Editing Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (section)

== Projects ==
Rolls Royce have a plethora of fascinating projects underway at the moment- we have selected a few to highlight the innovative and adaptive nature of the company. 

'''Space:'''
[[File:Screenshot 2023-08-05 at 23.27.53.png|thumb|This is an image of the nuclear power reactor Rolls Royce are testing and hoping to power future missions to Mars/the Moon. ]]
Rolls Royce is working on a two-stage-to-orbit system eg. gas turbines to power hypersonic planes that will take payloads to low Earth orbit, as well as nuclear thermal propulsion* solutions to power fast, efficient rockets for space travel. The gas turbines will take the aircraft into low Earth orbit by combining propulsion systems with a gas turbine and ramjet technologies*. 

They are also working on producing small reactors (micro reactors) which will use clean, nuclear energy to power the bases that will be set up on the moon. A regular rocket would require tonnes of fuel to reach the demands of Moon/Mars inhabitants however Rolls Royce’s nuclear reactors only use a few grams of uranium so the systems are lighter and can carry a higher payload whilst maintaining clean energy standards. The reactors will also have an extremely long product life-span as it relies on the natural decay of Uranium which takes decades. 

Rolls Royce is undertaking this project since the current goal for space exploration is to inhabit the Moon/ Mars by 2030. Rolls Royce are currently in their product development and testing phase with this project which are showing promising results. This project is funded by the UK Space Agency 

<nowiki>*</nowiki>  Nuclear propulsion: A force which provides propellant efficiency in rockets

<nowiki>*</nowiki> Ramjet technology: A type of air breathing jet engine which uses the engine’s forward motion to compress incoming air 

<ref>https://www.rolls-royce.com/innovation/space.aspx</ref>
'''Small Molecular Reactors (SMR):'''
[[File:Screenshot 2023-08-05 at 23.33.31.png|thumb|This is an image of the factory which will generate  470 MW of nuclear, low carbon, clean and sustainable energy to almost 1 million homes in the UK. ]]
In light of the Russia-Ukraine war the UK government has increased investments into the UK energy sector, especially clean energy with the aim of reducing energy dependency on other countries. Rolls Royce are attempting to distribute nuclear reactors which provide scalable, cost competitive and widely available nuclear energy. 

Rolls Royce SMR have produced a repeatable factory-built power station which has been tested for its usage of nuclear power. The factory’s reproducible status has allowed Rolls Royce to hopefully have the same factory design internationally in Estonia, Turkey and the Czech Republic. The project is predicted to generate £52 billion in economic benefit and 40,000 regional UK jobs by 2050. 

The SMR will generate roughly 470 MW of low carbon energy which is equivalent to more than 150 onshore wind turbines. It will provide consistent base load generation for at least 60 years, unlike wind turbines which have an average lifespan of ~ 20 years. The power station will be able to support both on-grid electricity and a range of off-grid clean energy solutions on top of providing clean energy for ~ 1 million homes.<ref>https://www.rolls-royce.com/innovation/small-modular-reactors.aspx#/</ref>
 


'''Hydrogen Engines:'''
[[File:Screenshot 2023-08-05 at 23.40.30.png|thumb|This is an image depicting the hydrogen fuel cells which will hopefully be used in air travel to reduce CO2 emissions, noise pollution and costs of aircraft construction. ]]
Rolls Royce is also releasing a brand new hydrogen engine programme. They will be carrying out a series of rig and engine tests which validate the efficiency of hydrogen engines for small-mid sized aircrafts. If this programme is successful the firm will move to phase II- the flight test phase. The programme began in 2022 with testing on the Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engine in the UK with a followup with the Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 jet engine with an indefinite date. This project was inspired by market research carried out at UK Aerospace Technology Institute’s Fly Zero team which emphasised the market value of hydrogen engines in aircraft.<ref>https://www.rolls-royce.com/innovation/net-zero/decarbonising-complex-critical-systems/hydrogen.aspx</ref>  

'''Urban Air Mobility:'''

Urban air mobility represents a revolutionary market which has not yet been commercialised but is in its growth stage. The market is predicted to be worth over one billion pounds by the mid 2020s (hopefully 2027). The products are air taxis and electric, plane like vehicles which can transport up to four people at a time.  The aim of these vehicles is to cover distances in a shorter amount of time, in a clear and more cost effective manner- the propulsion systems put in place by Rolls Royce will help meet these standards.  
[[File:Screenshot 2023-08-05 at 23.31.26.png|thumb|This is an image of what the urban air mobility vehicles will look like. ]]
The electric propulsion unit for urban air mobility will be the direct-drive, air cooled 320 kW electric motor. The Torque* to weight ratio of up to 28 Nm/kg because of the engines integrated design and thermal management. This makes the engine highly adaptive and reliable. The energy storage system has been designed for utmost safety- it is composed of a lithium-ion battery with 2-10 module modules with 60-300 kWh capacity and 520-860V nominal voltage. 

Although there is a lot of competition amongst large firms like Rolls Royce and also smaller start-ups, when Rolls Royce’s profound history in the aerospace industry is taken into consideration they are much more inclined to deliver more reliable, scalable and safe vehicles.

<ref>https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/our-stories/discover/2023/powering-urban-air-mobility.aspx</ref><nowiki>*</nowiki>Torque is the amount of force required to cause an object to rotate on the axis