Rolls announces hydrogen offering

Rolls-Royce said its mtu Series 500 and 4000 gas engines will be capable of burning 100% hydrogen starting in 2023.

The company said that as of now gensets powered by mtu Series 500 and Series 4000 gas engines can be operated with a gas blending of 10% hydrogen and that beginning in 2022, operation with a hydrogen content of 25% will be possible.

“After intensive tests on test benches and pilot installations at customers in 2022, Rolls-Royce will continuously market new mtu Series 500 and Series 4000 gas engines beginning in 2023 for use with up to 100% hydrogen, and on a design to order basis conversion kits to allow already installed gas engines in the field to run on 100% hydrogen,” said Perry Kuiper, president Sustainable Power Solutions at Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

The mtu Series 500 offers a 250 - 550 kWe power range designed for utility, industrial, digester applications, wastewater treatment and other applications. The Series 4000 comes in  8, 12, 16 or 20 cylinder variations covering a power range from 800 to 2600 kW.

Power plants with hydrogen engines support energy transition

“The decarbonization of power generation requires reliable, flexible, but also climate-neutral, power plants to supplement the fluctuating generation from wind and sun. We assume that natural gas will initially be the primary fuel in the development of the hydrogen ecosystem, but we see hydrogen as technically and economically possible. That is why we continue to develop our gas engines for use with green hydrogen - whether as a 10 or 25% admixture or for 100%,” said Andreas Görtz, vice president Power Generation at Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

In addition, fuel cells powered by 100% green hydrogen can play an important role in future energy supply in combination with renewable energies, the company said. At its Friedrichshafen headquarters, Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems division has installed a 250-kW fuel cell demonstrator, which will be used to test and present future CO2-free energy systems to customers. The entire hydrogen ecosystem, including the infrastructure for supply, conversion, test benches and future production, is also being mapped in the company’s own plants, thus building up expertise.