EAST HARTFORD, Conn.: Pratt & Whitney has completed more than 100 hours of testing on its full-scale PurePower engine core, successfully validating performance goals of its new generation of commercial jet engines and demonstrating excellent starting and operability characteristics. The PurePower family of engines is designed to power the next generation of passenger aircraft, including narrow-body jets, regional aircraft and large business jets. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. company.
The results of the PurePower core testing further confirm that the first PW1000G engine to test is on target for later this summer for the Bombardier CSeries single-aisle aircraft, followed by the first engine to test for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet. The results also validate the performance of the PurePower PW800 engine for the next generation of large business jets.
“We are extremely pleased with the core test results indicating that the overall engine performance is well aligned with expectations,” said Paul Adams, Pratt & Whitney senior vice president, Engineering. “These results position us to execute the development of our Next Generation Product Family flawlessly.”
The PurePower family of engines shares a common, advanced core across the models and feature flight proven, next-generation technology. The engine core consists of an ultra-efficient high-pressure compressor, a low-emissions combustor, and an all-new high-pressure turbine. The testing program is evaluating engine performance, operability and structural design characteristics of these key modules.
“The PurePower core, when combined with our lightweight, low-speed propulsor technologies, enables Pratt & Whitney to deliver world class levels of fuel burn, noise, and emissions at lower turbine temperatures and pressures with fewer compressor and turbine stages,” said Bob Saia, Pratt & Whitney vice president, Next Generation Product Family. “These characteristics ultimately result in significant operating cost advantages to our customers.”
The PurePower PW1000G engine features an advanced gear system that allows the engine’s fan to operate at a slower speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine. The combination of the gear system and all-new advanced core delivers double-digit improvements in fuel efficiency and emissions with a 50-percent reduction in noise over today’s engines.
The PurePower PW800 engine, which is targeted to power the next generation of large business jets, is a 10,000- to 20,000-pound thrust turbofan that has double-digit improvements in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs. The PW800 incorporates an advanced technology fan, optimized for performance and noise; a next generation low-emissions combustor and an advanced digital engine control with integrated health monitoring.
In addition to the core testing, Pratt & Whitney has performed critical module-level testing for the PurePower engine program, including: fan drive gear system testing with simulations of more than 40,000 takeoffs and landings; hundreds of hours of testing on the high-pressure compressor with the advanced design meeting or exceeding efficiency and operability goals; nearly 200 hours of testing on the low-pressure compressor verifying low-spool high-speed performance; and extensive fan module testing with 300 pieces of instrumentation that verified performance, operability and acoustics of the low speed fan.
The PurePower PW1000G engine has been selected as exclusive power for the Bombardier CSeries aircraft scheduled to enter service in 2013 and the Mitsubishi Regional Jet scheduled to enter service in 2014. The PW1000G was also recently selected to power the proposed new Irkut MC-21 narrow-body jet scheduled to enter service in 2016. The PurePower PW800 engine is targeted to power the next generation of large business jets.
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.
