NASA to design sustainable jet engine core

NASA to design sustainable jet engine core
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 21, 2024

NASA, in collaboration with industry partners, is set to design a new jet engine core for ultra-efficient airliners, moving into the project's next phase.

In its pursuit of sustainable aviation, NASA is developing a small core for a hybrid-electric turbofan jet engine aimed at reducing fuel burn by 10% compared to current engines.

A jet engine's core mixes compressed air with fuel to generate power. By reducing the core's size, fuel efficiency can improve, and carbon emissions can decrease.

The Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project aims to demonstrate this compact core and prepare the technology for next-generation aircraft in the 2030s. HyTEC is a significant part of NASA's Sustainable Flight National Partnership.

HyTEC's structure includes two phases:

Phase 1, concluding now, focused on selecting technologies for the core demonstrator.

Phase 2, starting now, will involve designing, building, and testing a compact core with GE Aerospace.

"Phase 1 of HyTEC is winding down and we are ramping up Phase 2," said Anthony Nerone, who leads HyTEC at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. "This phase will culminate in a core demonstration test that proves the technology so it can transition to industry."

Before starting the design and build process, researchers explored innovative materials for the engine. After three years of rapid progress, HyTEC researchers found solutions.

"We've been laser-focused since day one. We began the project with certain technical goals and metrics for success and, so far, we haven't had to change course from any of them," Nerone said.

To reduce core size while maintaining thrust, the core must endure higher temperatures and pressures. Thus, more durable materials are essential.

In addition to materials research, the project explored advanced aerodynamics and other technical elements.

What Comes Next
Phase 2 will create a compact core for ground testing to prove HyTEC's capabilities.

"Phase 2 is very complex. It's not just a core demonstration," Nerone said. "What we're creating has never been done before, and it involves many different technologies coming together to form a new type of engine."

Technologies tested in HyTEC will support a higher bypass ratio, hybridization, and sustainable aviation fuels compatibility.

The bypass ratio compares the air flowing through the engine core to the air bypassing the core. Reducing the core size while increasing the turbofan size can maintain thrust while using less fuel and reducing emissions.

"HyTEC is an integral part of our RISE program," said Kathleen Mondino, who co-leads RISE program technologies at GE Aerospace. "GE Aerospace and NASA have a long history of collaboration to advance the latest aviation technologies. The HyTEC program builds on this relationship to help chart the future of more sustainable flight."

HyTEC's hybrid-electric capability means the core will also be supported by electrical power to further cut fuel use and emissions.

"This engine will be the first mild hybrid-electric engine, and hopefully, the first production engine for airliners that is hybrid-electric," Nerone said.