After the announcement in recent years by aircraft manufacturers of major projects for the aircraft of the future, it is more modestly that the probable engine of the new generation aircraft has begun to be tested. To discover it, you have to go to Modane, at the bottom of the Maurienne valley. It is in the premises of the National Office for Aerospace Studies and Research (Onera) that the engine manufacturer Safran started the wind tunnel test campaign for its new engine called Rise, with its revolutionary concept. Indeed, unlike the Leap developed by CFM, the joint venture of Safran and the American GE, which equips all 737 Max and at least 70% of A320 Neo, the future Rise will not be streamlined, i.e. -say it will look like a propeller engine.
A new engine architecture, called Open fan, was chosen by Safran and GE, for its increased power and reduced drag. In fact, the absence of a fairing makes it possible to enlarge the rotor, or fan, synonymous with a power gain, without making the engine heavier. The objective is to obtain the highest possible dilution rate, that is to say, to pump as much air into the reactor as possible. “A very important parameter to define the efficiency of an engine”, specifies Eric Dalbiès, group director, strategy, research and technology and innovation at Safran during a visit organized for the press on Friday January 19. To achieve this, the rotor, or rather the fan, has seen its size doubled compared to an A320 or 737 Max engine, to reach four meters in diameter.
According to Mr. Dalbiès, the new engine will be more economical and should consume 20% less kerosene and reduce its C0 emissions by 20%.2. Better: powered with sustainable aviation fuels, SAF, the Rise is already expected to be even more efficient with an 80% reduction in consumption.
State investments
If the Rise project is the most advanced, it is not the only one. Other engine manufacturers, such as Pratt & Whitney or Rolls Royce, are also working on new technologies. Airplane manufacturers are thinking about longer, thinner, more flexible, folding wings. Boeing is even planning an aircraft with guyed wings (the structure of which is reinforced by external stays). Ultimately, recognizes Mr. Dalbiès, “it will be up to the aircraft manufacturers to decide”. One thing is certain: despite its imposing scale, the Rise should still find a place under the wings of the next medium-haul aircraft. To develop it, Safran plans to invest a billion euros and the American GE is also expected to spend a comparable amount.
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