The Geared Turbofan Now Has A Name

Pratt & Whitney announced the launch of its PurePower engines -- a new family of next-generation commercial and business jet engines designed to offer double-digit improvements in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs. The announcement was made with Pratt & Whitney partners and customers during an unveiling event at the Farnborough International Air Show outside of London, England.

The first products to enter service will be the PurePower PW1000G engine -- formerly referred to as the Geared Turbofan engine -- and the PurePower PW800 engine.

"Airlines and business aircraft customers want pure engine solutions that deliver economic and environmental benefits without compromises," said Pratt & Whitney President Steve Finger. "Pratt & Whitney PurePower engines employ game-changing technologies to deliver step-change improvements in environmental performance and operating costs. Pratt & Whitney is the only engine company bringing brand new technologies to the market at a time when airline customers and operators need a comprehensive solution the most."

Pratt & Whitney says the PurePower engine family represents a step-change from the company's legacy engines, both in engine performance and in naming convention. With the first PurePower engines entering service in 2013, a new standard will be set for all future engines to build upon. PurePower engines are new centerline engines that deliver comprehensive environmental performance including double-digit improvements in fuel burn, environmental emissions and engine noise, while bringing value to airlines and operators with a double- digit reduction in operating costs. PurePower engines will also be capable of operating on alternative fuels.

The PurePower PW1000G engine is the exclusive power for the new Mitsubishi Regional Jet and the Bombardier CSeries, which as ANN reported was formally launched Sunday with a 60-plane Letter of Intent from Lufthansa. Both aircraft are scheduled to enter service in 2013. The PW1000G engine uses a state-of-the-art gear system to allow the engine's fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and a slower fan speed for reduced noise.

A full-scale PW1000G demonstrator engine recently completed a 250-hour ground test program and has begun flight-testing on Pratt & Whitney's Boeing 747 flight test bed. The engine will perform additional flight-testing on an Airbus-owned A340 later this year.

The PurePower PW810C engine was selected by Cessna to power the Citation Columbus business jet, which is scheduled to enter service in 2014. The engine incorporates advanced fan, compressor, turbine and low-emissions TALON combustion systems for reduced fuel consumption, future thrust-growth capability and improved environmental performance.

Detailed design work as well as advanced production preparations are underway. Pratt & Whitney Canada engineers are now entering into the detail design of various components with collaboration from suppliers and other partners.

FMI: www.pw.utc.com