Pratt & Whitney Research Forges Ahead

Frederick Rentschler founded Pratt & Whitney in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1925 and its first aircraft engine transformed the aviation industry. It was the 410-horsepower, air-cooled Wasp, which delivered unprecedented performance and reliability for the time. Since then, Pratt & Whitney has been leading the change, developing game-changing technologies for the future, such as the PurePower PW1000G engine, with patented Geared Turbofan engine technology.

The company’s worldwide large commercial engine maintenance, repair and overhaul network provides innovative services that add value and delight customers around the globe. Pratt & Whitney’s large commercial engines power more than 25 per cent of the world’s mainline passenger fleet. The company continues to develop new engines and work with its partners in International Aero Engines and the Engine Alliance to meet airline customers’ future. Pratt & Whitney Canada has produced over 80,000 engines, of which there are currently more than 50,000 engines in service by more than 10,000 operators in 200 countries.

Founded in 1928, Pratt & Whitney Canada is shaping the future of aviation with dependable, high-technology engines. It invests heavily in research as it understands how cutting-edge technologies are going to determine the future of aviation, not just in economic terms but also in environmental terms.

In continuation of its commitment to research and development, in 2014 it announced that it was investing over $1 billion in R&D over the next four to five years to develop the next-generation of high performance aircraft engines. The investments were in Longueuil (Quebec) and Mississauga (Ontario) facilities. The investment includes a $300 million repayable contribution from the Government of Canada under the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative (SADI) programme.

Developing Cutting-Edge Technologies

Pratt & Whitney Canada is developing the most advanced propulsion technologies for improved environmental performance, including reduced fuel consumption and weight, lower emissions and less noise. These technologies will be leveraged across the company’s product families for new and existing turbofan, turboprop and turboshaft engines in business, regional and general aviation and helicopter applications. Pratt & Whitney Canada is also currently investing $275 million over five years in cutting-edge technologies and upgrades to its facilities, including the creation of a world-class centre of excellence for intelligent manufacturing in Longueuil. This centre of excellence will feature three new intelligent production lines dedicated to manufacturing highly complex key components for the new-generation family of PurePower engines. It is expected to be fully operational in 2015.

“Pratt & Whitney Canada leads the industry in developing the next-generation of high-performance and sustainable technologies,” said Saabas. “Our latest R&D programmes include cutting-edge materials such as composites and advanced alloys to improve engine weight, a high-efficiency compressor technology to enhance engine performance and reduce fuel consumption, and further improvements to our combustion systems to reduce engine emissions. We are also implementing advanced technologies and intelligent cell concepts to bolster our manufacturing capabilities in Canada. This investment will ensure that we remain technology-ready to support our customers in the years ahead.”

Continued Commitment to R&D

This R&D investment will also strengthen Pratt & Whitney Canada’s long-standing collaboration with major universities and suppliers across Canada. “Every year, we invest $10 million in projects with close to 20 Canadian universities to develop new engine technologies for the next-generation of environmentally-friendly and fuel-efficient aircraft,” said Saabas. “To date, hundreds of students have worked on more than 800 projects in collaboration with P&WC’s engineering team. We are proud to contribute to the development of future engineers and technicians.”

CONTINUOUS R&D INVESTMENTS HAVE ALLOWED THE COMPANY TO CERTIFY MORE THAN 100 ENGINES OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS, A BENCHMARK IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY

Pratt & Whitney Canada has a long-established commitment to investing in R&D to spur innovation and power sustainable growth. With an average $450 million in annual R&D investments over the past 10 years, it ranks among the top Canadian R&D investors. Continuous R&D investments have allowed the company to certify more than 100 engines over the past 25 years, a benchmark in the aerospace industry.

The long list of innovations includes:

• Next-generation combustion and aerodynamic technologies to meet emerging, stringent environmental standards
• Advanced engine aero performance technologies to improve fuel efficiency
• Physics-based modelling to reduce development cycles and increase speed to market
• High-speed/precision manufacturing technologies to enhance products and increase productivity
• Leveraging of emerging diagnostic technologies to improve engine reliability and safety.

With 20 years of research and development, component rig testing on all major modules, extensive ground and flight testing underway, two engines in the family certified and the PW1100GJM carrying passengers on a daily basis, the PurePower PW1000G engine with Geared Turbofan technology delivers game-changing reductions in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs.

The PurePower PW1000G engine’s fan-drive gear system is just one component of this next-generation engine. The PurePower PW1000G engine also incorporates advances in aerodynamics, lightweight materials and other major technology improvements in the high-pressure spool, low-pressure turbine, combustor, controls, engine health monitoring and more.

Technology of the Future

Pratt & Whitney has been actively testing all key components of the PurePower PW1000G engine family, with 16 technology rigs running around the world. In 2008, Pratt & Whitney’s full-scale demonstrator engine completed its rigorous 400-hour ground and flight test programme with test results that indicated the engine delivers the performance and efficiency targets of this revolutionary technology.

The PW1100G-JM engine for Airbus A320neo family of aircraft and the PW1500G engine for the Bombardier C Series are certified. The PW1400G-JM engine for the Irkut MC-21 aircraft, the PW1200G engine for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet and the PW1900G for the Embraer E190-E2 are all in testing. The PW1100G-JM began powering revenue flights in January 2016.

FAA Certification

Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower Geared Turbofan PW1900G engine received certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration. The PW1900G engine powers the two largest aircraft in Embraer’s second-generation of the E-Jets family of commercial aircraft. The E190-E2 took its first flight in May 2016 and the E195-E2’s first flight was on March 29, 2017.

“The FAA validation of the PW1900G engine type certificate is a key programme milestone,” said Chris Calio, President, Commercial Engines. “The engine provides 23,000 pounds of thrust and is currently powering five flight test vehicles with more than 900 hours of flight testing completed.” The certification test programme spanned nearly 18 months and included sea level as well as operability and performance testing among the rigorous protocol the engine underwent.

The PW1900G engine, the fourth in the PurePower family to be certified, is scheduled to enter into customer service on the E190-E2 in 2018, with the 195-E2 scheduled to enter service in 2019. The E-Jet E2 programme is one of two programmes that Pratt & Whitney and Embraer are working together on. Pratt & Whitney is part of the collaboration which supplies the V2500-E5 engine for the Embraer KC-390, which is under certification campaign. It also supplies the auxiliary power unit for the E-Jet E2 programme.

The Pratt & Whitney PurePower engine family has more than 80 customers, for both announced and unannounced firm and option orders, from more than 30 countries. In-service performance of the PurePower engine family has demonstrated its ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 per cent, regulated emissions by 50 per cent and noise foot print by 75 per cent.