LEADING THE WAY

BY SUKHCHAIN SINGH

THERE ARE MORE THAN 13,000 large commercial engines installed by Pratt & Whitney on hundreds of airlines and operators. Starting with the wide-body aircraft fitted with the JT9D and the narrow-body aircraft fitted with the JT8D, the lower fuel consumption with the PW2000 and V2500, Pratt & Whitney introduced the aviation world to ultra-efficient aviation with the geared fan. These aero engines have logged more than a billion of flight hours.

The Pratt & Whitney GTF engine is the only modern geared propulsion system in commercial service today with more than 18 million recorded flight hours leading the way for more sustainable technologies. The P&W GTF engine success story is the introduc-

Pratt & Whitney’s large commercial engines are revolutionising commercial aviation with ultraefficient Geared Fan Technology and sustainable solutions tion of a gearbox between the forward fan and the rear turbine blades enabling them to operate at different RPMs. The fans at the front operate at low speeds but magnifies the torque by three times for the turbine to spin on. The differential RPM between the fan and the turbine enables a higher air bypass ratio of the cool air entering the engine to enhance its efficiency considerably. The technologies incorporated are from advanced materials to hybridelectric systems to sustainable aviation fuels which will be the foundation for more sustainable propulsion in the decades ahead.

The geared fan are a generation ahead and a boon for A320neo family attesting their performance to 20 per cent fuel and CO2 savings possible per trip, 75 per cent smaller noise footprint,100 per cent certified for operation on 50 per cent SAF. These are now successfully flying on 1,400 aircraft with 60 plus operators. As reported more than 10,000 engines have been ordered by over 90 customers. The GTF engines power the single-aisle aircraft, Airbus A320neo family with 3x3 seating typically up to 220 passengers. It is claimed that the A320neo family saves 16 per cent per trip vs. prior-generation aircraft. On the Airbus A220 with 3x2 seating typically up to 150 passengers, the A220 family saves up to 25 per cent per seat vs. prior-generation aircraft. Similarly, Embraer E-jets E2 with 2x2 seating typically up to 120 passengers, the E2 family saves up to 25 per cent per seat vs. prior-generation aircraft.

FAMILY OF GEARED TURBOFAN ENGINES. The Pratt & Whitney PW1000G, generally referred as GTF (geared turbofan), is a high-bypass geared turbofan engine family. Ranging from 14,000 to 34,000 pounds of thrust, the GTF powers several new aircraft platforms.

PW1100G-JM is powering the Airbus A320neo since 2016 and the A321neo since 2017. It has 81-inch fan diameter with 12:1 bypass ratio and 24K-34K pounds of thrust. PW1500G Engine powered the Airbus A220 since 2016. It has 73-inch fan diameter with 12:1 bypass ratio and 19K-25K pounds of thrust. PW1700G & PW1900G Engine power the Embraer E-Jets E2 while PW1900G powers the Embraer E190-E2 since 2018 and the E195-E2 since 2019. It has 73-inch fan diameter with 12:1 bypass ratio and 19K23K pounds of thrust.

OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE. Engines are long-term financial and operational commitments, and a large global team of professionals are required to support them. The Pratt & Whitney EngineWise solutions, supports the GTF fleet through a comprehensive suite of tailorable maintenance programmes and data services, as well as overhaul and repair facilities, technical training and support teams around the world. On the EngineWise Connect portal customers can see the latest in their aero engines’ health.

The GTF MRO network includes ten active shops around the world, likely to be expanded. GTF operators are supported by more than 120 field representatives around the globe including a 24-hour Global Operations Centre. The Customer Training Centres are located strategically in the United States, India and China, also offering remote training options. Pratt & Whitney has other significant investments in India, including its state-of-theart India Customer Training Centre in Hyderabad and its R&D collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. It plans to fully integrate the India Engineering Centre (IEC), Bengaluru with the company’s existing global engineering footprint across Canada, Puerto Rico and Poland.

The EngineWise solutions collaboratively shares technical expertise, fleet data and business intelligence with the customers in keeping the engines operational. This is possible through data analytics, engine OEM expertise and operators’ fleet experience to build open database which results in improved performance, reliability and health of customers’ engines. State-of-the-art data analytics and real-time intelligence helps to predict and prevent operational disruptions. These portfolios provides flexible and customizable packages to meet the evolving needs of customers, which change over the course of an engine lifecycle. These are grouped as EngineWise Maintenance, EngineWise Materials and EngineWise Intelligence.

SUPPLY CHAIN. “We expect industry-wide supply chain pressures to ease later this year, which will support increased output of new and overhauled engines,” a company spokesperson has said. “In the interim, we are providing direct logistical support to our suppliers as well as developing solutions to improve engine durability in hot and harsh operating environments.” Pratt & Whitney has indicated that its needs to consider adding another maintenance facility in addition to the existing three in Asia in Singapore, China and Japan. It would help in cutting down the time and cost for transportation of engines to the company’s MRO facilities.Ultimately, the GTF engine is the most fuel efficient, sustainable engine for narrow-body aircraft and continues to see strong demand.

THE PATH FORWARD. Pratt & Whitney has been selected by NASA to develop advanced engine technologies. The Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project is part of NASA’s Sustainable Flight National Partnership, which will enable breakthrough innovations in support of the aviation industry’s goal to significantly reduce CO2 emissions by 2050. The project includes developing and testing the fuel and air mixers for optimal efficiency and then measuring the emissions and noise emitted using Jet A fuel and high blends of SAF. In the second phase of the HyTEC project, Pratt & Whitney plans to demonstrate a technology-infused core comprised of a high-pressure compressor, highpressure turbine, and combustor leveraging successes from the first generation GTF core. This phase is planned for 2024 through 2027 and will provide critical learning and increased maturation of the core prior to the next programme launch. Pratt & Whitney and NASA collaboration has already led to several key advances in sustainable propulsion technologies in recent decades, including low-pressure-ratio fans, low-emissions combustors and highperformance hot section. SP