ATC
P&W gearing up on new engine
While focused on delivering geared turbofan (GTF) engines for the new Mitsubishi MRJ and Bombardier C Series, Pratt & Whitney is turning its attention

While focused on delivering geared turbofan (GTF) engines for the new Mitsubishi MRJ and Bombardier C Series, Pratt & Whitney is turning its attention to the wider applications of a technology that offers a 12- to 15-percent improvement in fuel burn by allowing the engine fan and low-pressure turbine to operate at optimum speeds.

Robert Keady, senior v-p sales P&W Commercial Engines & Global Services, told reporters here in Dubai yesterday that the GTF unit (which weighs between 350 and 300 pounds) would be of a different design for applications to larger engines beyond the 30,000-pound top thrust that it has so far tested with its PW6000-based demonstrator engine. “We may change the gearbox and go from a 3:1 to a 4:1 gear ratio,” he admitted.