What is UltraFan engine: Rolls Royce's new technology set to transform air travel - Details

Rolls-Royce said that it is developing the world's largest turbofan -- UltraFan engine. It has been designed to be up to 25 per cent more efficient than its first-generation Trent engines.

The company said that 'ultrafan', the world’s largest aero-engine technology demonstrator, will provide a suite of technologies to support sustainable air travel for the decades to come.

"The demonstrator engine, with a fan diameter of 140 inches, is being completed at our facility in Derby, UK, prior to its first run – on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel – later this year. It offers a 25% fuel efficiency improvement compared with the first generation of Trent engine," Rolls Royce said in a press release.

It said that 'UltraFan' supports a variety of sustainability solutions. In the nearer term, there are options to transfer technologies from the UltraFan development programme to current Trent engines to deliver even greater fuel efficiency and reductions in emissions.

It must be noted that the technology is expected to have the potential to power new narrowbody and widebody aircraft that are anticipated in the 2030s with its scale of 25,000-100,000lb thrust.

The company also added that "UltraFan provides a platform for the use of a diverse range of energy options and power systems – including current jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuels as well as future potential for hybrid-electric and hydrogen."

Key engineering features of the engine include:

• A new, proven, Advance3 core architecture, combined with our ALECSys lean burn combustion system, to deliver maximum fuel burn efficiency and low emissions
• Carbon titanium fan blades and a composite casing
• Advanced ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components that operate more effectively at high pressures and temperatures
• A geared design that delivers efficient power for the high-thrust, high bypass ratio engines of the future. The power gearbox has run at 64MW, an aerospace record

The company also claimed that when UltraFan is on test at Rolls-Royce’s new £90m Testbed 80 facility, data can be taken from more than 10,000 parameters, detecting the tiniest of vibrations at a rate of up to 200,000 samples per second.

Speaking about the joint-venture, Kwasi Kwarteng, Business Secretary, the UK government said, "Rolls-Royce has long been synonymous with British excellence in engineering. Building the cutting-edge UltraFan demonstrator shows there’s no sign of this reputation slowing down, with Rolls-Royce playing a central role in our plans to capitalise on the global shift to cleaner, fuel efficient flight."

"I look forward to seeing planes across the world powered by technologies developed in this ultra-efficient engine demonstrator for years to come,” Kwarteng added.