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HOME > TECHNOLOGY > A REVERSED, TILTED FUTURE FOR PRATTS GEARED TURBOFAN?

AviationWeek&Space
Technology

AReversed,TiltedFutureForPrattsGearedTurbofan?
GuyNorrisandGrahamWarwickAviationWeek&SpaceTechnology
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Mar26,2015
COMMENTS 21

New Slant

Asdesignersoffutureairlinerslookincreasinglybeyondtraditionaltubeandwing
configurationstomeetthehighefficiencygoalsofthe2030sandbeyond,newterritoryis
beingcarvedoutinthecriticalareaofairframeengineintegration.
Unusualfeaturesrangingfromrecessedinletstopylonmounteduppersurfaceengines
havebecomefamiliarsightsinwindtunnels,butevenseasonedresearchersaresurprised
byanewenginearchitectureproposedbyPratt&Whitney.Theconceptnotonly
physicallyseparatesthepropulsorfromthegasgenerator,butalsomountsthecore
backwardandatanangle.Thisnovelarrangementisaimedatovercominginstallation
challengesinnewconfigurationsliketheD8doublebubbleairlinerconceptunderstudy
byNASAandtheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(MIT).
AimedatNASAsN+3performancegoalsforanairlinerthatcouldenterservicearound
2035,theD8isdesignedtoburnatleast60%lessfuelthanthecurrentgenerationof
narrowbodyairliners.Thesecretbehindthisleapinperformanceisaconfigurationthat
clusterstheenginestogetheratopthewidetailofaflattenedfuselage.Besidesprovidinga
cleanhighaspectratiowingforlowdrag,thisenablestheenginestoreenergizetoslow
movingboundarylayerflowoverthefuselage,increasingefficiency.
Butsuchaconfigurationcreatesseveralissues.Theenginesliesoclosetotheupper
surfaceofthefuselagetheirfansmustbesufficientlyrobusttocopewithflowdistortion
fromingestingtheboundarylayer.Fansizewillalsobelargebecausetheengines
envisionedfortheD8willhaveabypassratioofatleast20:1,andbetargetedat
extremelylownoiselevelsof52EPNdbbelowcurrentStage4limits.Scaletests
conductedatNASAofadistortiontolerantfandevelopedbyUnitedTechnologies
ResearchCentershowtheboundarylayerchallengehasbeenmet,butotherkey
questionsremain.

ThelandscapeofU.S.nationalsecurity
spacelaunchesispoisedtochange,as
SpaceXcampaignstomaketheFalcon9
v1.1analternativetoUnitedLaunch
Alliance(ULA)AtlasVandDeltaIV
vehicles.Meanwhile,ULAplanstounveil
plansforaNextGenerationLaunchSystem
thisweekattheNationalSpaceSymposium.
AirForceSecretaryDeborahLeeJames
discussesthewayaheadinlaunchandother
topicsinaninterview.Alsothisweekare
reportsonbusinessaviationinChina,plans
fortheF35sengineupgradesandan
updateontheCH53Kheavylifthelicopter
program.
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Pratt&Whitneysinnovativereversed,separatedandangledpropulsionconceptcould
enablecertificationofadjacentengines.Credit:Pratt&Whitney

Becauseenginecoresarebecomingmoreefficientandoperatingathigherpressureratios,
theyarealsoshrinkingandbecomingdisproportionatelysmallcomparedtothepropulsor
sectionasbypassratiosincrease.Thisleadstobladeheightsof0.5in.orlessattheexitof
thehighpressurecompressor.Atthissmallscale,tipclearancesnotonlybecomeharder
tomaintain,butthereislittlespacewithinthecorethroughwhichtorunthedriveshaft
connectingthefantothelowpressureturbine.Additionally,becausethecoreis
proportionatelylongerandthinner,designersfacetheissueofbackbonebendingwhich
furtheraffectsclearancecontrol.
Sothatswhenwehadthebreakthroughideaofturningthecorebackward,saysPratt
&WhitneyTechnologyandEnvironmentVicePresidentAlanEpstein.Airentersthe
enginethroughthefanasnormal,butinsteadofcontinuingdirectlyintothecompressor,
itisductedaroundthesideandbackofthecoretoenterfromtheoppositedirection.In
anarrangementsimilartoPratt&WhitneyCanadasPT6,inwhichairflowsforward
throughtheengine,hotgaswillbedischargedforwardthroughapower(lowpressure)
turbineconnectedtothefanviaagearsystem.Theturbine,gearboxandfanwillbe
connectedviaareallyshortshaft,andbecausethecoreisnotconnectedtothepower
side,youcantakethecoreoffeasilyformaintenance,Epsteinexplains.
Theconceptalsoovercomesanotherchallenge.Theideaofnestedengines,asintheD8,
doesnotmeetcurrentFAAcertificationcriteriaunderthe1in20rule.Thisstatesthat
thereshouldbeonlya1in20chanceofdebrisfromanuncontainedenginefailure
causingasecondenginetofail.However,becausethecoreandpropulsorarenolonger
mechanicallylinked,thedesignershavecomeupwithanextraordinarilyclever
arrangementinwhichthecoresareangledrelativetoeachother,Epsteinsays.
Wecantthemataround50deg.andtheexitfromthecoreturnsviaa50deg.ductto
gointothepowerturbine.Sonowtheyaremorethan90deg.offfromeachother.Its
simplegeometry,hesays.Itenablesyoutohavealargebypassratio,andyouarenot
turningmuchoftheairflowifyouareturningjustthecoreflow,sopressurelossesare
low.

