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Ultra High Bypass Jet Engine Green Technology Airline Flight Test
The buzzwords in clean power for jet planes today are Geared Turbofan (GTF) and Advanced Turbofan (ATF). But in 1989 when this award winning story was produced, everyone was talking about Ultra High Bypass (UHB) jet engines. General Electric (GE) was testing the Unducted Fan (UDF) and a team of Pratt & Whitney and Allison were experimenting with a geared propfan design. Test platforms consisted of a Boeing B-727 and a then Douglas MD-80 with most flights taking place at California’s Mojave Airport. This video also includes an appearance by the late brilliant Aviation Week Editor Michael Dornheim. He will be missed. Clearly, this video is from our archive, not a recent production. For more current news about the leading edge of safety, tactics and technology, please visit www.aerospacenews.com We’d appreciate links from your website and blogs too.
So why are these engines not used today in the high priced oil market?…
More advanced versions are coming soon from P&W and GE. The price of fuel did not increase enough in the early 90s to drive use – plus – there were concerns about noise and cost and public perception (back to “props”).
I remember reading about this many many years ago, I thought their was a noise issue in the cabin with this kind of engine? It could have been just the oil company’s making stuff up?
I believe you are correct about cabin noise but they were saying at the time that could be addressed with treatements to the plane and tip speed/shape. The 2009 projects are all shrouded like conventional fanjets – they are not unducted like the story here – but the bypass ratios are very high as attempted before.
Agree noise was a major problem for the back props specially with the two stage configuration demonstrated. in the a turbo-Fan configuration the diffuser inlet and specially the exhaust mixer at the end of the engine helped improved a lot the acoustics and increased engine performance at the same time.
“More advanced versions are coming soon from P&W and GE”.
Very interesting. I also see stories from time to time about hydrogen powered engines for planes. Of course there are cooled liquid hydrogen powered engines and Fuel-cell powered. Is any of this tested by P&W and GE as well?…Thanks.
Since the 1990′s, the Piaggio Avanti II has become a significant player in the GA markets, and from the inside, they are very quiet birds.
The square wave sound of the engines is quite pronounced, but IMO, not objectionable as the roaring of jet engines
.
Could that same technology be used for air liners??
Thanks for the comment! The beautiful Avanti (and it is beautiful) is using aft facing turboprops – nothing too exotic as far as I know. I think the blade tips are aft of passenger accomadations in the cabin which may be why it is quiet inside. Outside they remind me of a big Rutan LongEz. Open Rotor Jets and Ultra High Bypass Turbines are outgrowths of this core technology me thinks.
finally it came
now we have devices that help reduce noise and their are new designes coming out soon such as easyjet’s new ecojet
If they want to replace jets with this, they are insane. This is by nature (wave drag) incapable of the speeds of jets. That’s not progress. It’s regression.
.50 A GALLON!!!!
Yep, that was what is was when this story was produced in 1989 for the airline industry. Days long gone!
50 cent a gallon? here in Sweden, 0,26 gallon (one litre) costs around $2…
Mr Eckels looks like he’s been possessed by malign spirits. Check out his eyes. Pause it at 2:19. Shivers…
the liquid hydrogen powered one is still on the drawing board
check out a concept call A2 by reaction engine on wikipedia
Thanks for your comment!
Be nice – perhaps he was simply tired.
Ha ha, perhaps.
Sorry Mr Eckels. Please don’t take my impertinent soul…
Anyway, excuse the off-topic comment.
Incidentally, I heard something last month on Radio Four over here in the UK about Rolls Royce currently working to develop the open-rotor system. They seemed pretty determined to make it happen commercially.
Great video thank you!