Rolls-Royce Introduces Trent 900 Improvements for A380 Operators

Rolls-Royce introduced the first of a two-phase performance improvement for the Trent 900 engines that power the Airbus A380 airliner. Turbofans now delivered to A380 operators have a 1-percent improvement in specific fuel consumption, compared with the initial units. Second-phase improvements due to enter service during 2013 will deliver a further 0.8-percent reduction in fuel burn.

In an October 21 press briefing, Trent 900 program director Rosie Toogood explained that all the improvements introduced focus on improving air flow and cooling of the engines. The first performance improvement package includes new elliptical leading edges (ELEs), tighter low-pressure tip clearance and a new hard coating for the high-pressure compressor drum. The second performance-improvement package, which is in its final stages, will cover the following elements: optimized fan blade tip clearance, better cooling of the turbine case, improved sealing for the low-pressure turbine, ELEs for the engine section stators, re-profiling of engine frames and upgrades to the air system.

Toogood said that the Trent 900 improvements have come about directly as a result of progress made with Rolls-Royce’s new Trent 1000 and Trent XWB engines, which respectively power the Boeing 787 and A350XWB. On October 18, Airbus installed the first Trent XWB test engine on an A380 testbed being used for A350XWB development. Other new features have come from the Trent 700EP turbofan, and also from the V2500Select and the latest versions of the AE3007. More than half the improved features will be retrofitable during overhauls.

According to Peter Johnstone, Rolls-Royce’s head of marketing for Airbus programs, the Trent 900 is now the most environmentally friendly powerplant available to A380 operators. He claimed that the engine now promises the lowest lifetime fuel burn, the smallest carbon footprint (in terms of carbon dioxide) and the lowest emissions levels for nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons (but not yet for smoke emissions).

To date, 11 of the 16 A380 operators have selected the Trent 900, and so far 30 Trent-powered aircraft have entered service. The first of six A380s on order for Malaysia Airlines made its first flight on October 20, ahead of deliveries to start in the second quarter of 2012. The Trent 900 has logged almost one million flight hours and more than 103,000 flight cycles.