ClusteredbeneaththepitailoftheNASA/MITD8design,theenginelocationpresents
certificationandconfigurationchallenges.Credit:NASA

Pratthopestolayoutaroadmapforfuturestudies,possiblywithNASA,tofurtherdefine
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thearchitectureandevaluaterelatedelementssuchasshorterlengthinletsthatwould
alsohelpdevelopmentofthenextgenerationgearedturbofan.Otherfocusareascould
includestudiesoftheductingtoevaluateweightandtemperaturerequirementsand
whethermaterialssuchasceramicmatrixcompositesmightbesuitable.Thentheresthe
questionofhowdoyouconvincetheFAAitcanbecertified,saysEpstein.
FortheMITledteam,PrattsnovelenginedesignisakeyenableroftheD8
configuration.Anothercrucialelementhasbeenvalidatingtheefficiencybenefitfrom
boundarylayeringestion(BLI)bytheclusteredaftmountedenginesthroughlargescale
windtunneltestingwithNASA.ThishasquantifiedthepowersavingfromBLIataround
8%inarealisticconfiguration,saysEdGreitzer,MITprofessorandD8principal
investigator.ThisistheproofofconceptforBLIinciviltransports,hetoldtheAmerican
InstituteofAeronauticsandAstronauticsSciTechconferenceinOrlandoinJanuary.
Inaconventionalaircraftdesign,asignificantamountofkineticenergyislostinthe
slowspeedwakebehindthefuselageandwastedinthehighvelocityjetexhaustfromthe
engines.Thisincreasesthepowerrequired.Byingestingandreenergizingtheboundary
layerflow,BLIreducesthewastedkineticenergyinthecombinedjetandwake,says
Greitzer.Withitsenginesmountedatoptheaftfuselage,theD8ingestsabout40%ofthe
kineticenergydeficit.
ByconductingbacktobacktunneltestsofBLIandconventionalpoddedenginenon
BLIversionsoftheD8,theMITteamsetouttoquantifythebenefitbymeasuringthe
mechanicalpowertransmittedtotheflowbythepropulsorstomaintainthesame
conditions.ThemeasuredpowerreductionwithBLIwas8.4%whenpropulsornozzle
areawasheldconstant,increasingto10.4%whenmassflowwaskeptequal.Thatsa
significantbenefit,Greitzersays.
Thedominanteffectisanincreaseinpropulsiveefficiencythroughthereductioninjet
velocity,asaresultofstartingwithslowerflowintothepropulsor,saysAlejandra
Uranga,MITtechnicallead.TheD8enginehassimilarspecificthrustbuthigher
propulsiveefficiencythancurrentgenerationenginesliketheCFM567.Thatswhywe
thinktheresultsareapplicabletofullscale,shenotes.
TheD8modelwastestedatanglesofattackupto8deg.andslideslipanglesupto15
deg.andtheflowbehavedwell,Urangasays.Engineouttestingshowednoadverse
impactontherunningengineandtheobservedfanefficiencylossfromingesting
distortedboundarylayerflowwasanorderofmagnitudelessthantheBLIbenefit,says
Greitzer,addingthat"therearenoshowstopperstotheD8configuration.

