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Volvo Aero to Partner with Pratt & Whitney on Geared Turbofan Engine
14 July 2008
Volvo Aero has entered into an agreement with aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney to join P&W’s Geared Turbofan engine program (now referred to by P&W as the PW1000G engine). (Earlier post.) The Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine targets more than 12% reductions in fuel burn and CO2 emissions, a 50% reduction in engine noise and double-digit reductions in maintenance and operating costs.
The GTF uses an advanced fan drive gear system to the operate the engine’s fan at a speed different from that of the low-pressure compressor and turbine, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and a slower fan speed resulting in less noise.
The Geared Turbofan engine has already been selected as exclusive power for the 70-90 passenger Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) and the 100-149 seat class Bombardier CSeries mainline aircraft that was launched in connection with the Farnborough Air Show that opened on Monday. According to current schedules, both the MRJ and CSeries aircraft will enter revenue service in 2013. The Geared Turbofan engine recently completed a 250 hours ground test program and is scheduled to begin flight testing in mid-July.
Two years ago, Volvo Aero and Pratt & Whitney signed an agreement to demonstrate new technology for the new Geared Turbofan engine. Since then, Volvo Aero has worked to develop advanced light weight technologies for the new engine concept. Volvo Aero brings expertise in turbine exhaust case technology to development of the Geared Turbofan engine.
Under this arrangement, Volvo Aero will be responsible for three major components for both the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) and the Bombardier CSeries aircraft engines.
According to the agreement, Volvo Aero will participate as a partner in design, development, production and aftermarket in this engine project, with overall responsibility for the Intermediate Case and Turbine Exhaust Case as well as Low Pressure Turbine Shaft production responsibility.
Volvo Aero expects the agreement to result in sales of SEK 50 billion (US$8.4 billion) over 40 years, its largest involvement in a commercial engine program to date.
July 14, 2008 in Brief | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: HarveyD | July 15, 2008 at 08:08 AM
It will be interesting to see if P&W's lead to market on this technology (seems timed perfectly) will enable it to corner the 100-150 seat sector (like it did with the JTD9 and GE did with CFM56). Or whether open rotor engines (the GE UDF), which are further into the future, will make it a short lived technology.
Posted by: Sasparilla | July 17, 2008 at 09:37 AM
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