Booth #711GE Aerospace Main Hub

Welcome to our Main Booth, or “Hub,” as we like to call it in the Technology Showcase. We are your information desk to learn all about the GE Aerospace company, our commitment to safer, more efficient air travel, and where you  can find our project booths around the Showcase.

The Road to RISE

GE Aerospace’s commitment to technology has allowed us to push the boundaries of efficiency in jet engine technology from generation to generation. The central innovation hub where we advance this groundbreaking work is GE Aerospace Research. Based in upstate New York, GE Aerospace Research is home to a multidisciplinary team of ~750 scientists and engineers across 30 labs and 50+ technical capabilities.

Our latest narrowbody engine, the *CFM LEAP engine, for example, delivers a 15-20% fuel efficiency improvement over the previous generation of narrowbody engines. These improvements were driven by the introduction of breakthrough technologies such as ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) and 3D printed fuel nozzles, which have help enabled us to take weight out of the engines and run them hotter to achieve higher levels of efficiency.

Today, we’re in the midst of our boldest technology demonstrator yet, the CFM Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) program. The RISE program aims to to develop and mature pioneering technologies that enable the next generation of commercial engine applications by the mid- 2030s to achieve a a revolutionary 20% step change in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions compared to engines today. 

The RISE program involves developing an Open Fan engine architecture where the engine is not encased. This would permit much higher bypass ratios of air that translates into much higher levels of fuel efficiency.  GE Aerospace has partnered with Oak Ridge National Lab and earned time on some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers to accelerate their learnings and understanding about an Open Fan design.

Another key technology pillar of RISE is the development of hybrid electric propulsion technologies. This is an endeavor where ARPA-E has been a vital partner. Much of our current programs with ARPA-E are focused on developing and scaling key fundamental building blocks of the hybrid electric system, including the powertrain, power generation system, and electrical cabling, to enable this at a commercial scale.   

Along with RISE, we have created Aerospace Carbon Solutions, a GE Aerospace business dedicated to accelerating growth within aviation by incubating and scaling a broad spectrum of outside-the-engine breakthrough technologies. Engineers and scientist from GE Aerospace’s Research Center evaluated hundreds of pathways and technologies to identify the most promising technologies in the synthetic aviation fuel (SAF), carbon dioxide removal, and contrail avoidance space. Using these insights, we partner with companies and organizations, including ARPA-E, where we see the potential of our innovation to catalyze job creation and energy security. Currently, Aerospace Carbon Solutions is involved in GE Aerospace Research’s EPIC TRAILS project with ARPA-E to study the impact of contrails in the skies.