Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has been selected by Airbus Industrie to supply its newly revealed PW9XX auxiliary power unit (APU) for the consortium's planned A3XX ultra large aircraft, overcoming stiff opposition from Honeywell.
P&WC says the engine is a growth version of the PW901A, the company's sole APU product, which is used exclusively on the Boeing 747-400.
Although P&WC declines to reveal details of the growth engine, its output is likely to be sized in the 1,200kW (1,610hp) -1,490kW and 360kg/min (790 lb/min) airflow range.
The demanding electrical requirements of the A3XX, which will have an electro-hydrostatically actuated control system in place of a third hydraulic system, are also expected to drive the APU up in size. Each A3XX engine is planned to generate 150kVA, for a total of 600kVA. The APU, which normally has a load gearbox incorporating mounting pads for two engine-sized generators, is likely to be designed to generate up to 300kVA.
P&WC says the "PW9XX will also incorporate the latest technology advances in areas such as aerodynamics, materials and engine controls, to offer the level of reliability and durability that major airlines expect."
The growth 901A version, which itself is based on the P&WC PT6 turboprop family, is expected to use technology developed for higher powered versions of the PT6C series as well as smaller elements taken from even larger turboprop engines such as the PW150A.
Airbus large aircraft division head Jürgen Thomas says another 14 requests for proposals covering items such as the landing gear, environmental control system, electrical system, avionics and engine nacelles (Flight International, 8-14 August) have been released with most of the supplier selections due to be made by the end of the year.
Source: Flight International