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21

onMar29,2015

QuestionMark

BLIenginesareadvertisedasasolutionforairframeconfigurationsthatproduceathick
boundarylayerandasizeablewake.
Alas,forthecurrenttubeandwingconfigurationswithpoddedunderwingenginesthisisnot
anissue.YetfortheD8itwasadesignrequirement,asitseems.
Afewquestionscometomind:
1.WhataboutthethickboundarylayeronthelowersideoftheD8'sfuselage?
2.Whatdoenginecoresslantmountedinthefanflowanddrivingthefansthoughextension
shaftswithbeveldrivesdotopropulsiveefficiencyandmaintenancecost?
3.HowwouldaMach0.70D8compensateforthelossinproductivitycomparedtoacurrent
Mach0.85tubeandwingconfiguration?HowwoulditcomparetoaMach0.70turboprop?
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onMar29,2015

Mario

Itseemstheextensionshaftsandbeveldrivewouldpresentsimilarcosts/benefitstoamore
conventionalgearedturbofans.Aretheenginecoresreallymoreaccessileormodularthan
pylonpods?Howlongwillittaketocarryoutanenginechangec.foneshiftforanengine
crewforcurrentengines?
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onMar31,2015

DarthVader'sc...

1.FODprecludestheexistenceofanengineundertheaftfuselageasitwillundoubtedly
ingestenoughcrapoffarunwayduringitsservicelivetocausedamage,potentiallyserious
damage.
2.Fromtheirdiagram,thereisnodriveshaftfromthecoretothefan.Instead,thepoweris
transmittedinthefluidthenextractedbyaturbinelocaltothefan(andrequiringnocv
joint).
3.Ifyouworkoutthetimedelta,andcompareovertotaltriptime(whichincludesairport
arrival,checkin,security,boarding,taxi,flight,taxi,debarking,luggagecollection),then
thedifferenceisquitesmall.Smallenoughthatthecashpricewilldominate.Astohowit
wouldcomparetoaturboprop,unknowndependsonmuchmoreinfothanisknownright
now.
AnotherthingfrombackinthedaywhenIwaslookingatsomethingverysimilarandnot
oftenmentioned.Awidefuselagelikethispermitsuseofwidebodycargocontainers.Which
canbeveryusefulwhenintegratingaspokeintoaglobalcargonetwork.
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onMar31,2015

dean@logrus.ca

Igottheimpressionthatthefanisnotconnectedtothecorebyshaftorbeveldrive,thecore
justgeneratesgasflowandthefanhasitsowncoaxialturbinesotheonlythingmaking
thatturnistheexhaustgas..
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onMar30,2015

renaud@cableone.net

ThislayoutisalmostexactlylikethePrattPT6turbopropengine.LikethePT6,hothigh
pressuregasismadeinthecore(gasgenerator)andusedbythepowertakeoffturbinethatis
connectedtotheproportheductedfanthruplanetarygears.IntheD8enginethehotgasis
turned50degreesbetweenthecoreandpowerturbinesonobevelfandrivegearsarerequired.
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onMar31,2015

Rowboat71

...bladeheightsof0.5in.orlessattheexitofthehighpressurecompressor.
Atsuchhighpressureratios,centrifugalcompressors,whicharesmaller,lighter,less
expensiveandmoredurable,workjustaswell.
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onApr1,2015

Rob

Notquite.Acentrifugalcompressorwillrapidlyloseefficiencyasthepressureratio
increases,hencetheyarenotgenerallyusedatratiosover6:1.Theydohaveabroader
operatingrangethoughandarecheaperbuttheyarenowhereneartheefficiencyrequiredfor
commercialturbofans.
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onApr6,2015

carlrogg

Thingschangeandtechnologychanges,thinkSilvercrest!IbetSnecmaismoreadvance
withtheirpatenteddesign,they'vegotmostofthetechnologicalbricksmaturedtobring
sucharevolutionarydesigntorealityincludinghightempmanagement.
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onMar31,2015

icharvat@cogeco.ca

WhynotsimplymountboththegasgeneratorandpowerturbineAHEADofthefan?The
powerturbinewouldbeinclearairfarabovetheboundarylayer.Admittedly,engineaccess
mightnotbeoptimal...
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DarthVader'sc...

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'costhenyoulosetheextracompressionfromthefanstage.
Pr=1.2(pluckedfromthinair)mightnotseemlikeabigpressureratio,butwhenyou
consideromittingthatisimmediately20%offyourOPR...
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onApr6,2015

carlrogg

Snecmahasdonethatwiththeirnewpatentapplication,inanallinonesetup.
Loginorregistertopostcomments

onMar31,2015

schrege@gmail.com

neatidea.but..
thecoresmeetthe1in20rulebutthefansdon't.anuncontainedfanfailurecouldtakeoutthe
otherengine.also,irecallanasastudyseveralyearsagoinvolvinghighrearmountedengines.
itwasfoundthatathighanglesofattack,fuselagemaskingseverelydisturbedtheairflowinto
theengines.thisissimilartotheeffectsofhighanglesofattackon"t"tailelevators.
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onMar31,2015

voyageur

Tomaintaingasgeneratorandfangaspressurespecialactivitieswillbeneeded.Sectional
chargingisnotnewideabutintheconceptionaboveeventualhotexhaustgasingestiongonna
causecompressorsurgeandlooseofpowersuchasystemsarecomplexandincludefuelflow
pulsepressuredroop.Maintenancewillbemoredemandingandexpensive..btwthisconception
maybeareasonforsomeoldgoodbookrereadingactivities....ThanksPratt...
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onMar31,2015

