The US government has awarded GE Aerospace time on two supercomputers to further its Open Fan engine research, supporting the aviation industry’s drive to develop more energy-efficient technology.
The US Department of Energy has awarded the project 840,000 supercomputing hours through its INCITE program, a highly competitive scheme that supports the world’s most computationally intensive projects.
Engineers will study the aerodynamics of an Open Fan engine mounted on an aircraft wing in simulated flight conditions. This complex simulation would be impossible without the processing capabilities of advanced supercomputers.
“Advanced supercomputing capability is a key breakthrough enabling the revolutionary Open Fan engine design. Airplane integration is critical. This collaboration with Boeing, NASA, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory continues a longstanding legacy of world-leading innovation in the aviation industry,” said Arjan Hegeman, General Manager for Future of Flight Technology at GE Aerospace.
A significant challenge with the new engine design is ensuring safety in the event of fan failure. Current engine casings are designed to contain any fragments or components that may break free, and engineers are working to develop new containment strategies for the Open Fan architecture.
Interested in Open Fan engines? LARA will be having an in-depth look at this exciting new technology in our first issue of 2025.
Photo: GE Aerospace
An artist’s impression of an Open Fan architecture engine being developed by CFM, a joint venture between Safran and GE Aerospace
