Next-gen turbofans combine Advance3 program based on the Trent 1000-derived environmentally friendly engine (EFE) technology demonstrator efficiency with lower CO2 emissions BUSINESS AVIATION core. The goal is two- and three-shaft (Advance 2 and Advance 3) engines and by Kirby J. Harrison incorporating “lean-burn” combustion and technology from the advanced low- the The next-generation turbofan engine– by 2050 “emissions from aircraft could pressure system (ALPS) project. ENVIRONMENT more efficient, cleaner burning, quieter be responsible for 15 percent of total Among elements of the EFE tech- and weighing less–is arriving now on an global warming produced by human nology is active blade-tip clearance-con- airplane near you. activities.” Current data places avia- trol that increases efficiency by reducing It isn’t that engine manufacturers tion’s share of man-made greenhouse leakage around the blade tips, accord- haven’t been working toward building emissions at approximately 2 percent. The improved Trent 1000, branded the Trent 1000- ing to R-R strategic marketing v-p Rob- Ten, from Rolls-Royce will provide a modest but > Biofuel > Engines > Fractional vs airlines engines that burn less fuel, emit fewer The EPA points to a number of green- welcome one-percent increase in efficiency. ert Nuttall. > Aging fleet > Recycling effort greenhouse gases, weigh less and cre- house gases as primary offenders in Meanwhile, in July Rolls-Royce unveiled ate less noise. They have been doing just contributing to global warming: CO2, It should be noted there is not always the follow-on Trent 1000-Ten, which the that for more than 25 years, according methane, nitrous oxide (NOx) and flu- enough “real estate” in a small engine to company says leverages new technolo- to Pratt & Whitney Canada v-p of engi- orinated gases, of which CO2 and NOx scale down a new technology pioneered gies from the in-development XWB, an neering and productivity Walter Di Bar- make up the majority of jet engine emis- on a large engine. engine being developed for the Airbus tolomeo. He should know, because that’s sions. The EPA has designated CO2 as a A350 XWB. Rolls-Royce expects to see a about how long he has been working for dangerous pollutant. Rolls-Royce Pushing Beyond 2020 3-percent efficiency gain over the “pack- the engine manufacturer. Faced with such growing demand, At the Farnborough International age B” Trent 1000s now being delivered. Until the past decade, this effort was engine manufacturers are spending bil- airshow this summer, Rolls-Royce Saying the -Ten variant will “ensure the With the debate over Europe’s Technology proven driven primarily by the competitive lions on research and rapidly developing offered visitors a look into the coming lowest ‘real-life’ fuel burn for every model juices of market demand. More recently, new engines that will meet or exceed cur- decade with a composite fan blade, the of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner,” Rolls emissions trading scheme new regulations in the U.S. and abroad, rent and future emissions standards. For aforementioned Trent 1000 high-bypass adds that it will also provide “the lowest and fuel tested, along with pressure from public advo- the most part, explains Honeywell senior turbofan and a model of the Trent XWB net fuel cost and carbon emissions.” heating up faster than you can cacy groups, have spurred the industry to director of technical sales Mike Bevans, being developed for the Airbus ACJ350 A key element in the Rolls- why is biofuel still even greater efforts. most of the engine improvements have and A350 XWB. Rolls-Royce calls it “a Royce philosophy is its three-phase say “illegal carbon tax,” aviation In the U.S., the Environmental Pro- come as a result of new designs, such as the relentless pursuit of technology.” scarce for aviation? tection Agency (EPA) is adopting the company’s “rich, quench, lean” research Part of that pursuit includes the Continues on next page quietly continues the efficiency NOx (nitrogen oxide) emission stan- into a more advanced combustor. by Curt Epstein dards for aircraft turbine engines that The technology includes improved and emissions-reduction gains were approved by the United Nations’ fan, core and exhaust nozzle designs International Civil Aviation Organiza- and composite materials in engines NetJets Europe Is Greener than Airlines that have been under way for In the middle of July, as part of its tion (ICAO). Specifically, the EPA is from the 70,000-pound-thrust Rolls- with Carbon Neutrality for 2012 participation in Rimpac 2012, the world’s adopting two new tiers of more stringent Royce Trent 1000 on an executive decades. Engine manufacturers largest multinational naval training exer- emissions standards for NOx: the Tier variant of Boeing’s 787 to the FJ44- NetJets Europe is on track to achieve something this year that no European airline has yet cise, the U.S. Navy made a