RichardKatz
perhaps RR will collaborate with MT and devise a turbo prop? Now if they could only duplicate the sound of a Pratt and Whitney double rowed turbo compound…
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perhaps RR will collaborate with MT and devise a turbo prop? Now if they could only duplicate the sound of a Pratt and Whitney double rowed turbo compound…
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It might be more informative to say how much improvement in efficiency it achieves relative to RR’s current Trent engine. The first-generation Trent (the Trent 700) came out nearly 30 years ago.
However, the two most recent Trents are the Trent XWB and the Trent 700. According to Wikipedia, the Trent 7000 has a 10% lower SFC than the Trent 700; and the Trent XWB has an 11% lower SFC than the Trent 700.
So, a 25% improvement over the Trent 700 would be around a 14% improvement over the current engines, and no small achievement.
Wings over the fuselage, like birds, needed…
But to really get the public to believe, they should start giving litres per second fuel consumption numbers, instead of 25% better than an engine designed a very long time ago.
As a former gas turbine analyst, the most interesting thing about the Superfan to me was its pitch change mechanism for the fan blades. Far as I know this has never been done before, but there’s no mention of it on Rolls’ site so it seems they may have dropped it. Also interesting is how they adopted the gearbox idea from Pratt as the argument used to be that the 3-spool design made the gearbox unnecessary.
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The double row turbo compound engine (3350) was made by Wright, not P&W. Pratt had the 4360 corncob.
The balance of gearboxes versus triple-shaft designs is tricky in itself, add to that patents and manufacturing complications. An amazing feat all the same!
With variable pitch on its high bypass fan,the engine is getting closer to a turboprop every day