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The world’s largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380, is taking a new lease of life, with a propulsion system now set to be tested. The first Airbus A380 ever built will be fitted with an open-fan design, as Airbus partners with CFM to test this new technology. The aircraft was chosen due to its four-engine design and immense cabin space onboard.
Airbus is committed to developing this new technology with its engine partners, and looking at alternative ways to power next-generation aircraft. Key focuses are on the sustainability and efficiency of these engines, while exploring transformative engine options that can reduce the environmental impacts that are required with air travel.
Airbus Partners With CFM For An Open Engine Demonstrator
As described by Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer has partnered with leading propulsion expert CFM to develop the Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) program. This open fan engine demonstrator is a promising move for the aerospace industry as it can lead to improved fuel economy, without losing the speed of a traditional turbofan.
It is expected that the Airbus A380 will become the preferred test platform for this technology, with the first Airbus A380 prototype to be taking off by the end of the decade. The research is European-funded through the Open Fan for Environmental Low Impact of Aviation (OFELIA) project, with aims to support reduced fuel consumption and a reduction of around 20% in CO2 emissions when compared to current narrowbody engines.
As shared by Airbus on LinkedIn, the plane maker reaffirmed the Airbus A380 is the best choice due to its four-engine configuration and large onboard cabin space for advanced test instrumentation, while also having a four-engine configuration to withstand any interruption to operation during the testing phase.
Powered By SWITCH
The novel engine design, which is known as SWITCH (Sustainable Water Injecting Turbofan Comprising Hybrid-Electrics), will look to demonstrate the hybrid-electric and heat-recovery turbofan technologies, with a bid to lower fuel consumption by 25%. The reduction in carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions that are produced with traditional air travel will look to be improved as part of the European Union’s Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking project.
This project is being led by MTU Aero Engines AG, alongside other stakeholders including Airbus, Collins Aerospace, GKN Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney. The new energy, which is hydrogen cells, offering high energy density, provides a promising propulsion source for a fully electric propulsion system.
Additionally, hybrid electric propulsion sees the use of batteries or fuel cells, which provide the energy demands of a commercial aircraft, while optimizing its efficiency and also lowering the overall use of fuel. At present, Airbus planes can operate safely with up to a 50% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend, while single-aisle aircraft with compatible engines can operate to 100% SAF.
Radically Different Engine Architecture
As previously analysed by Simple Flying, the heart of this testbed is the development of a different engine design, with an open-fan that eliminates the traditional nacelle. With exposed fan blades, this design feature is expected to maximize the aerodynamic efficiency of an aircraft, which is a move away from the last five decades of conventional jet engine evolution.
Airbus and CFM are betting that this type of engine design will overcome long-standing concerns regarding noise, bird strikes, public acceptance, and safety, as the RISE program targets an improvement in fuel efficiency on the most advanced engines. While designed for single-aisle aircraft, it is hoped that the testing phase will lead to introduction into service by the middle of the next decade.
The decision to deploy this new propulsion system with the open fan design on the world’s first A380 now becomes the latest testbed for the next generation of engine. CFM and Airbus are going all in with the world’s largest commercial passenger aircraft. It will be exciting to see how the deployment and testing proceed and eventually see it introduced on the next era of commercial passenger narrowbody aircraft.
