Airbus has selected the Honeywell HGT1500 auxiliary power unit (APU) to supply pneumatic and electric power for the new A350 twinjet.
The programme could generate up to $4 billion in original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and aftermarket revenue for Honeywell over the life of the programme, the US company says.
The new HGT1500 is a high-power density gas turbine APU configured to provide pneumatic and electric power to support aircraft operations. The pneumatic and electric power supports cabin conditioning and main engine starting during ground operations and emergency power for in-flight operation.
This new APU provides the equivalent of 1,500hp (1,120kW) in the form of pressurised bleed air and electrical power to support various aircraft systems allowing the aircraft to operate autonomously, free of supplemental ground power sources. It uses a load-compressor architecture to deliver up to 2.86kg/s (6.3lb/s) of bleed air on the ground and in flight up to 25,000ft (7,620m) altitude.
The bleed air is primarily used by the aircraft environmental control system to ventilate and condition the cabin temperature and for starting the main engines. The APU can provide up to 200hp of shaft power to drive the gearbox-mounted electrical generator. The APU will be capable of starting and providing supplemental electrical power up to 41,500ft. The HGT1500 will be ETOPS certificated to support long-range flight operations.
“Honeywell has worked with Airbus to understand the specific needs of their A350 aircraft programme and develop an APU design that meets or exceeds requirements for high performance and reliability at a light weight and low cost while assuring low programme risk,” says Greg Albert, vice-president Airbus programmes, Honeywell Aerospace.
Source: Flight Daily News
