Pratt &Whitney Canada is in talks with potential launch customers for its PW800 geared turbofan as it begins testing the Advanced Technology Fan Integrator (ATFI) demonstrator engine.
The PW800 will have a new, all-axial core and is intended to cover the 10,000-19,000lb thrust (44.5kN-84.5kN) range, bridging the gap between P&WC's PW300 and P&W's PW6000. It is likely to enter production in the 14,000-15,000lb range.
The demonstrator ran for the first time on 17 March and flight tests on the company's Boeing 720 testbed are planned for the first quarter of next year. P&WC hopes to be in a position to launch development of the engine "in the next 12 months or so", but does not expect a PW800-powered business or regional jet to enter service before 2006-7, says president and chief executive Gilles Quimet.
The ATFI is based on P&WC's PW308 core, with a new MTU-supplied low-pressure turbine driving a Pratt &Whitney-developed fan via a gearbox supplied by FiatAvio. The geared design allows the fan and power turbine to run at optimum speeds, improving efficiency. The AFTI has a two-stage power turbine, swept fan with a 7.8 bypass ratio and a 7,500kW (10,000shp) reduction gearbox.
The challenge now is to find a launch application. "The first 70-seat regional jet is just coming on stream, and the next two are just a year or two behind," says Quimet. "We would be pretty naive if we thought any of those manufacturers were going to turn around and start the re-investment cycle before they've seen some money back. We have to be patient and keep looking. There may be a not so conventional opportunity to launch."
General Electric began flight testing its CF34-8 growth engine on its Boeing 747 testbed on 2 April. The 14,500lb-thrust engine powers the Bombardier CRJ900, Embraer ERJ-170 and Fairchild Dornier 728JET. Certification is set for the second quarter of 2002.Source: Flight International
