Jet engines of the future

Citation

(2001), "Jet engines of the future", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 73 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2001.12773fab.021

Jet engines of the future

Jet engines of the future

Keywords: University of Sussex, Jet engines

Researchers at the University of Sussex have been awarded just under half a million pounds from the European Union to help develop the jet engine of the future.

"Although the jet engine has been around for a long time, we're still managing to develop the technology", says Dr Peter Childs, reader in Mechanical Engineering in the Thermo-Fluid Mechanics Research Centre. The four year project involves looking at how quickly the components inside a jet engine get hot, and will use the centre's gas turbine driven engine.

As Dr Childs explains, "the life of the components in a jet engine and their integrity is limited by the fact that they are rotating at high speed and at temperatures of well over 1,000°C. This project is principally to look at providing design methodologies to help predict temperatures within jet engines.

Another objective of the project is to reduce fuel consumption. "If you're saving on fuel it's a win-win situation in terms of both costs and the environment", says Dr Childs.

The project will contribute to the development of the new Rolls-Royce Trent 900 jet engine which will power the new double-decker Airbus 380, which is designed to carry 550 passengers and is due to enter service in 2006.