Pratt & Whitney Canada will demonstrate hydrogen combustion technology on a PW127XT regional turboprop engine as part of a project supported by Canada’s Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT). The project, named Hydrogen Advanced Design Engine Study (HyADES), will be in collaboration with Next Hydrogen Solutions Inc., which will develop high-efficiency, low-cost electrolyzers needed for establishing hydrogen production infrastructure. Pratt & Whitney is an RTX business.
Funding for the first phase of the project will include fuel nozzle and combustor rig testing using hydrogen fuel, while future phases will target full engine ground testing. The PW127XT engine is the most advanced member of Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW100 engine series, which has powered regional turboprop aircraft for forty years and accumulated more than 220 million flight hours. Launched in 2021, the PW127XT engine offers over 3% better fuel efficiency, 40% improved time on wing, and 20% reduced maintenance costs.
As part of a second INSAT-supported project, Turbine Engine Advanced Materials for Efficiency (TEAME), Pratt & Whitney Canada will work with Derivation Research Laboratory (DRL) to explore advanced materials for hot section components of gas turbine engines, which will help to improve thermal efficiency and reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Pratt & Whitney Canada will lead the overall project providing both technical input and project management, while DRL will provide world-class materials testing capability for a wide variety of critical material properties.