SINGAPORE -- With several GP7200 engine component tests successfully completed, the GE-P&W Engine Alliance is receiving and assembling hardware for its first full engine test, scheduled for early this year.
The GE-PW Engine Alliance's GP7200 engine is the best-selling propulsion system for Airbus' new A380 aircraft, having been selected by Emirates, Air France, FedEx, and International Lease Finance Corporation.
2004 is a key year of validation testing for the GP7200, with testing of the first full engine, and early stages of certification testing, leading to the first flights of the GP7200 on GE's 747 Flying Testbed aircraft. Certification of the GP7200 by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Joint Aviation Authorities is targeted for mid-2005, with entry into revenue service powering A380-800 aircraft of Emirates scheduled for 2006.
For the last three years, the Engine Alliance has completed several component tests to validate technologies before the assembly of the first full engine. Those tests include:
Swept Fan. A 108-inch (275-cm) diameter wide-chord, hollow-titanium, swept fan completed testing on a modified PW4098 engine at Pratt & Whitney's West Palm Beach, Florida, facility to evaluate performance, noise, operability, and aeromechanics. Simulated bird-impact testing was also conducted. The final production fan will have a 116-inch (295-cm) diameter design.
Full Annular Combustor. High-pressure rig testing of the low-emission single annular combustor was completed at GE's Evendale, Ohio, facility with better than expected results for emissions, component temperatures, and combustion pattern factors.
Low-Pressure Turbine (LPT) Test. The GP7200 LPT successfully completed a series of tests at MTU of Germany to evaluate performance and noise reduction enhancements, which are being incorporated into the full engine. Performance met or bettered pre-test predictions.
Compressor Core Test. Two core engine builds have accumulated almost 400 hours of testing that served to validate performance and operability improvements in the 9-stage high-pressure compressor, consistent with performance commitments to customers. In March 2004, a third GP7200 development core will undergo testing at GE's Evendale facility to validate additional enhancements for the first full engine.
"Component testing has confirmed the goals we set for performance, emissions and noise characteristics," said Lloyd Thompson, president of the GE-P&W Engine Alliance. "Future regulatory requirements for noise and emissions significantly shaped the design of this engine."
The GP7200 engine family will be certified at 81,500 pounds (363 kN) of thrust with potential for growth up to 84,000 pounds (374 kN). Two thrust ratings will be offered: the GP7270 at 70,000 pounds (311 kN) for the A380-800, and the GP7277 at 76,500 pounds (340 kN) for the A380-800F.
The GP7200 features a hollow-titanium, swept fan, a five-stage low pressure compressor, a nine-stage high-pressure compressor and a two-stage, high-pressure turbine scaled from the GE90-115B, a low-emissions single annular combustor to meet future emissions regulations with substantial margin, and a six-stage low-pressure turbine
The GP7200 benefits from the heritage of the highly successful GE90 and PW4000 families. Building on the GE90 core and the PW4000 low-pressure system, the GP7000 is a refined derivative with an infusion of new, proven technologies.
GP7200 program planning calls for the type design engine to accumulate more than 20,850 endurance cycles and 7,000 hours of operation on eight test engines prior to service entry, exceeding standards set by previous ETOPS-qualified engines.
MTU of Germany, Snecma Moteurs of France and Techspace Aero of Belgium are revenue-sharing participants in the GP7200 engine program.
The GE-P&W Engine Alliance, a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aircraft Engines and Pratt & Whitney, was formed in August 1996 to develop, manufacture, sell, and support a family of modern-technology engines for new high-capacity, long-range aircraft.