Press Release
Geared turbofan – Pratt & Whitney and MTU are building the engine of the future
 Reductions in fuel burn and CO2 emission, with more savings down the road
 MTU contributes the award-winning high-speed low-pressure turbine
 Airbus offers geared turbofan as an engine option for the A320neo
Berlin, May 20, 2014 – Aircraft engines of the future will have to be quieter, more
fuel-efficient and cleaner than the engines in service today. Pratt & Whitney and MTU
Aero Engines are collaborating on the PurePower® PW1000G geared turbofan (GTF)
engine to develop a game-changing propulsion concept and are planning to build a
complete family of engines based on this concept. The new technology holds the
promise of reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 15 percent each, and of
cutting present perceived noise levels in half compared with today’s engines. And it is
expected that even more savings – of up to 40 percent – can be achieved in the future.
The concept is catching on with airframers: Airbus is offering the geared turbofan engine for its re-engined A320neo. This could be the application for which the largest
quantity of geared turbofans will be required; for the European aircraft manufacturer
estimates that the market will need some 4,000 of this type of aircraft, and hence
about 8,000 engines. Bombardier has selected the GTF as the exclusive engine to
power its new CSeries; Mitsubishi will equip its MRJ with this new type of propulsion
system; Irkut has chosen it for its MS-21, and Embraer has picked the GTF engine
for the upgraded versions of its E-170 and E-190 family of aircraft. To date, over 50
airlines worldwide have ordered more than 5,300 geared turbofan engines.
New engine architecture
What sets the new GTF propulsion system apart is that it features a reduction gearbox
between the fan and low-pressure turbine. With today's engines, the two are
seated on a common shaft, and the turbine drives the fan. The gearbox allows the
fan with its large diameter to rotate more slowly and the turbine to rotate much faster.
This lets the individual components achieve their respective optimum speed, greatly
boosting the geared turbofan's efficiency. The result is a significant reduction in fuel
consumption, emissions of carbon dioxide and noise; moreover, the propulsion system is much lighter than a conventional engine as it has fewer compressor and turbine stages, and hence a lower parts count.
MTU contributes the high-speed low-pressure turbine to the GTF, one of its key components. Germany's leading engine manufacturer is the sole manufacturer in the
world capable of offering this technology. Last year the Munich-based company was
honored with two German innovation awards for this outstanding technological
achievement. Moreover, Pratt & Whitney and MTU have collaborated to design a new
high-pressure compressor. MTU is responsible for the forward four stages and Pratt
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& Whitney for stages five to eight. The innovative compressor is a 100-percent blisk
construction. Blisks (blade integrated disks) are a high-tech rotor design in which the
disk and blades are produced as a single piece, eliminating the need for blade roots
and disk slots. This lowers weight. MTU's total program workshare in the GTF is up
to 18 percent.
Claire
Under its Clean Air Engine technology initiative, or Claire for short, the company
combines key technologies to build an advanced commercial engine that will burn 40
percent less fuel, emit 40 percent less carbon dioxide and cut the perceived noise
level by 65 percent by the year 2050. Plans are to achieve the CO2 and noise targets
defined by ACARE in its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) in three
stages.
15 percent, 25 percent, 40 percent less carbon dioxide – these are the staged goals
of Claire. In the first stage, the GTF engine alone already provides a reduction in fuel
consumption and, hence, carbon dioxide emissions by up to 15 percent and appreciably cuts noise levels by 50 percent. Concept studies conducted as part of the second stage of Claire indicate that the geared turbofan configuration lends itself as a
platform for further development and improvement. For example, it is quite conceivable that the bypass ratio can be further increased by the year 2030. Moreover, the
thermal efficiency of the core engine can be enhanced by higher pressure ratios and
temperatures, the objective being to improve fuel burn and CO 2 emissions by 25 percent. The third and last stage of Claire is aimed at further optimizing the propulsion
efficiency. In addition, plans are to use a highly efficient heat engine for enhanced
power generation, possibly based on recuperative technologies. All these developments are hoped to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent and cut noise levels by fully
65 percent by the year 2050.
Technology development
The work to develop the new technology is undertaken as part of various technology
programs with funding from national or European sources, among them the German
government’s aeronautics research program (LuFo) and, on a European scale, the
Clean Sky, ENOVAL, LEMCOTEC and E-BREAK programs. MTU has major shares
in all of these programs.
As part of the LuFo aeronautics research program, the German government provides
funds to companies in the aviation industry to ensure their international competitiveness and to develop new technology for a sustainable air transport system of the future. MTU is one of the leading industrial partners in the program. The company cooperates closely with universities and research institutes, focusing on the development of new high-pressure compressor and low-pressure turbine technologies to further improve efficiencies. The development of the successful GTF technologies is
owed to no small extent also to the funding granted under this national program. Part
of the program, moreover, is devoted to optimizing blisk manufacturing techniques.
Clean Sky is the largest aviation technology research initiative in the history of the
European Union. As part of the initiative, the leading European engine manufacturers
are building five different engine demonstrators, and MTU is responsible for one of
them. The engine is based on geared turbofan technology. Another focus of MTU's
activities will be on the high-speed low-pressure turbine for the next generation of
GTF engines. The aim is to demonstrate the maturity of the technologies for new,
lower-weight constructions and materials when subjected to further increased mechanical and thermal loads, and to validate advanced aerodynamic blading designs.
These technologies serve to make future GTF engines even more efficient and lighter
in weight. The successor project Clean Sky 2 will build on the results achieved so far.
MTU plans to take a major role also in the new program, hoping to be again entrusted with the design of an engine demonstrator.
The European technology program ENOVAL (Engine module Validators) is developing new low-pressure spool technologies for medium-sized, large and very large turbofans, geared and non-geared. MTU is focusing on the integration and optimization
of the expansion system, which consists of the inter-turbine case, low-pressure turbine and turbine exit case.
Under the LEMCOTEC (Low Emissions Core-Engine Technologies) project, partners
are exploring options to increase the overall pressure ratio (OPR) to further enhance
the thermal efficiency of future engines. MTU is responsible for two work packages
involving the design, construction and testing of a new high-pressure compressor
with an unprecedented pressure ratio, which will feature lighter high-temperature materials and an advanced secondary air system.
The EU’s E-BREAK (Engine Breakthrough Components and Subsystems) technology program is aimed at further reducing the fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions of
future propulsion systems and to extend their service lives by improving components
and engine systems, such as sealing, material and condition monitoring technologies.
MTU is involved in several sub-projects and investigates new abradable systems,
simulation methods, the light-weight material titanium aluminide as well engine monitoring systems.
About MTU Aero Engines
MTU Aero Engines is Germany's leading engine manufacturer and has been a key player in the
global engine industry for 80 years. It engages in the development, manufacture, marketing and
support of commercial and military aircraft engine modules and industrial gas turbines. The company
is a technological leader in low-pressure turbines, high-pressure compressors, manufacturing processes and repair techniques. Figuring significantly among MTU's core competencies are the
maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of commercial engines and the service support it provides
for industrial gas turbines. These activities are combined under the roof of MTU Maintenance, which
is one of the world’s largest providers of commercial engine MRO services. MTU operates affiliates
around the globe; Munich is home to its corporate headquarters. In fiscal 2013, the company had a
workforce of some 8,700 employees and posted consolidated sales of some 3.7 billion euros.
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