Broadway

Complete News World

Giant UltraFan engine on the test stand

Giant UltraFan engine on the test stand

The UltraFan has been moved from the Derby assembly shop to the new wide-ranging Testbed 80, which is also at the British engine manufacturer’s headquarters. An engine with a propeller diameter of 3.40 m was installed for the long-awaited ground tests. Rolls-Royce announced this on Monday.

The first test with UltraFan’s only UF001 engine so far is scheduled for early 2023, a few weeks later than planned for the summer. in a CONVERSATION WITH FLUG REVUE AT ILA In Berlin in June, Alan Newby, director of aeronautical technology and future programs at Rolls-Royce, still assumed that tests would begin at the end of 2022. But he also said: “Obviously we are under pressure to start testing soon, but for us it is important to do so.” The correct format”. According to Rolls-Royce, 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will be used in the first ground run.

What’s next for UltraFan?

Rolls-Royce has been working on the UltraFan since 2014, originally as the successor to the Trent family of large engines. One of the UltraFan’s key technologies is a reduction gear between the medium-pressure turbine and the propeller, similar to the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbine family. However, the UltraFan is in a much higher performance class of 445 kN. The transmission was developed and tested at Rolls-Royce Germany in Dahlewitz.

The UltraFan is said to consume 25 percent less fuel than the Trent 700 (Airbus A330). In addition, they must emit 40 percent less nitrogen oxides, be 35 percent quieter, produce at least 50 percent fewer non-volatile fine dust particles at airports and produce almost no fine dust particles when sailing with fuel. Present.

Rolls-Royce UltraFan will be on hold once ground testing is completed in 2023. Because as yet there is no matching aircraft programme. According to the British engine manufacturer, the geared turbine could be trimmed down to around 110 to 130 kt. This would also make it conceivable for narrow bodies such as the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 MAX. But here, too, there is a lack of new aircraft programs.