E175Pilot

PerhapsithasbeenaddressedinanotherarticleontheD8configuration,butI'mwondering:
howwouldsnowandiceadheringtothetopofthefuselagebeforeflightberemoved?I'vebeen
trainedtobelievethatdeicingfluidisanathemaforengines.Woulddeicingorantiicingfluid
usedtoremovesnoworotherfrozencontaminatesfromthetopofthefuselagepresenta
danger,orevenjustacceleratedwear,whenitranbackintotheenginesduringtakeoffand
flight?
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onMar31,2015

icharvat@cogeco.ca

RE:DarthVader'scomment:Itdoesn'tmatter.Youjustaddanextracompressorstagetothe
gasgenerator.Itwillbesmallandinsignificant...Whetheryoucompresstheairinthefanor
inthegasgeneratormatterslittle.Exceptthatadedicatedstageinthegasgeneratorcanbe
FARmoreefficientthantherootsectionofapreceedingfanincausingaircompression...:)
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onApr1,2015

steven

Thattechnologyalongwithnaturallaminarflowandothertechnologieswillreshapetheshort
haulaircraft.Butwhatishappeningtothelonghaulaircraftflyatspeedsfrom0.85machand
higherwheremostoftherevolutionarytechnologiescannotworkefficientlyhowthefuture
longhaulaircraftwilllooklikeandhowmuchmoreefficientwillbefromthecurrentaircraft
likethe777.Alsocansomebodyanswerthefollowingquestionhowmuchwillhybridlaminar
flowwilldecreasefuelconsumptiononlonghaulaircraft
Loginorregistertopostcomments

TomB

onApr1,2015

WhileweawaitdesignandcertificationofthesenewP&Wengines,Isuggestthattheaircraft
designerscouldrealizethebenefitsofBoundaryLayerIngestionwithalowriskinterimdesign:
1)Mountthemainenginesonthewing.TheHondapatent6,102,328andtheLockheedWing
BodyAirlifterdesignsuggestthatanoverthewingenginemountingpositionisthemost
efficient.
2)Installelectricductfansontherearfuselagetoingesttheboundarylayerandreenergizethe

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wakeflow.Theelectricductfansmaycontribute10%oftherequiredcruisethrust.
Theelectricductfansmaybepowerfulenoughtocapturemuchofthe8%boundarylayer
ingestionefficiencygainasidentifiedintheD8studies.
Itwillobviouslytakealotofengineeringdesignandtestingtovalidatemyconceptualidea.
Loginorregistertopostcomments

onApr1,2015

Rowboat71

Theaircraftneeds3engines.Twoturbofansfortakeoffandclimbto25,000feet.Oneturbojet
runningat70%rpm(33%thrust)fortakeoffandclimb,and100%RPMabove25,000feet.
Theturbojetwouldhave3cascadedcentrifugalcompressors,each4:1pressureratio.
4x4x4=64:1overallpressureratioforhighaltitudeoperation.
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onApr2,2015

APEppink

Re:bevelgeardrivesetc:
Mark,thegasturbineshavenomechanicalconnectiontotheLP(power)turbine,sameas
powerandmarinesetupsusinglightdutyaircraftgasturbines,thotheheavyframeturbines
usedinpowergeneration(combinedcycle)unitsaredirectlyconnectedtothegeneratoratthe
compressorend.
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onApr3,2015

Rowboat71

"BLI,forthecurrenttubeandwingconfigurationswithpoddedunderwingenginesthisisnot
anissue."YesItis.Notethehugevortexgeneratorsamongthetailfeathersofthe737.
Loginorregistertopostcomments

onApr6,2015

carlrogg

Snecmahasasimilarconceptdesign(wherethereisseparationofthegasgenerator/turbojet,
turbineandfan)beingpatentedforafewyearsnow.
SuchaconceptissorevolutionaryAirbusshouldseriouslylookatittoreconfigureana380neo
toreducedrag(with4engines),asmanyofthetechnologiesarealmostmature!
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