheras]

We also looked specifically at nature-based solutions, such as the Katingan Mentaya project in Indonesia. And we found out how airlines are integrating their carbon offsetting policies within the airline, within operations, and to make it a viable options for the passenger.

[Video Footage]

The frame transitions to Alex Mecheras walking towards, and speaking to the camera.

[Alex Mecheras]

In this episode, we'll be looking at what the industry is doing now to reduce emissions.

[Video footage]

A footage of an engine is seen, before transitioning into a shot of a laboratory, then to a close up shot of a man in a lab coat examining a bottle of clear liquid.

[Alex Mecheras]

What the engines of the future will look like, and how the fuels of the future will power them.

[Video Footage]

The frame transitions to Alex Mecheras facing and speaking to the camera.

[Alex Mecheras]

My first stop is right here in Derby, England, where I'm at the Rolls Royce factory.

[Video Footage]

The frame transitions to a drone footage of a countryside in England, before a footage of the inside of a factory. It cuts to footages of large aircraft engines before transitioning to a shot of the outside of the factory with the Rolls Royce and Alex Mecheras walking by.

[Alex Mecheras]

So If you've ever flown on a passenger aircraft, it is almost certain that that aircraft was powered by engines developed in a facility like this one.

[Video Footage & Graphics]

Old footage of the Rolls-Royce factory overlaid with graphics showing the historic timeline of the company.

[Alex Mecheras]

Rolls-Royce traces its heritage back to 1884, first producing motorcars, and thereafter, its first aero engine - the Eagle during the First World War. 

Over the years, it’s been a champion of sustainability, improving engine efficiency for flights.

[Video Footage]

The frame transitions to Alex Mecheras walking down a hallway towards the camera. It then cuts to Simon Burr gesturing whilst talking to Alex Mecheras. [Alex Mecheras]

Today, Simon Burr has kindly agreed to let me take a tour of the factory where the latest engines are being developed.

Rolls-Royce has this significant commitment to sustainability.

[Video Footage]

The video cuts to Alex Mecheras talking to Simon Burr.

[Simon Burr]

Yes. And, and, and that for us, it's got sort of three legs to it, for better, more efficient jet engines, sustainable aviation fuel and novel propulsion technologies, including electric and hydrogen.

[Video Footage]

The video transitions to footage of an engine in a factory, before cutting to workers fuelling up an aircraft on a tarmac. A footage of several workers looking at an aircraft engine while it’s switched on. It then cuts to Alex Mecheras talking to Simon Burr.

[Alex Macheras]

So there is this continual drive to more efficient engines, engines that are enabling airlines to reduce emissions. And for our passengers, fewer emissions is a great thing when we're travelling from A to B.

[Video Footage]

Timelapse footage of an airport scene, with an air bridge being connected to an aircraft, and passengers walking down an alleyway overlooking the tarmac with a plane. It then transitions to a flight attendant gesturing, indicating where a passenger should go. It cuts to a wide shot of an aircraft in the sky, before video cuts to Alex Mecheras talking to Simon Burr.

[Simon Burr]

That's right. Every type of emissions, carbon dioxide and other emissions. So we driving for efficiency and what you see as a passenger is bigger and bigger fans on the front of the engine.

[Video Footage]

A panning shot of a fan in construction, before cutting to a shot of Simon Burr.

[Simon Burr]

So we're really pushing hard here on the things that people think are dreams for the future. We're trying to bring tomorrow to today.

[Video Footage]

A wide shot of Simon Burr talking to Alex Mecheras with an aircraft fan in the background.

[Simon Burr]

It’s a really exciting time in the industry, to be honest with you.

[Video Footage]

The video transitions to footage of various parts of the factory, with people wearing face masks.

[Alex Macheras]

Today, Rolls Royce is a leader in the world of aviation, and a key player helping the industry in its goal of Net Zero Carbon Emissions.

[Video Footage]

A panning shot of various aircraft models.

[Alex Macheras]

Through their technological development, we’ve seen vast progress to the way we experience flight.

