Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 25. New versus old, CFM56 vs. LEAP
By Bjorn Fehrm
September 20, 2024, ©. Leeham News: We do an article series about engine development and why it has longer timelines than airframe development. It also carries larger risks of product maturity problems when it enters service than the airframe of an airliner.
In our look at examples of recent developments with problems and these put in a historical perspective, we compare the CFM56 to the LEAP, comparing their reliability and durability.
Figure 1. The CFM56 with its mid-span shrouded titanium fan. Source: CFM.
Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 24. New versus old, GTF versus V2500
By Bjorn Fehrm
September 13, 2024, ©. Leeham News: We do an article series about engine development and why it has longer timelines than airframe development. It also carries larger risks of product maturity problems when it enters service than the airframe of an airliner.
We have covered the engine’s different parts and their technology challenges. We now look at some examples of recent developments with problems and put them in a historical perspective.
Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 22. High Turbine technologies.
By Bjorn Fehrm
August 30, 2024, ©. Leeham News: We do an article series about engine development and why it has longer timelines than airframe development. It also carries larger risks of product maturity problems when it enters service than the airframe of an airliner.
We reached the turbine part on our way through the engine, where we last looked at high-pressure turbine temperatures. It’s the most stressed part of the engine and, in most cases, decides its durability. To understand why, we look closer at turbine technologies.
Figure 1. Our example engine, the LEAP-1A, is in cross-section with booster to compressor bleed valve area marked with a red circle. Source: CFM.
Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 18. Combustors.
By Bjorn Fehrm
August 2, 2024, ©. Leeham News: We do an article series about engine development. The aim is to understand why engine development now has longer timelines than airframe development and carries larger risks of product maturity problems.
To understand why engine development has become a challenging task, we need to understand engine fundamentals and the technologies used for these fundamentals.
We have covered the problem areas of (Figure 1) compression in the compressor and combustion, with its requirements on low Soot and NOx emissions. Now we look at how combustors are designed to achieve such low emissions.
Figure 1. The gas turbine cycle and its parts. Source: Rolls-Royce: The Jet Engine.
Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 16. Compressor air use.
By Bjorn Fehrm
July 19, 2024, ©. Leeham News: We do an article series about engine development. The aim is to understand why engine development now has longer timelines than airframe development and carries larger risks of product maturity problems.
To understand why engine development has become a challenging task, we need to understand engine fundamentals and the technologies used for these fundamentals.
We have covered the problem areas of a compressor and how these achieve power-to-air-pressure conversion efficiencies of over 90% by using advanced 3D airflow modeling. Now, we look at the users of the air from the engin’s compressor.
Figure 1. The gas turbine cycle and its parts. Source: Rolls-Royce: The Jet Engine.
To what extent can the A321XLR replace the Boeing 757, Part 3
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By Bjorn Fehrm
July 11, 2024, © Leeham News: We are comparing the Airbus a321XLR to the Boeing 757 to understand to what extent it can replace the 757 on the longer routes it operates for major airlines like United, American, and Delta.
We have looked at the development and operational history of the aircraft, their Apples-to-Apples capacity and range. Now, we use Leeham’s Aircraft Performance and Cost Model (APCM) to compare the operational costs of the aircraft.
Summary:
- The Boeing 757-200 has the same passenger capacity as the A321LR/XLR and a larger cargo capacity.
- Its range can compete with the A321LR but not the XLR. Both beat the 757 on operational economics.
Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 13. The compressor.
By Bjorn Fehrm
June 28, 2024, ©. Leeham News: We do an article series about engine development. The aim is to understand why engine development now has longer timelines than airframe development and carries larger risks of product maturity problems.
To understand why engine development has become a challenging task, we need to understand engine fundamentals and the technologies used for these fundamentals.
We have covered the need for the axial speed of the core air to decrease and increase depending on the needs of the core engine’s sections. Now, we will start to look at the different parts of the core in more detail. We start with the compressor.
Figure 1. The gas turbine cycle and its parts. Source: Rolls-Royce: The Jet Engine.
Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 10. Propeller, Rotor or Fan?
By Bjorn Fehrm
June 7, 2024, ©. Leeham News: We do an article series about engine development. The aim is to understand why engine development now has longer timelines than airframe development and carries larger risks of product maturity problems.
To understand why engine development has become a challenging task, we need to understand engine fundamentals and the technologies used for these fundamentals.
Following the last Corner on airframe integration, several comments were made about the definition of propeller, open rotor, and/or fan. So, we’ll explore this further.
Figure 1. Evolution of Wright Brothers propellers from 1903 to 1905. Source: wright-brothers.org
Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 10. Airframe integration
By Bjorn Fehrm
May 24, 2024, ©. Leeham News: We do an article series about engine development. The aim is to understand why engine development now has longer timelines than airframe development and carries larger risks of product maturity problems.
To understand why engine development has become a challenging task, we need to understand engine fundamentals and the technologies used for these fundamentals.
In the last Corner, we looked at the nacelles used for a turbofan engine and for an open-rotor engine. Now, we go one step further and look at the integration of modern engines on an airliner.
Figure 1. Boeing 737NG (left) and MAX (right) nacelles compared. Source: Leeham Graphic from Boeing 737 images.
Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 5. Turbofan design problems
By Bjorn Fehrm
April 26, 2024, ©. Leeham News: We do an article series about engine development. The aim is to understand why engine development now dominates new airliner development when it comes to the needed calendar time and risks.
To understand why engine development has become a challenging task, we need to understand engine fundamentals and the technologies used for these fundamentals.
We discussed geared versus direct-drive turbofans last week. Now, we’ll examine some design problems for these engines.
Figure 1. The Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofan, with its unique aluminum fan. Source: Pratt & Whitney.