The aviation industry is responsible for a huge amount of air pollution that causes the planet to overheat. To make planes more fuel efficient, a group of companies are trying to redesign them to look a little more like early aircraft, Autoevolution reported.
According to the International Energy Agency, the aviation industry is currently not on track to meet climate targets. Industry was responsible for 2% of all global energy-related carbon pollution in 2022, the IEA said — a pretty large amount when you consider that a small percentage of people on Earth have ever flown in an airplane, let alone a particular one. year. .
However, a group of organizations—including French engine manufacturer Safran Aircraft Engines, French-American aerospace company CFM International, French ONERA (Office National d’Etudes et Recherches Aérospatiales), and GE Aerospace—formed the RISE program. This partnership led to Safran and ONERA testing a new engine design called the Open Fan powerplant.
Modern aircraft are built around an engine enclosed in a protective container called a nacelle, but the Open Fan engine would not have the fan completely enclosed, making it resemble an older propeller. The design is “the most efficient and sustainable option for improving engine propulsive efficiency,” according to Autoevolution.
Safran recently completed testing of the device at ONERA facilities and reported that “Open Fan aims to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20%.”
“This series of wind tunnel tests is an important milestone in our Research and Technology roadmap, which aims to develop the technological building blocks for the next generation of commercial jet engines,” said Pierre Cottenceau, vice president of Engineering and Safran Aircraft Engines P&T.
Another similar type of redesigned jet engine is also in the works at General Electric Aerospace and NASA. The scientists designing it say it could reduce fuel use by up to 10%. Other recent attempts to reduce pollution from the aviation industry include sustainable fuels and electric flying machines.
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