[Video Footage]

The frame transitions to Alex Mecheras walking in the Rolls Royce factory, with a large aircraft fan in the background. It then cuts to various scenes in the factory, people working on the engine parts, a zoom-out shot of the aircraft fan.

[Alex Macheras]

I’m heading down to the shop floor, to get a personal tour of the world’s most efficient engine that is exclusively for the Airbus A350XWB, one of the most modern and efficient commercial jets in service today.

[Video Footage]

Alex Mecheras walking with Emma Booth in the Rolls Royce factory.

[Alex Macheras]

And if there's anyone who can tell me more about these engines, it's Emma Booth, engineer at Rolls Royce.

[Video Footage]

Alex Mecheras talking to Emma Booth with a large engine in the background.

[Alex Macheras]

Emma, the thing about aviation is that we're always innovating and the same can be said with the mission for engines and maximizing efficiency.

How far have we come since then?

[Video Footage and Graphics]

Emma Booth talks to Alex Macheras, before the footage transitions to the first Trent engine on an aircraft outdoors. Graphic text reads “First Generation Trent Engine”, “Sixty Generation today’s Trent Engine”, “Trent XWB 15% more efficient than the first Trent engine.”

[Emma Booth]

The Trent XWB. It's the sole engine for the A350 XWB. It's the sixth Trent engine in the Trent family and it's actually 15% more efficient than the first Trent engines to enter into service.

[Alex Macheras]

What is it about the design of the engine that really maximizes efficiency and reduces those emissions?

[Video Footage]

Alex Mecheras talking to Emma Booth with a large engine in the background. It transitions to a shot of Emma gesturing to the fan blades in the background.

[Emma Booth]

So it's things like you can see the shape of the fan blades here, this lovely swept design, it makes them incredibly efficient.

[Video Footage]

The frame transitions to close ups of the fans, before a wide shot of an aircraft engine on the tarmac. It goes back to Alex Mecheras and Emma Booth in the factory, and various close ups of the engines in the factory.

[Emma Booth]

And the compressors have things called blisks, which stands for bladed disks in it. And again, they're reducing the losses in the compressor, making them compress the air more efficiently. And there's also, advanced sealing systems so the air doesn't escape. And with more advanced sealing, you're basically losing less air and it makes it more efficient.

[Alex Macheras]

So you have this constant evolution of jet engines from the very first jet engine until now and maximizing efficiency has always been the goal.

[Emma Booth]

That’s right, so we've recently announced that all of our engines will be able to operate on a hundred percent sustainable aviation fuel by 2023. Which is absolutely brilliant.

[Video Footage]

From Alex Mecheras and Emma Booth in the factory, it transitions to two men looking at an engine in construction, and a man in a lab coat looking at a bottle with clear fluid. It goes back to Alex Mecheras and Emma Booth talking in the factory.

[Alex Macheras]

And this is all of course going towards that wider goal, our journey as an industry to net zero by 2050.

[Emma Booth]

Absolutely. Yeah, exactly what, it's just so exciting to be involved with because, you know, we all feel very passionate about the environment.

[Video Footage]

A shot of expansive forestry with a shadow of an airplane moving across. The frame transitions to Alex Macheras facing and speaking to the camera.

[Alex Macheras]

As we've seen engines, of the future are increasingly going to be more efficient, require less fuel. And so for passengers, that means fewer emissions, when we fly from point A to point B.

[Video Footage]
The video transitions to a Shell refuelling truck pulling up to an aircraft, before footage of a man on the tarmac, fuelling up the aircraft.

[Alex Macheras]

But of course, all of this is still only one part of the equation, because at least for now, these engines run on fuel and that's what we're going to explore next. Sustainable aviation fuel.

[Alex Macheras]

SAF is the term used by the aviation industry to describe non-conventional fuels that are produced from sustainable feedstocks.

[Video Footage & Graphics]

One third of the screen shows a Shell refuelling truck pulling up to an aircraft, and the other portion, graphics. Graphic text reads “Sustainable Aviation Fuel” “Blending Tank, SAF, fossil fuel, recertified = jet fuel compliant.”

