Trend 900 that power Airbus A380© Rolls Royce The Rolls-Royce composite carbon/titanium (CTi) fan system for its next generation Advance...
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Trend 900 that power Airbus A380© Rolls Royce |
The Rolls-Royce composite carbon/titanium (CTi) fan system for its next generation Advance and UltraFan™ turbofan engine designs has completed crosswind flight condition testing at its outdoor jet engine test facility at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
The CTi fan system includes carbon/titanium fan blades and a composite casing that reduce weight by up to 1,500lb per aircraft, enabling to carrying seven more passengers at no cost.
The fan system undertook crosswind testing on a Trent 1000 ALPS (Advanced Low Pressure System technology) engine, ahead of flight testing on the Rolls-Royce Boeing 747 flying test bed based in Tucson, Arizona.
The first engine Advance, will offer at least 20 per cent less fuel burn and CO2 emissions than the first generation Trent 700 engine and could be ready for entry into service from 2020. The Advance will have a bypass ratio in excess of 11:1, overall pressure ratio of more than 60:1.
Advance will be distinguished by a larger fan and longer high-pressure compressor.
The second and more ambitious follow-on engine is called UltraFan™, a geared design with a variable pitch fan system which could be ready for service from 2025, offering at least 25 per cent less fuel and CO2 emissions against the same baseline.
UltraFan drives a variable-pitch fan through a gear system, a 15:1 bypass ratio and overall pressure ratio of 70:1. UltraFan will also have a new fully integrated, slim-line nacelle design. The fan will be able to vary pitch in all phases of flight, including landing, hence it will not have a thrust reverser for braking.
The Rolls Royce's Stennis facility was opened in 2007, and expanded in 2013 to include a second test stand and is one of three Rolls-Royce test sites in the world. It conducts specialist development engine testing including noise, crosswind, thrust reverse, cyclic and endurance testing on all current Rolls-Royce large engine types and employs nearly 50 people.
