What engines will power our airliners in 10 to 30 years? In part 2 we investigate what engine makers, universities and research agencies have in store.
As described in part 1 of this survey the Big 3 aero engine makers Pratt & Whitney, General Electric and Rolls-Royce all study updated or clean-sheet concepts in their quest for more (fuel) efficiency and lower emissions, like the GTF 2.0, LEAP 2.0 and UltraFan. These should be ready for service around 2025, but what technological step is there to follow? Away from day-to-day’s hectic all makers have been running research programs, but Europe has taken a leading role on this.
When Commissioner Philippe Busquin in 2000 urged the European aviation industry to come up with a vision on sustainable aviation in 2020 (followed by the launch of the Advisory Council of Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) at the Paris Air Show in 2001), it was the start of a raft of research and innovation programs under the Clean Sky Umbrella. In 2011 the European Commission defined clear targets in its Flightpath 2050 strategy: 75 percent reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) per passenger compared to 2000 levels, 90 percent less nitrogen oxide (NOx), reduction of 65 percent of perceived noise levels. Rolls-Royce’ UltraFan, which should be available in 2025, is a step in this direction with a targeted 25 percent reduction of CO2 emissions and fuel burn, a ‘significant’ reduction of NOx and unspecified noise reduction. Its bypass ratio of 15:1 is also a jump over P&W GTF’s 12:1 or the GE9X’ 11:1.
