Rolls-Royce Triumphs in Groundbreaking Tests of Next-Gen UltraFan Engine

Rolls-Royce has revealed that it has triumphantly finalized the initial assessments of its UltraFan technology demonstrator at its site in Derby.

The inaugural tests utilized 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

This moment is significant for Rolls-Royce – it marks the first occasion in 54 years that the aerospace manufacturer has evaluated a completely new engine design and exemplifies what can be accomplished when the industry and Government collaborate effectively.

Validating the capabilities of the array of technologies integrated into the demonstrator represents a major advancement towards enhancing the effectiveness of present and forthcoming aero-engines. UltraFan provides a 10% enhancement in productivity over the Trent XWB, which is already recognized as the globe’s most efficient large aero engine in operation.

In the short term, there are prospects to transfer technologies from the UltraFan development initiative to existing Trent engines, offering our clients even greater accessibility, dependability, and efficiency.

In the long-term perspective, UltraFan’s adaptable technology, ranging from approximately 25,000 to 110,000lb thrust, holds the promise to power new narrowbody and widebody aircraft expected in the 2030s.

Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO of Rolls-Royce, stated: “The UltraFan demonstrator is revolutionary – the technologies we are evaluating as part of this initiative have the potential to enhance both current and future engines. This announcement is crucial – we are witnessing a significant moment in history; a breakthrough in engine efficiency enhancements. When coupled with Sustainable Aviation Fuels, more efficient gas turbine engines will be essential in achieving the industry’s goal of Net Zero flights by 2050. Today, we are one step closer to realizing this aspiration.

“Collaboration is essential to propel the decarbonization of air travel, and the UltraFan initiative serves as an exemplary model of what can be accomplished when governments and industry unite for a shared objective.”

The evaluations occurred in the world’s most extensive and advanced indoor aero-engine testing facility – Testbed 80. The 100% SAF, primarily sourced from waste-derived sustainable feedstocks like used cooking oils, was supplied by Air bp.

Assessing the demonstrator is the outcome of numerous years of effort, bolstered by the UK Government through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), Innovate UK; the EU’s Clean Sky initiatives, along with LuFo and the State of Brandenburg in Germany.

UltraFan has been a decade in development, with its concept publicly introduced in 2014. It features a fundamentally distinct design compared to the roughly 4,200 Rolls-Royce Civil large engines currently operational, as it incorporates a geared architecture that no other industry competitor has accomplished at this magnitude before. Demonstrating at this scale allows us the versatility to downscale as requested by our clientele.

It will also allow us to uniquely present a range of two-shaft, three-shaft, direct drive, and geared propulsion solutions to equip future aircraft.

Significant engineering attributes of the demonstrator include:

• A groundbreaking, validated, Advance3 core architecture, paired with our ALECSys lean burn combustion system, to achieve optimal fuel combustion efficiency and reduced emissions
• Carbon titanium fan blades and a composite casing
• A geared design that provides efficient power for the high-thrust, high bypass ratio engines of the future. The power gearbox has operated at 64MW, a record in the aerospace industry