Safran Develops the Aircraft Engine of Tomorrow

Safran, a French multinational corporation that specializes in the development and manufacturing of aircraft and rocket engines, has been spearheading the development of a future-generation aircraft engine known as the “open rotor.” This new engine will utilize revolutionary architecture to decrease fuel consumption and CO2 emission.

Safran is estimating that its new design will consume 30% less fuel than current jet engines today, an ambitious but very realistic goal. Under the Clean Sky European initiative, Safran will make use of new technology to achieve these goals. The new open rotor engine will be composed of two parts: a conventional gas generator and a turbine driving two counter-rotating fans. Because the new design won’t have any ducting around the fans, it will be able to increase drawn air flow dramatically and thereby reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

However, there are some issues with the initial design that still need to be addressed. Among these are the noise levels, which are only marginally below those of engines being used today. This would definitely need to be improved should the open rotor engine truly be considered a future-generation engine. With preliminary testing already completed, such issues need to be resolved quickly, as the engine is expected to be ready for bench as early as 2015.

Assuming the propulsion module with the reduction gearbox, control units, and control system governing the blade pitches run smoothly, the engine will be ready for flight tests on the Airbus A340 in 2019. By 2030, the engine is expected to be fully-operational and in service.

Safran SA, founded in 2005 in Paris,France, was formed via the merger of SNECMA and SAGEM. SNECMA and SAGEM was an aircraft and rocket engine manufacturer and security company, respectively. The result was aerospace component, security, and engine company which generates an estimated 13.56 billion euros in annual revenue. The company has 62,500 employees across its many groups and subsidiaries, which include but are not limited to Snecma, Turbomeca, Herakles, and Techspace Aero. Together, these are involved in the propulsion of aeroplanes, missiles, launchers, helicopters, civil and military aviation, and the space markets.

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