Beyond the Horizon: Innovations in Aviation Engine Technology
Morris Plains, NJ, Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 
Over the past decade, the aviation industry has undergone a period of significant advancement in engine technology. The engines used in commercial aviation today have come a long way in reducing emissions and increasing fuel efficiency.
Kharina, A. and Rutherford, D. (2015). Fuel efficiency trends for new commercial jet aircraft: 1960 to 2014. [online] Available at: https://theicct.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ICCT_Aircraft-FE-Trends_20150902.pdf [Accessed 10 Jan. 2025].
Between 1961 and 2014, the average fuel burn of commercial jet aircraft was reduced by approximately 45%. This improvement was achieved, in part, by changes in the composition of the aircraft structure. However, the majority of this reduction came from efficiency gains in the fuel burn of the engines.
These advances have enabled airlines to reduce their operating costs and lower their carbon footprint, with communities near airports also benefiting from less noise disruption.
New Projects on the Horizon
As has always been the case in the aviation industry, technology continues to evolve, and the CFM RISE and the Rolls-Royce UltraFan are two advancements that are poised to revolutionize the industry.
CFM RISE
The CFM RISE has the potential to revolutionize powerplant technology. CFM, a joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran, is a leading engine manufacturer that has designed and built many of the engines you see powering narrowbody aircraft today. The RISE program accelerates the development of new propulsion technologies and builds upon tests carried out by GE in the late 1980s that proved the efficiency of open-rotor engines.
To maximize fuel efficiency in propulsion, the physics of propulsive efficiency dictates that an engine should propel the largest possible volume of air at the lowest possible exhaust velocity. The quest for greater propulsive efficiency has fuelled the growth of engine fan diameters in commercial jet engines. CFM believe that this evolution is ultimately leading to open fan architectures.
Unlike modern turbofan engines, whose engine components are enclosed in engine casings, RISE’s innovative design has an open fan architecture. The engine features a single rotating fan, with variable-pitch carbon fibre blades, behind which sits a row of static guide vanes.
photo courtesy of GE Aerospace
The goal is for RISE to be 20% more fuel efficient with 20% less carbon emissions compared with CFM’s current Leap engine, which itself delivered a 15% improvement in fuel burn over the preceding CFM56.
As well as being significantly more fuel efficient using standard jet fuel, the CFM RISE technology is being developed to be fuel-source agnostic, meaning it will be compatible with alternative energy sources such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrogen.
The engine uses advanced materials and manufacturing processes. 3D weaved carbon fibre composite blades enable larger fan diameters and propulsive efficiency, and advanced metal alloys and ceramics improve thermal efficiency.
You may think this design is similar to that of turboprop aircraft engines. However, the open fan architecture of RISE will be able to fly at the same speed as current single-aisle aircraft powered by current turbofan technology.
What effect does this have on safety? Engine blades spin incredibly quickly, and engine casings are designed to contain these blades should they fail. Could this new design be prioritizing efficiency over safety? Thankfully, incidents such as this are extremely rare, even on traditional turboprop aircraft, and advancements in material technology mitigate these risks.
Flight demonstrations are slated to begin in the next couple of years.
The UltraFan
The UltraFan is a cutting-edge turbofan engine under development by Rolls-Royce, promising a 10% efficiency improvement over its predecessor, the Trent XWB. While building upon existing technology, the UltraFan incorporates several key innovations.
Notably, it utilizes the geared architecture developed by Pratt & Whitney. In this design, the fan and the core operate independently, unlike conventional turbofan designs with synchronized rotation on a single shaft.
This decoupling allows for a larger and more efficient fan, spinning at a slower rate. Compared to conventional turbofans, the larger fan diameter propels a far greater volume of air at a much lower exhaust velocity. This translates to improved thrust, reduced fuel consumption and lower noise levels. Furthermore, the slower fan speed enables the use of lighter-weight materials due to reduced stress on the components. The UltraFan will have the largest bypass ratio of any engine used today on commercial jet aircraft.
photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce highlights several key benefits of the UltraFan:
- Fuel efficiency: A 25% fuel burn improvement over the first-generation Trent engine.
- Reduced emissions: Targets a 40% reduction in NOx emissions and a 35% reduction in noise compared to previous models.
- Sustainability: Fully compatible with 100% SAF.
- Versatility: Modular design enables customization to suit various aircraft types and thrust requirements.
These two new engine designs face some considerable challenges, including:
Complexity: Developing and producing these engines presents significant challenges due to their intricate designs. The Carbon/Titanium composite fan blade on the UltraFan is the largest ever produced for civil aerospace and exemplifies this complexity. Manufacturing such a massive and intricate component on a large scale while adhering to stringent regulations and industry standards demands unprecedented engineering and manufacturing expertise.
Integration: Seamlessly integrating these engines into the existing global aircraft fleet requires close collaboration between the engine and aircraft manufacturers. The constantly evolving landscape of aircraft design necessitates continuous adaptation and innovation in powertrain technology.
Competition: Maintaining a competitive edge in the aerospace market is crucial for the OEM’s success. Each is consistently striving for advancements in engine efficiency and cost-effectiveness to outpace rivals and remain a leader in the industry.
These challenges highlight the significant engineering feats required to successfully develop and introduce this innovative engine to the market.
Looking to the Future
Given that sustainability and efficiency will remain the focus of engine development in the future, we are likely to see additional trends develop.
Efficiency: Through continued refinement of existing technologies, you can expect to see further improvements. With high bypass ratio engines, improved engine aerodynamics, and more advance materials. Geared turbofans will likely become more prevalent in the airline industry.
Electric and hybrid propulsion: In the coming decades, we are likely to see electric and hybrid propulsion for short-haul flights, as there have already been significant advancements in this sector. Long-haul flights using alternative energy sources are still very much in the early stages of development.
Sustainability: Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) will play a crucial role in reducing global emissions. These fuels will become more prevalent once the global supply increases and costs come down considerably. Hydrogen propulsion has the potential to offer zero-emission flights. This area is being actively developed and researched with some zero-emission flights already having taken place on smaller aircraft.
Enhanced design processes: The development of aircraft engines relies heavily on extremely sophisticated fluid dynamics software and testing technologies. As these systems develop and processing power grows, we’ll likely see further improvements in current engine technology as well as entirely new concepts and drastic design changes. With the CFM RISE, for example, simulating the airflow of a full-scale open fan architecture in detail required the world’s most powerful supercomputer running GE-developed computational fluid dynamics software.
In Conclusion
Continued innovation in engine technology is critical to meeting commercial aviation’s long-term climate goal of net zero emissions by 2050. The good news is that there are positive results from programs already underway. These innovative designs will shape and inspire the next generation of engine technology, paving the way for a green aviation future.
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