LEAP OF PURE POWER

The looming threat of CFM International LEAP-ING ahead seems to have persuaded the two partners, Rolls-royce and Pratt & Whitney, to bury their differences and cooperate more closely. They have set their sights on the next-generation of 120- to 230-seat a

AJET ENGINE IS

one of the most complex and amazing inventions ever, a marvel of human ingenuity. Its components, numbered by the thousands, must be machined to precise specifications using the lightest and toughest materials available and packed into the smallest possible space. For decades, technologists have toiled tirelessly to coax engines towards higher levels of power and efficiency and their mission will never be over. The surging price of oil is chiefly to blame; it has burned a big hole in the airline industry’s pocket and ruined most of its operating cost assumptions. The airlines are constrained to raise ticket prices but fear that this would make economy-class passengers desert them in droves. Consequently, many carriers worldwide have shut shop while scores have been driven to the brink.

Pressure is also mounting on the industry to do its bit in the fight against climate change through perceptible improvement in fuel burn and slashing CO emissions. The main emphasis is on replacements of today’s narrow-body planes that constitute the vast majority of the global commercial fleet. They must fly cleaner and quieter than ever before. However, this would require huge investments and a quantum leap in technology across the board. Once again, jet designers are being pressed to make their engines more fuel-efficient. But is the radical improvement demanded in commercial jet engine performance likely or even possible?

CFM LEAPS AHEAD.

CFM International, the global leader in jet engines by a long shot, thinks it is. The 50-50 joint venture between General Electric and Snecma delivers three out of every five engines that power narrow-body jet airliners. It is most closely associated with the iconic CFM56 family of power-plants fitted on a number of Airbus and Boeing variants. The CFM56, of which 29,000 engines have been ordered and 23,500 have already been delivered, is amongst the quietest and lowest-emissions engines flying. It is also claimed to have the lowest cost of ownership in the narrow-body market and a departure rating of over 99 per cent. Its successor, the eagerly awaited leading edge aviation propulsion (LEAP-X) turbofan, is bound to be just as exciting. The LEAP-X is a conventional design that uses technology developed for engines like the GE90 and GEnx. It employs sophisticated composite materials, next-generation 3D aerodynamics and low-emission combustion techniques in the engine’s hot-section (core) to cut fuel consumption. Its large fan will have just 18 blades, as against 36 on the CFM56-5C and 24 on the CFM56-7B engine. The reduced number of blades means a lighter fan containment structure, the weight saving on account of which is estimated to be 455 kg per twinjet. CFM has already completed full-scale aerodynamic, acoustic, bird strike and other tests on the fan.

Airframe manufacturers are queuing up to cash in on the LEAP-X programme, having been assured that the revolutionary