LYNN, Mass. – GE Aviation in Lynn, Massachusetts, recently began utilizing an improved sand ingestion test facility to determine turboshaft engine sand separation efficiency. GE is designing advanced engine inlet systems to protect the turbomachinery of next-generation turboshaft engines. The facility improvement is part of GE Aviation's five-year, $3.5B plan to invest in new plant and equipment in the United States.
The facility improvements will help GE execute its Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine (AATE) program with the U.S. Army; GE is partnering with the Army to design and test an improved inlet particle separator (IPS) for its GE3000 engine, which is designed as a "drop-in" replacement for GE's T700 engine powering Black Hawk and Apache helicopters.
The T700 engine, boasting more than 90 million engine flight hours and five million hours in hot-harsh combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan, is an industry-leader in IPS technology.
An engine's performance deteriorates over time due to mechanical wear and environmental contamination, such as dust and sand. GE invests more than $1B each year in research and development to improve commercial and military engines for greater fuel efficiency and performance, which includes improved durability in tough environmental conditions.
"Through the T700's proven performance in hot and harsh combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, we’ve learned a great deal about preventing hot and cold section engine degradation caused by sand ingestion," said Harry Nahatis, GE Aviation's general manager of advanced turboshaft programs. "The improved capability of our sand ingestion lab allows us to build on our lessons learned and more effectively simulate harsh field conditions on our next-generation turboshafts so that when they enter service, they're even more reliable than the T700."
GE's rugged, reliable and easily maintainable T700/CT7 family of turboshaft and turboprop engines powers 25 types of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in service with more than 130 customers in more than 50 countries.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of commercial and military jet engines and components as well as integrated digital, electric power, and mechanical systems for aircraft. GE Aviation also has a global service network to support these offerings.