Raytheon Technologies Corp., East Hartford, Conn., said on July 19 that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for two research and development projects to test the use of hydrogen and ammonia as effective, zero-carbon options for electricity generation.
Raytheon will work with the University of Connecticut School of Engineering on the ammonia project to focus on the use of ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel for power-generating turbines. It noted that using ammonia presents several advantages, including a pre-existing production and transportation infrastructure that requires much less refrigeration in comparison to hydrogen, as well as the ability to easily store it as a liquid.
Under the hydrogen project, Raytheon will validate the capacity to operate the Mitsubishi Power Aero’s FT4000® gas turbine unit using hydrogen and hydrogen blends as fuel sources. The FT4000® is a land-based variant of Pratt & Whitney’s PW4000™ turbofan aircraft engine.
The hydrogen fuel test will complement other work occurring in another development project, the Hydrogen Steam Injected, Inter-Cooled Turbine Engine (HySIITE) project. HySIITE, also supported by the DOE, is a Pratt & Whitney-led effort to develop hydrogen-fueled propulsion technology applicable to single-aisle commercial aircraft.