Gearing up for Propulsive Efficiency

Aero-engine manufacturers are accelerating the development of next-generation powerplants for commercial aviation. A special report

Aero-engine manufacturers are working overtime on the development of next-generation commercial aircraft engines. These revolutionary powerplants are slated to enter service in the next decade and will be key to aviation's industry quest to attain net zero emissions from air transport by 2050.

The new generation aero engines which will emerge in the next decade are expected to deliver dramatic improvements in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions over current generation engines, which themselves are highly efficient. Today's engines which power single-aisle jetliners such as CFM International's (CFM) LEAP and Pratt & Whitney's GTF deliver improvements in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 40 per cent when compared to eighties-era commercial turbofan engines.

What is increasingly becoming clear, however, is that advanced engine architectures such as open fan, hybrid electric propulsion systems, and new compact engine core designs will be needed to deliver on the efficiency gains sought by engine manufacturers.

New Approach

CFM is aiming to have a potential next-generation commercial aircraft engine ready for service in the latter half of the next decade. CFM's Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) demonstrator engine programme got underway in June 2021, with GE Aviation and Safran, the JV partners in CFM International, now significantly accelerating developmental work. Throughout the RISE programme, the joint GE/Safran engineering team will undertake more than 300 separate component, module and full engine builds.