Gulfstream’s Switch to PurePower for G500/600 Engines Pays Off

Gulfstream’s decision to switch to Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) as the engine provider for its new G500 and G600 large-cabin business jets appears to be vindicated even ahead of type certification for the new models. P&WC tapped the PurePower technology it developed for the PW1000 family of regional airliner engines to come up with the 15,144-pound-thrust PW814GA engine and 15,680-pound-thrust PW815GA that, respectively power the G500 and the G600.

According to Mark Kohler, Gulfstream’s vice president of advanced aircraft programs, the common integrated powerplant system that both new models share is set to drive down fuel consumption, emissions and noise. The performance improvements come from features such as a wide-chord integrally bladed single-structure 50-inch fan, composite nacelles, dual channel Fadec controls and a more efficient composite thrust reverser. The two versions of the PW800 turbofan have common architecture, with the additional thrust for the PW815GA achieved through a Fadec-setting change.

The new engines also look set to score well by delivering on-condition maintenance. No midlife inspection is required, and there is a 10,000-flight-hour time between overhaul. The TBO is the same as for the Rolls-Royce-powered G650 model, but a 2,000-hour extension compared witth the G450 and G550 models.

Gulfstream has yet to publish specific fuel consumption figures for the G500/600 engines. It says that the nitrous oxide (NOx) emission margin beats CAEP/6 standards by 33 percent, and that community noise levels for the G500 are already projected as being similar to those of the G650, and within FAR 36 requirements by a substantial margin. The cut in emissions is in large part due to P&WC’s advanced Talon X combustor technology.

“The engines are performing very well and we are confident that they will achieve better performance than the design specifications,” said Dan Nale, senior vice president for programs, engineering and test. “Pratt & Whitney Canada has the best products for these applications, and we started working with them on the G200.”

P&WC originally had intended to launch the PW800 engine family with Cessna’s Citation Columbus jet, but that program was abandoned. “We are the only one with a true next-generation engine, and it will deliver about a 10 percent improvement in fuel efficiency [compared with other engines with the same thrust ratings],” said Scott McElvaine, senior director for PurePower PW800 marketing and customer service.

“We will also deliver world-class performance in terms of reliability,” he told AIN. “We have paid a lot of attention to the powerplant design in order to strip out 40 percent of on-wing scheduled maintenance, including eliminating 20 percent of all inspections.”

With the PW814GA and PW815GA engines certified some time ago, P&WC has been able to focus on achieving a high level of preparedness for service entry. It has been working on improving the operating manuals, as well as on maintenance and training procedures. A per-hour maintenance plan is available under the ESP PurePower PW800 program.