ITP Aero delivers first UltraFan intermediate pressure turbine to Rolls-Royce

The turbine has been designed, produced and assembled at ITP Aero

The UltraFan® engine demonstrator is the basis for a future family of engines 25% more efficient than the first generation Trent® engine

First trials of the UltraFan demonstrator will be conducted in 2022 using 100% sustainable aviation fuel

ITP Aero has delivered the first Intermediate Pressure Turbine (IPT) for the Rolls-Royce UltraFan® engine from its assembly facility in Ajalvir (Madrid). The turbine, which has been designed, produced and assembled at ITP Aero, will be fitted to the completed demonstrator engine at Rolls-Royce’s Derby (UK) facility in the coming weeks. Once assembled, the engine will undergo its first tests on Rolls-Royce’s new Testbed80 test bed in Derby in 2022. The first tests will be conducted on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The UltraFan is a new generation engine that will be 25% more fuel efficient compared to the first generation Tren engines currently in service. UltraFan is a key element of ITP Aero’s sustainability strategy as part of its commitment to further improve the efficiency of gas turbines. Gas turbines will continue to be needed in a post-Covid aviation industry, as they remain the most efficient way to transport people over long distances. ITP Aero is also developing key technologies that will lay the foundation for hybrid-electric and hydrogen-powered aero engines, in line with its medium/long-term sustainable aviation strategy.

UltraFan can be expanded to create a family of engines capable of powering single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft. This next-generation engine is configured under a new architecture and lightweight composite materials, and includes the world’s most powerful aeronautical gearbox. The UltraFan demonstrator will be the largest engine on the market, with a fan diameter (front fan) of 140 inches, a standard underground train could pass through the fan circle.

Commenting on ITP Aero’s role in the development of the UltraFan engine, Erlantz Cristobal, Executive Director of Technology and Engineering at ITP Aero, said: “The delivery of the first IPT for the UltraFan demonstrator is a major milestone for us. We are convinced that UltraFan will play a key role in making aviation an increasingly sustainable industry in the coming decades, in line with our commitment to lead the transition to a net-zero emissions world”.