GE Aerospace and partners achieve new milestone

For example, in 2018, GE90 engines powered the first commercial airliner flight with 100% SAF in both engines on the Boeing ecoDemonstrator, a 777 freighter in partnership with FedEx Express. Then in 2021, LEAP-1B engines^* powered the first passenger experimental flight with 100% SAF in one of the two engines on a United Airlines Boeing 737-8. In 2023, LEAP-1B engines powered test flights on 100% SAF in both engines of the Boeing ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a 737-10 destined for United Airlines, as part of emissions testing with NASA. Most recently, in November 2023, Emirates became the first airline to operate an Airbus A380 using 100% SAF in one of the four GP7200 engines.^**

Additional engines tested at the component-, engine-, or aircraft-level using 100% SAF include F414, GE9X, LEAP-1A^*, Passport, GEnx, HF120^***, and CFM56^* engines. The wide range of tests represents a mix of propulsion systems used for domestic and international commercial air travel, military aviation, and business and general aviation. These tests also evaluated a wide scope of factors, such as engine performance and the impact of 100% SAF on contrails and emissions.

GE Aerospace and its JVs power three out of every four commercial flights globally.

"These tests demonstrate that we are leading and prepared to support our customers to operate on SAF. We're proud of doing the hard work to better understand the impact of different emissions on the environment and using science to guide the technology we are developing to invent the future of flight," said Mohamed Ali, Vice President of Engineering for GE Aerospace.

To help qualify new 100% SAFs, GE Aerospace is going from engine system testing to engine component and sub-component level evaluations. This encompasses evaluating components exposed to and impacted by fuels, from the engine fuel system to the combustor where fuel is burned. Various SAF types produced from different pathways are being tested to assess whether there is any impact on engine operability, efficiency, durability, and emissions.

^*CFM56 and LEAP engines are a product of CFM International, a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines. RISE is a registered trademark of CFM.
^**GP7200 engines are a product of Engine Alliance, a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney.
^***HF120 engines are a product of GE Honda Aero Engines LLC, a 50/50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Honda Aero, Inc.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/14122023/ge-aerospace-and-partners-achieve-new-milestone/