Geared Turbofan Designed For The CSeries Aircraft
The first flight test program for the PW1524G engine for the
Bombardier CSeries aircraft has been completed after logging 25
flights with 115 flight hours.
Image Courtesy Pratt &
Whitney
"We are very pleased with this initial flight test program," Bob
Saia, vice president, Next Generation Product Family, said
announcing the milestone Thursday. "Results confirmed our earlier
sea level test findings validating the geared turbofan's overall
engine design. The engine operated flawlessly enabling us to
conduct double the number of flight hours we initially planned. Our
expanded test program enabled us to conduct additional flight
testing, which was planned for early 2012. This engine will return
to our sea level test facility in West Palm, Florida to continue
testing."
The PW1524G engine has been flight testing on Pratt &
Whitney's 747SP flying test bed at Pratt & Whitney Canada's
Mirabel Aerospace Centre, in Mirabel, Quebec (Canada) since June
20. Final production assembly and test will also occur at the
Mirabel facility for both the PW1524G and P&WC's advanced PW800
family of PurePower engines for the next generation of large
business jets.
In addition to more than 800 hours of full engine testing to
date, Pratt & Whitney has performed critical part level and
engine sub-system testing to validate designs for the PurePower
engine program, including hundreds of hours of core and rig
testing, design validation of the fan drive gear system, bird
ingestion and fan blade containment and compressor performance for
the advanced PW1000G core. Pratt & Whitney currently has five
PW1000G family engines in test and an additional five in the build
cycle.
The PW1500G engine test program will run a total of eight test
engines over the next 16 months with engine certification scheduled
for 2012 and entry into service in late 2013. The PurePower PW1000G
series engines use an advanced gear system allowing the engine's
fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure
compressor and turbine. The combination of the gear system and an
all-new advanced core deliver double-digit improvements in fuel
efficiency, environmental emissions and noise.
The PurePower family of engines shares common, advanced cores
across the PW1000G and PW800 models, and features flight proven,
next-generation technology. The engine core consists of an
ultra-efficient high-pressure compressor, a low-emissions
combustor, and state-of-the-art high-pressure turbine module.
The PW1500G engine test program also supports the development of
Pratt & Whitney Canada's PurePower PW800 engine for the next
generation of large business jets. The PW800 engine 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.