It then transitions to listing a variety of Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Text read, “Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Fischer-Tropsch (FT), Hydrotreated Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA), Synthesized Iso-Parrafins (SIP), Alcohol to Jet (AtJ), Catalytic Hydrothermolysis (CHJ), Co-processing.”

It transitions to an aircraft in the sky, with graphics indicating that 95% of SAF powered flights use HEFA.

[Video Footage & Graphics]

The frame transitions to Alex Mecheras facing and speaking to the camera with a graph. Text reads “SAF potential to reduce emissions”.
[Alex Macheras]

The HEFA pathway, for example, uses waste fat and oils. It's the most commercially available type of SAF today used in around 95% of the 300,000 SAF powered flights that are flown since 2016.

[Alex Macheras]

If used neat, SAF has the potential to reduce lifecycle emissions by up to 80 %.

Now, just to be clear, SAF still works like a conventional fuel in that it combusts inside an engine, hence producing emissions.

[Video Footage]

The frame transitions to two men in lab coats talking in front of a computer, before trailing a man who turns a knob in a laboratory.

[Alex Macheras]

The reason it's sustainable is because it produces and emits less CO2, over its life cycle.

[Video Footage]

The footage goes to a wide shot of a brown building, and then to Alex Macheras sitting at a desk. It goes to a side by side shot of Alex Macheras and Dr Tim Baart.

[Alex Macheras]

There are many different ways to produce this alternative fuel and my research takes me virtually to Amsterdam.

Dr. Tim Baart, it’s a pleasure. Really great to see you.

[Video Footage & Graphics]
Dr. Tim Baart wearing a lab coat and safety goggles takes up the screen. Text reads, “Dr Tim Baart, Researcher GTL-XTL Shell”

[Dr Tim Baart]

Yeah. Thank you. It's my pleasure to talk about this fascinating topic.

[Video Footage]

Alex Macheras is seated in front of the camera and talking directly before the footage transitions to footage of Dr Tim Baart working in a lab. It transitions to a close up of a clear liquid in a bottle.

[Alex Macheras]

This is Dr. Tim Baart. He works at Shell's facility in Amsterdam that is developing synthetic kerosene or Synkero, which is a form of sustainable aviation fuel.

Exactly how Synkero is produced?

[Video Footage]
Dr. Tim Baart talks to the camera with his lab in the background. It transitions to a scene outdoors with a water electrolyzer machine.

[Dr Tim Baart]

The first thing you have to do is to make green hydrogen and this is done by feeding water to a machine that we call a water electrolyzer and this water electrolyzer is driven by renewable electricity.

[Video Footage & Graphics]

Video transitions to panels with text that read, “Renewable Electricity”, before a scene of Dr Tim Baart explaining the process and it cuts to footage of a chemical reactor.

[Dr Tim Baart]

This hydrogen is an important ingredient for the final synthetic Kerosene. Because we use it to combine it with CO2 inside a chemical reactor to form a product that looks a lot like candle wax.

[Video Footage]

Dr Tim Baart holds up a large chunk of white candle wax looking substance. Text read, “Fischer-Tropsch Wax”. It cuts to an overhead footage of two men working in a lab, before a close up shot. A wide shot of the inside of a building is seen next, before transitioning back to Dr Tim Baart in a lab.

[Dr Tim Baart]

Well as you can imagine yeah this is not something we can put directly into an airplane. So there is a last step that has to be done to cut the molecules inside this wax at the desired length to be suitable for aviation fuel. And this step is actually done in the facility that is standing behind me and out comes aviation fuel and this is what it looks like.

[Video Footage]

Dr Tim Baart holds up a bottle of clear liquid, synthetic kerosene. Text reads, “CO2, Water, Renewable Water”

[Dr Tim Baart]

So this is synthetic kerosene was made from just CO2 water and renewable power. And you can actually use it to fly.

[Video Footage]

Alex Macheras sits at a desk and talks to his computer. It transitions to a side by side frame of Dr Tim Baart and Alex Macheras.

