LONDON- Rolls-Royce unveiled improvements to its Trent-series widebody engines, which powers Airbus A350s. The company aims to enhance durability and time-on-wing, especially in hot and sandy conditions.
The £1 billion (US$1.3 billion) technology insertion program, announced in February 2024, targets the Trent XWB-97 for the Airbus A350-1000, Trent 7000 for the A330neo, and Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787.
Airbus Rolls-Royce Engine
Simon Burr, Rolls-Royce’s group director of engineering, acknowledges that recent fuel-burn improvements across the industry have compromised durability. The company now seeks to correct this imbalance.
Rolls-Royce will incorporate technologies from its UltraFan demonstrator into production engines to achieve significant durability improvements, FlightGlobal Reported.
Burr highlights the 97,000lb-thrust Trent XWB-97’s high dispatch reliability but notes its insufficient durability in hot and sandy environments. The company focuses on addressing this specific issue.
Three Phase Program
Rolls-Royce launched a three-phase improvement program for the Trent XWB-97 engine.
- The first phase, already implemented, increases temperature margins on hot-section components and improves turbine case cooling.
- Phase two introduces CMAS-resistant coatings on high-pressure turbine (HPT) seals. These coatings resist sand effects. Production of these parts began in 2024, with service entry planned for late 2024.
- The third phase, starting in 2028, will bring significant HPT component modifications. These changes aim to greatly extend engine life, especially in Middle Eastern conditions.
Rolls-Royce will introduce revised HPT blades with enhanced cooling. The company will also add ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material to the HPT seal, improving the blade-seal interface.
Simon Burr, explains that the blade-seal interface runs hotter than initially modeled. This discovery prompted the CMC technology adoption.
Burr emphasizes the company’s confidence in these improvements. He notes that industrializing these technologies represents a significant portion of their current investment.
Satisfying Emirates
RR plans to update the Trent XWB-97’s combustor. This change will create a more uniform thermal profile for turbine blades, increasing their lifespan.
The company conducted extensive testing, including dust-ingestion trials using sand matching Middle Eastern composition and grain size. These tests ensure the engine’s durability in harsh environments.
Simon Burr emphasizes that these improvements have been in development for years. They address concerns raised by Emirates Airline (EK) president Sir Tim Clark at the November 2023 Dubai air show. Clark refused to order A350-1000s until engine durability issues were resolved.
Rolls-Royce will incorporate these upgrades into all new Trent XWB-97 engines. Existing engines will receive the improvements during scheduled overhauls.
A330neo Trent 7000 and 787 Trent 1000 Engine Update
Rolls-Royce continues to enhance the Trent 7000 engine. A significant durability update in September 2022 nearly doubled its time-on-wing across all environments.
The company plans to begin testing a new improvement in late 2024. This upgrade aims to increase durability by another 30%, according to Simon Burr, Rolls-Royce’s engineering director.
Burr mentions that technologies from the UltraFan project could further improve the Trent 7000. These advancements may lead to additional performance gains in the future.
The Trent 1000 engine urgently needs improvements. Burr acknowledges its “difficult story” and loss of market share to GE Aerospace’s GEnx due to durability issues.
Burr expresses frustration, noting that the parts being changed on the Trent 1000 are identical to those successfully upgraded in the Trent 7000. Both engines share the same core turbomachinery.
Rolls-Royce received European certification for Trent 1000 modifications in early 2024. Flight tests on a Boeing 787 will begin in August 2024, lasting about eight weeks. These tests are necessary before the improved engine enters service.
The company expects these upgrades to significantly enhance the Trent 1000 durability, matching improvements seen in the Trent 7000.
Positive Results for XWB-84
Rolls-Royce is also finalizing an upgrade for the Trent XWB-84 engine. This enhancement aims to improve specific fuel consumption by 1%. Certification is expected in late 2024, with service entry planned for 2025. Production of the first upgraded engine has already started.
Simon Burr, reports that flight tests show the XWB-84 upgrade performs better than the 1% target.
Rolls-Royce conducted over 100 test flights on an A350-900 aircraft to validate the Trent XWB-84 upgrade. Simon Burr reports positive results from these tests.
The improved fuel efficiency comes from revisions to the fan and aerodynamic design, enhancing compressor efficiency. Turbine blade cooling has also been upgraded.
These changes are too significant for retrofitting existing engines. The lower fuel consumption variant will only be available in new-build engines.
Rolls-Royce plans a second improvement phase, introducing turbine discs made from a new proprietary superalloy called RR1073. This material, developed for the UltraFan program, offers a more predictable lifespan and can withstand temperatures about 50 Kelvin hotter than the current RR1000 alloy.
The company has already manufactured turbine discs using RR1073. These components will be introduced to both the XWB-84 and -97 engines in 2025.
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