Jet engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce began testing a new low-emissions combustion system for future products at the GLACIER engine testing facility in Thompson March 23.
The Advanced Low Emissions Combustion System (ALECSys) demonstrators, which is being used in a Trent 100 "donor" engine, successfully began the tests at a temperature of -20 Celsius one month after beign tested for the first time ever in Derby, United Kingdom.
Technology from the sytem, which monitors environmental conditions and the pilot's thrust requirements to alter the misutre of fuel and air delivered to various injection points to miniimize nitrogen oxides and othe emissions, features in both the Advance3 and the UltraFan demonstrator engines.
"This is another significant step for the ALECSys program," said Rolls-Royce chief engineer and head of technology programs Andy Geer in a March 23 press release. "Our computer models have given us an in-depth understanding of how the system works in extremes of cold and this series of tests will physiucally validate that. We are confiden that this will offer significant benefits for our customers."
Rolls-Royce says that tests conducted to this point have shown that the system halves the amount of nitrogen oxides emitted at cruising power.
