Pratt & Whitney's PurePower® Geared Turbofan™, the Future of Aviation, Visits the Nation's Capital
 |
WASHINGTON, July 19, 2017 -- Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. , is displaying its PurePower® Geared Turbofan on Capitol Hill today, the revolutionary new engine platform that is more fuel and cost efficient. This new engine program has proven to be extraordinarily popular around the world with more than 8,000 engines on order, including options and unannounced orders, driving continued U.S. leadership in technology-led manufacturing, U.S. exports, and growing U.S. jobs and investment.
The engine will be on display on South Capitol Street between C and D Streets SE from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. All are welcome to visit.
"The Geared Turbofan, with its revolutionary design, is the future of aviation, and is a great example of U.S. manufacturing leadership," said Pratt & Whitney President Bob Leduc. "Pratt & Whitney expects to hire 25,000 people by 2026, helping to ensure that we meet production targets and maintenance standards, and we will continue to invest in our facilities and supply chain – a majority of which is spent in the United States, while growing U.S. exports. This is the beginning of the next great age in aircraft propulsion, and the GTF engine is in its first years of a 30+ year program."
Of the company's $770 million in supply chain spend to support the GTF engine program over the course of 2016, 78 percent, or $600 million, was spent in the United States, supporting local economies and job creation.
In addition, Pratt & Whitney is investing $1.3 billion in upgrading and updating its manufacturing and service centers to meet the demands of the new program, including a $400+ million expansion of the company's two Connecticut facilities, $451 million expansion of its Columbus, GA, facility, and opening a new facility in Lansing, MI, to produce fan blades.
The company is currently seeking people for 500+ jobs in the United States, and expects to hire 25,000 people by 2026. Please visit www.utc.com/careers for job openings. Pratt & Whitney is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
In order to develop talent to support the GTF engine and other programs well into the future, Pratt & Whitney works closely with universities as well as technical and community colleges worldwide to train and inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists and advanced manufacturing professionals. These efforts include contributing $125,000 to the Goodwin College Certified Production Technician Manufacturing program in Pratt & Whitney's hometown of East Hartford, CT; investing more than $4.5 million to construct one of the most advanced additive manufacturing laboratories in the nation at the University of Connecticut; designing the advanced technology curriculum with Palm Beach State College – and hiring graduates of the program at Pratt & Whitney's Palm Beach facility; creating a network of Pratt & Whitney Centers of Excellence in universities focused on technical research projects, giving students access to state-of-the-art equipment and hands-on experience prior to graduation. Other programs include collaborations with the York County Community College in Maine, University of North Texas-Arlington, Columbus State University, and Columbus Technical College in Georgia.
Pratt & Whitney invested 20 years and $10 billion in developing the revolutionary GTF engine. The engine, which has been in service for a year and has passed its first 200,000 flight hours, reduced fuel burn by 16%, emissions by 50% and noise by 75%.
The 16% fuel performance step-change offered by the GTF is the result of 48 new technologies and a fundamental shift in design architecture. That innovative design allows the fans to spin at a different speed than the turbine, and results in a 75% smaller noise footprint. Each GTF-powered airplane can annually save approximately $1 million in fuel and impact 500,000 fewer airport neighbors with noise from takeoffs and landings. This improves the quality of life for airport communities, and offers new economic benefits to airports seeking to extend their operating day without undue disruption to the surrounding communities.
About Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp., is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC.
Pratt & Whitney's PurePower® PW1000G Engine Family is not just a concept or a promise for the future—it is reality. The PurePower Engine Changes Everything—It's Not The Same Old Turbofan
With 20 years of research and development, component rig testing on all major modules, extensive ground and flight testing underway, two engines in the family certified and the PW1100G-JM carrying passengers on a daily basis, the PurePower PW1000G engine with Geared Turbofan™ technology delivers game-changing reductions in:
• Fuel burn
• Environmental emissions
• Engine noise
• Operating costs
In the PurePower PW1000G engine family, a state of the art gear system separates the engine fan from the low pressure compressor and turbine, allowing each of the modules to operate at their optimum speeds. This enables the fan to rotate slower and while the low pressure compressor and turbine operate at a high speed, increasing engine efficiency and delivering significantly lower fuel consumption, emissions and noise. This increased efficiency also translates to fewer engine stages and parts for lower weight and reduced maintenance costs.
The PurePower PW1000G engine's fan-drive gear system is just one component of this next-generation engine. The PurePower PW1000G engine also incorporates advances in aerodynamics, lightweight materials and other major technology improvements in the high-pressure spool, low-pressure turbine, combustor, controls, engine health monitoring and more.
Technology That Is Shaping The Future Of Aviation Today
Pratt & Whitney has been actively testing all key components of the PurePower PW1000G engine family, with 16 technology rigs running around the world. In 2008, Pratt & Whitney's full-scale demonstrator engine completed its rigorous 400-hour ground and flight test program with test results that indicated the engine delivers the performance and efficiency targets of this revolutionary technology.
The PW1100G-JM engine for Airbus A320neo family of aircraft and the PW1500G engine for the Bombardier CSeries are certified. The PW1400G-JM engine for the Irkut MC-21 aircraft, the PW1200G engine for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet and the PW1900G for the Embraer E190-E2 are all in testing. The PW1100G-JM began powering revenue flights in January 2016.
Pratt & Whitney's PurePower PW1000G engine has been recognized by Popular Science Magazine with a 2009 "Best of What's New Award." In addition to the Popular Science award, Pratt & Whitney's PurePower engine family also received the 2009 Aviation Week Laureate Award for outstanding achievement in Aeronautics and Propulsion and the 2008 Technology Breakthrough Award from the China Aviation Association and AVIC Science and Technology department. In 2015 the engine won a Gold Edison Award and was named an Aviation Climate Solution by the Air Transport Action Group.
PRATT & WHITNEY PUREPOWER® ENGINES. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.™
