GE convinced PDE holds ‘game-changing’ potential

The efficiency of the gas turbine engines that power today’s commercial and military aircraft is approaching the highest level possible with current turbof

By Julian Moxon

February 11, 2008

The efficiency of the gas turbine engines that power today’s commercial and military aircraft is approaching the highest level possible with current turbofans. But a totally new technology being pioneered by GE Aviation and researchers worldwide promises far simpler, more efficient engines that will extend aircraft range, cut fuel costs and reduce emissions.

For more than 60 years, the technology of turbine engines in which air is sucked into the engine by a fan, compressed, burned and expanded through a turbine to produce thrust has been a highly successful way of powering both civil and military aircraft. Modern turbine engines are incredibly reliable, spending thousands of hours on-wing, burning fuel with ever more efficiency.

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