bold state- 6 (or CAEP/6) standards and the Tier 8 3AP that will produce 3,052 pounds managed: 100-percent carbon neutrality for its flying. The fractional ownership group expects to are turning their ingenuity to ment on the future potential of biofuels. (CAEP/8) standards. of thrust for the Nextant 400XT. have covered all its carbon emissions for this year either by offsetting them through approved With the exception of its nuclear-pow- At the same time, research contin- Some manufacturers produce programs or by buying sufficient carbon credits. building lighter engines that ered vessels, the other ships and aircraft ues into the European Commission’s engines primarily for larger busi- In 2007, NetJets launched its Real Difference program as an ambitious incremental in its “Great Green Fleet” demonstration seven-year, $29.82 billion Clean Sky ness and private jets, but they also get more out of every drop of campaign to reduce the carbon footprint of private aviation that attacked the problem from group were powered by biofuel blends. research program. The aim is develop- have models appropriate to the mar- multiple angles. As of late July, it had offset more than 62,000 flights amounting to 687,343 fuel and emit less greenhouse During the course of the exercise, Navy ment of technologies to meet the goals ket for smaller private and business metric tons of carbon. aircraft burned 100,000 gallons of hydro- the European aviation industry has set jets. Initially, new technology appears The most public aspect of Real Difference was the introduction of mandatory carbon processed renewable jet fuel derived from for itself: a 50-percent reduction in car- on larger engines meant for a much gas. If biofuel developers meet offsetting charges for NetJets Europe customers, even though this was optional for NetJets algae and animal fats blended with con- bon dioxide (CO ) emissions with the larger and more lucrative market in 2 clients in North America. According to NetJets Europe chairman and CEO Eric Connor, expectations, fossil fuel could ventional jet fuel in a 50-50 mix, while year 2000 as the baseline. Clean Sky 2 the airline industry. the non-nuclear ships consumed 700,000 has as its goal a 75-percent reduction One example is Rolls-Royce, with almost without exception, customers accepted the case for offset charges, which are itemized clearly on monthly bills. In fact, with the start of Europe’s cap-and-trade emissions go the way of the dinosaur, gallons of biofuel blend. The fuel order by 2050. a 45-percent share of the propulsion last year from producers Solazyme and U.S. government data shows the market for the Boeing 787, a program trading scheme (ETS) this past January, NetJets Europe has made offsetting voluntary to but nobody wants to be the Dynamic Fuels represented the U.S. gov- RESEARCH SERVICE ISBELL/USDA/AGRICULTURAL TERRY U.S. aviation industry has cut green- that offers the customer a choice take account of the extra carbon credit costs to which clients will be exposed. ernment’s single largest biofuel purchase house emissions by 13 percent since of engines. As of March this year, But NetJets has also been challenging its employees to be part of the carbon-neutral solution. While many of the feedstocks currently under In late 2008, the company established a “Fuel Team” through which a group of its pilots have trailblazer who risks stumbling in history. study can be used on a rotational basis, such 2000. But environmental watchdog twenty-six of the 787 customers had The demonstration was a success as as pennycress (above), there are other options. groups such as The Intergovernmen- not made an engine choice, prompt- focused on ways to drive down jet-A consumption. This has resulted in the following initiatives: . and falling hard. Aviation’s green the equipment performed as safely and Lanzatech plans to convert carbon monoxide into tal Panel on Climate Change have only ing Rolls-Royce to expect orders for • A fuel handbook to promote awareness of fuel efficiency. effectively as if it were run on conven- ethanol at one of its factories, left. The result is increased their clamor, asserting that roughly another 300 Trent 1000s. • Great accuracy in calculating fuel needs for pre-flight APU use and taxiing, initiative extends to figuring tional fuels, but some congressional lead- the same...green energy to power aircraft, such as a recent Azul flight. as well as for the cruise phase of flight. ers lambasted the exercise as a waste of • Changing alternate flight plan profiles to more accurately reflect real-time operations. out what to do with aircraft money based on the price paid for the well as security-of-supply issues,” said www.ainonline.com • Standardization to 30 minutes for how much “standard allocated extra fuel” www.ainonline.com fuel, which has not yet achieved large- Richard Altman, executive director of the to carry beyond the legal minimum requirement.