[Alex Macheras]

And Dr. Tim, I guess that’s the exciting and crucial part, which is that the SAF that you have in your hands right now is a drop-in solution. So we don't need to modify aircraft or jet engines or even airport infrastructure.

[Video Footage & Graphics]

Video of Dr Tim Baart in his laboratory with text that read, “Re-certified = Jet Fuel Compliant”. It goes to a close up of Alex Macheras with text that read, “Maximum permitted Synthetic Kerosene 50%”.

[Dr Tim Baart]

Yeah. So once it's uh your batch is certified a synthetic kerosene, you are allowed to blend it up to 50 percent with the regular kerosene. And you can then yeah as of then it's actually business as usual as if it's regular jet A1.

[Video Footage]
It transitions back to a side by side frame of Dr Tim Baart and Alex Macheras.

[Alex Macheras]

With all that in mind, what is the challenge?

[Video Footage]
Dr. Tim Baart talks to the camera with his lab in the background. It transitions to a scene of a man in a lab looking at computer screens. It cuts to men working outside at a facility, before going back to Dr. Tim Baart in the lab.

[Dr Tim Baart]

A few years ago, we as researchers were already sort of fascinated by the idea that we could start making synthetic kerosene and using just renewable sources. And then in March 2020 the Dutch government asked us if we were up to the challenge to actually make 500 litres of the sustainable synthetic kerosene and that challenge was really to make it work and produce the batch of 500 litres.

[Video Footage]

The video transitions to aircrafts on an airport runway, with multiple KLM aircrafts. It cuts to a KLM aircraft taking off.
[Alex Macheras]

We saw pictures and video footage of that KLM test flight. Actually, it was something that I covered personally on broadcast on TV and also online.

And this was really an example where you guys were able to rise to that challenge, knowing what was technically possible and implementing it to the real world.

[Video Footage]

Dr. Tim Baart talks to the camera with his lab in the background. It transitions to footage in an airport, and multiple KLM aircrafts parked in an airport, before one of an aircraft taking off.

[Video Footage]
It transitions back to a side by side frame of Dr Tim Baart and Alex Macheras.

[Dr Tim Baart]

Yeah, absolutely. And that is also why we were so happy that we actually use it to partially fuel a commercial KLM aircraft that flew earlier this year from Amsterdam to Madrid successfully to really demonstrate that it's uh that it can be done.

[Video Footage]
The video cuts to Alex Macheras at his desk, talking to his laptop.

[Alex Macheras]

So the transition, for example, from conventional to using a blend with stainable aviation fuel, like the Synkero that you're producing right there in Amsterdam, would you say this is one of the specific challenges that we've got to try to overcome today in order to meet that bigger challenge of decarbonizing aviation?

[Video Footage]

The video cuts to a side by side frame of Dr Tim Baart and Alex Macheras, before transitioning back to Dr Tim Baart in his lab.

[Dr Tim Baart]

We have now shown is that it's technically possible today at this scale. But we are very much aware that the big challenges into turning something that is commercially viable at large scale. And from a technical side that requires innovation to bring down the costs.

[Video Footage & Graphics]

Alex Macheras looks and talks to the camera directly. It cuts to an aircraft moving in an airport tarmac. Then, it transitions to a timelapse of a sky bridge being disconnected from an aircraft and a man standing on the tarmac; the aircraft pulls away and we see a shot of an airplane flying in the sky from the ground. Text reads, “300 million tonnes. Annual fuel usage by commercial airlines. Use of SAF >0.1%. Source: IATA”.

[Alex Macheras]

Although the use of SAF presents us with the clearest pathway to fly more sustainably carbon neutral flying, it still only accounts for less than 0.1% of the 300 million tons of fuel used annually by commercial airlines. It's also somewhere between two to eight times more expensive than traditional jet fuel.

[Graphics]

Text read, “SAF is 8x more expensive than traditional jet fuel. Sustainable Aviation fuel = traditional jet fuel.”

