CFM has completed certification of the advanced CFM56 Tech Insertion compressor upgrade kit, the engine-maker said at Farnborough.
The upgrade gives operators of mature CFM56-7B and CFM56-5B engines up to 1% lower fuel consumption, along with lower maintenance costs.
In addition to the compressor kit, CFM also offers a full Tech Insertion core upgrade, comprising high- and low-pressure turbine hardware, for the more than 7,250 CFM56-5B and CFM56-7B engines delivered before production shift in 2007.
CFM has completed an exhaustive series of tests on eight different development engines. These powerplants underwent icing tests, compressor and turbine blade stress tests and tests for hail ingestion, emissions and over-temperature. There was also a 150h block test, and a 65h flight test programme on GE’s B747 flying testbed.
Eleven additional engines completed a combined total of 1,230 hours of flight tests on Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.
Overall, Tech Insertion engines logged a total of more than 3,650 hours and 17,300 cycles of development, endurance, and certification testing. To date, more than 1,350 Tech Insertion engines have been delivered for B737 and A320 airliners, and the fleet has logged more than 1.6 million flight hours and 900,000 flight cycles without a single engine-related incident.
Over the engine's life cycle, CFM56 Tech Insertion will provide operators with better fuel burn and longer time on wing through an equivalent 15 - 20° C additional exhaust gas temperature margin and between 5% and 15% lower maintenance costs, depending on the thrust rating.
The engine also meets the new CAEP/6 standards that took effect in early 2008. These benefits are achieved through improvements to the high-pressure compressor, the combustor, and the high- and low-pressure turbines. The emissions benefit can only be realised by incorporating the full Tech Insertion core upgrade of compressor, combustor and turbine.
Source: Flight International
