The program helps assure that high performance mid-thrust engines will be ready for new single-aisle commercial aircraft.
"Development of a whole new generation of single aisle, medium-range aircraft will depend to a large degree on the availability of extremely efficient new engines," said Paul Adams, senior vice president of engineering, Pratt & Whitney. "This program will help validate the technologies we and MTU believe are required. It also supports our effort to develop a mid-thrust geared turbofan engine."
Ground rig testing of the new compressor is set for the autumn of this year at MTU in Munich. The eight-stage, 17-to-1 pressure ratio module provides optimum system efficiency. It will have Integrally Bladed Rotors (IBRs) in which compressor blades are actually part of each compressor disk as opposed to attaching them one by one. The design increases strength and reduces weight.
"IBR technology, coupled with a new rotor design, materials and aerodynamic concepts, will make for a very lightweight and efficient compressor. This will be a great advantage on conventional turbofans or on the advanced geared turbofans Pratt & Whitney is developing," said Adams.
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. It has nearly 15,000 aircraft engines in service with hundreds of airlines around the world. Additionally, Pratt & Whitney is a leading partner in two joint venture companies to manufacture commercial aircraft engines; the International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500, which operates on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, and the Engine Alliance (EA) GP7200 engine, FAR 33 certified on the new Airbus A380.
United Technologies, headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, is a diversified global manufacturer serving the aerospace, building and fire/security industries.
MTU Aero Engines is Germany's leading engine manufacturer and the world's largest independent provider of commercial engine maintenance services.