[Video Footage]

Alex Macheras looks and talks to the camera directly.

The key challenge that we're faced with is economic in that airlines and airports will struggle to purchase SAF at today's prices. And if they were to purchase at today's prices, it could lead to an increase in operating cost by up to 200%.

[Video Footage]

Dr Tim Baart looks and talks to the camera directly in his lab. It transitions to Alex looking directly at the camera, nodding, and back to Dr Tim Baart.

[Dr Tim Baart]

Hopefully as a consequence of the upscaling the costs go down and it becomes more and more normal to start using sustainable routes of flying. The input of the government at the start is typically crucial to give this a good head start.

[Video Footage and Graphics]

Video footage of an aerial view of an industrial island. Text reads, “Shell Energy and Chemicals Park, Singapore”. It cuts to men in red overalls pointing to structures in the park, before Jan Toschka is in frame. Texts reads, “Jan Toschka, president of Shell Aviation”

[Alex Macheras]

Jan Toschka, president of Shell Aviation explains why partnering within the industry is crucial to scale the production of SAF.

[Jan Toschka]

You can imagine that investing in supply infrastructure would require some predictability of the demand. And likewise, from a customer’s point of view, the demand... creating the demand, or say, looking out and buying stuff, you would need to have better costs, better availability, now, that you would not get without sufficient supply. You wouldn’t have economy of scale unless you ramp up the supply.

[Video Footage]

Footage of multiple countries flags can be seen, before transitioning to a timelapse of a wide view of an airport at night.

[Jan Toschka]

In order to achieve that, in order to break through this chicken-egg or catch-22 situation, it requires harmonised, global policy framework, so this gives a level playing field for everyone involved in the industry.

[Video Footage]

It cuts to footage of two aircrafts on a tarmac going forward. It then cuts to a shot of a plane flying in the sky.

[Alex Macheras]

Now what Jan is describing is a whole other issue and it can’t be addressed immediately. If we were to go through it, it’s going to take another hour.

[Video Footage]

The video transitions to a man and a woman sitting at the opposite ends of a table. The man is signing a document and the woman smiles. The woman, then, signs the same document. They hold up the document. Text on the screen reads, “Rolls-Royce and Shell Collaboration Announcement. June 30, 2021.”

It cuts to a timelapse of a busy airport, then a view of an aircraft slowly moving on a tarmac.

[Alex Macheras]

My personal take away is this. We need to enhance that collaboration into action. We always used economies of scale in order to have that demand to drive costs down and that's why air travel is becoming much more affordable globally.

[Video Footage]

The footage cuts to a man in a lab coat working in a facility, and it zooms out to men working outdoors and interacting with each other. It transitions to a pilot pressing overhead controls in a cockpit, and pushing a lever. An aircraft is seen far away in the sky.

[Alex Macheras]

We need to follow this same model now with ramping up production of SAF in order to help us meet those climate change goals because this will shape the next era of international air travel.

[Video Footage]

Alex Macheras faces and talks directly to the camera whilst seated at a desk. It cuts back to the Rolls-Royce and an aircraft fan and engine being built. The video then goes to a man gesturing to a model of the engine and talking to several people.

[Alex Macheras]

In this episode, we looked at how the engines of the future are going to get us from point A to point B more efficiently and how these engines will be powered by sustainable aviation fuel.

[Video Footage & Graphics]

The video transitions to Dr Tim Baart walking down a hallway, putting on his safety goggles before working in front of a computer. It cuts to a view of an airport across from a body of water. A KLM aircraft takes off and the camera follows its path into the sky. Text reads, “Airlines, Airports, Governments, Businesses, Passengers.”

[Alex Macheras]

What Dr. Tim highlighted about being a harmonized industry is that for us to enable these impacts at scale, all parties, such as airlines, airports, governments, businesses, and passengers have a part to play in collaboration.

[Video Footage]

Alex Macheras looks to the airport in the distance.

[Alex Macheras]

We need to work together. Join me in the next episode to come when I explore more ways at how we can achieve net zero flying.