Tests have been carried out at the Derby (United Kingdom) facility, with the engine running on 100% sustainable aviation fuel supplied by Air BP.
“The Ultrafan Demonstrator is a game changer: the technologies we are testing under this program have the potential to improve the engines of today as well as the engines of tomorrow,” said Tufan Erginbiljic, CEO of Rolls-Royce.
The Ultrafan, which includes a suite of new technologies such as carbon-titanium blades, Advanced 3 cores, a new combustion chamber and high-output gearbox, should increase fuel consumption by 10% on the engine. From the manufacturer’s latest, the Trent XWB, or 25% over previous Trent models.
Rolls-Royce is looking at the potential use of the technologies through the UltraFan program in its existing family of Trent widebody engines, helping to improve their efficiency and reliability.
With more time to develop, Motorist looks to “scalable” architectures spanning the 25,000 to 100,000-pound thrust range, as well as future single- or dual-aisle applications in the early 2030s is applicable.
Gary Elliott, chief executive of the Aerospace Institute of Technology (ATI), says the Ultrafan “puts the UK at the forefront of the global market and is absolutely vital to the future of the UK aero-engine industry”.
At the end of the project, scheduled for December 2026, the UltraFan H2 design should reach readiness level 6, which would allow entry into service around the year 2035.
