Rolls-Royce All Set To Test Its Technology Demonstrator

According to a press release issued by Rolls-Royce on December 20th, the company has completed construction of its UltraFan® a technology demonstration and is now prepared to begin testing.

To further the programme's goals, the demonstrator engine was moved from the construction facility to Testbed 80 in Derby, UK, where it was subsequently mounted in order to undergo testing.

According to the press release, the demonstrator will be powered entirely by Sustainable Aviation Fuel during its first test flight early in the new year.

 The year ended on a high note for Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace President Chris Cholerton, who remarked, "Seeing the UltraFan demonstration come together and getting ready for test in Testbed 80 is fantastic. This is a huge step forward for the programme and the whole team that's been working on it, and we've all been looking forward to it.

The next step, he continued, would be to witness UltraFan run for the first time on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel in 2023, demonstrating that the technology is prepared to support more sustainable flight in the future.

The press release states that the UltraFan demonstrator, with a fan diameter of 140 inches, provides a 25% fuel efficiency improvement compared to the first generation of Trent engines, and that this is made possible by the combination of a new engine design and a suite of technologies to support sustainable air travel for decades to come.

UltraFan provides a number of environmentally friendly options that help get us closer to a future when aeroplanes produce no harmful emissions.

Improved fuel economy and lower emissions are possible in the near future by adapting innovations from the UltraFan development programme for use in existing Trent engines. Long-term, UltraFan's technology, which is scalable from 25,000-110,000lb thrust, has the potential to significantly enhance fuel efficiency of both narrowbody and widebody aircraft by up to 10%, as stated in the press release.

Considering the UltraFan demonstrator's size and technical complexity, Testbed 80, the world's largest and most intelligent testbed, was created just for it. In 2020, it opened to the public and has since logged many hours of experimental engine testing.

The press release concludes by listing the organisations that are backing the UltraFan technology demonstrator programme. These organisations include the Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK from the United Kingdom, the European Union's Clean Sky programmes, LuFo, and the German state of Brandenburg.

By Sumita Pawar