European Teams Pursue Environmentally Friendly Aircraft Engines

A multinational team of European companies is developing advanced propulsion systems for commercial transports as part of the Affordable Near Term Low Emissions program. ANTEL targets near- or intermediate-term applications in production engines. The EU's European Fifth Framework Program is funding half of the $100 million budget.

The near-term effort is focusing on a low-emissions engine designed by Rolls-Royce. The second group teams MTU Aero Engines and Snecma in the Environmentally Friendly Aero Engine program. CLEAN takes a long-term view of the problem, and offers far-reaching solutions that will provide economic savings and environmental benefits.

MTU is pursuing a solution using heat exchangers. Compared to current turbofans, an engine of this type will provide a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and an 80% reduction in the emission of nitrogen oxide. Fuel consumption will be reduced by 20%.

Under CLEAN, MTU and Snecma jointly lead a nine-partner consortium. MTU and Volvo are developing the high-speed, high-temperature, low-pressure turbine, while Snecma, Italy's FiatAvio, and Belgium's Techspace Aero, are working on the core. MTU is contributing its heat exchanger technology there too. The program is currently at an advanced stage, with manufacturing and assembly planned for next year and test runs scheduled for 2003.