Boost an engine’s IQ, reduce emissions

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By making our engines more intelligent, we’re increasing their efficiency and reducing emissions

Jet engines are feats of engineering that power millions of people on journeys around the globe, pushing the boundaries of physics every day. But can they ever be intelligent? At Rolls-Royce, the answer is a firm yes. Our IntelligentEngine vision sees a world in which our engines are connected, contextually aware, and even comprehending. They might not get into MENSA, but they’ll be able to adapt to their surroundings, learn from their experiences, and communicate with engines around them. Not only that, they’ll increase their efficiency, reducing fuel burn and emissions.

“We are constantly working to reduce fuel consumption on our engines and make them more efficient,” says Marko Bacic, Associate Fellow, Systems and Control at Rolls-Royce. “Since 1990, the industry has made significant progress in fuel and CO2 efficiency, halving the amount of fuel used per flight. But by making our engines more intelligent, we can deliver further significant reductions. More intelligent engines will play an important part in decarbonising aviation.”

If I only had a brain

Let’s start with the brains of the engine – or the control systems. They have a crucial role in making the IntelligentEngine vision a reality. Control systems send messages around the engine and communicate with the aircraft. They extract data from the engine and send it to the cockpit, the operator and Rolls-Royce, so that pilots and engineers on the ground can monitor its performance.

“Think of a jet engine like the human body,” says Marko. “The brain is the control system, sending messages around the body and instructing the different parts to do their jobs. The eyes and ears are the sensors, detecting vibrations, noise, pressure and temperature and feeding the information back to the brain. Engine components are like the arms and legs – the activators that take action, responding to messages from the brain. All of these parts work together in a continuous feedback loop.”

The IntelligentEngine comes alive

With these parts in place, we can see the beginnings of a truly intelligent engine.

“The idea is that an engine will adapt to its conditions, reducing fuel burn, creating fewer emissions, and increasing the engine’s life,” says Marko. “An intelligent engine will behave according to its surroundings, whether it’s flying over Siberia or the Sahara Desert.”

Engineering is a constant balance. In an engine with thousands of parts, engineers must always be watchful of how small changes can affect the way an engine behaves. “Everything we do is a balance between minimising fuel burn and extending the engine’s life, which are the two most important factors for any aircraft operator. By doing both, airlines can reduce fuel costs and emissions, as well as having planned and predictable maintenance times, which reduce delays for passengers. We can design our engines for the lowest possible fuel burn, but we’d sacrifice engine life, so we’re always treading the balance between the two.”

Operators use our engines in very different ways. Take the Trent XWB, which powers the Airbus A350. It powers 700 different routes worldwide, including the longest flight in the world, from Singapore to Newark (18 hours), as well as short hops such as Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar (80 minutes). “The conditions it flies in are extremely varied, so the IntelligentEngine vision says, let’s make an engine contextually aware, so it knows where it is flying, and adapts itself accordingly to minimise fuel burn, reduce emissions and extend the engine’s life,” says Marko.

Cool runnings

So how will it work in practice? “Cooling is a good example,” says Marko. To make engines more efficient, we need thermal efficiency, which in simple terms, is how much heat an engine needs to do its work. Higher operating temperatures are generally a good thing thermodynamically speaking, but can often exceed the melting point of the materials used inside a jet engine, and so certain parts of the engine require cooling. To create and pump cooler air where it is needed, we need to burn more fuel. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

“Not all parts of the engine require an equal amount of cooling during all parts of the flight,” he says. “We need cooling during take-off and climb, when the engine is at maximum power. But we don’t need as much of it during cruise, which makes up the bulk of the flight time. During cruise, if we’re cooling the engine more than we need to, we’re not being as efficient as we can be. If we can adapt the cooling flows for each stage of the flight then we can minimise fuel burn.”

Temperature check

Sensors (the eyes and ears) will detect temperatures in different parts of the engine, and increase or reduce the cooling flows accordingly, without any intervention. Likewise, they will detect the temperature of their surroundings, and adjust the cooling flows depending on where they are. If an aircraft takes off in a high-temperature, high-altitude airport, the engines need to work harder to power the aircraft into the sky, because the air is much less dense. The harder an engine works, the hotter it gets, and more cooling is required.

“The Singapore to Newark route is a good example for how the IntelligentEngine works,” says Marko. “The engine needs maximum cooling if it’s a very hot day in Singapore. When the aircraft begins to cruise, cooling will stabilise, only increasing when it needs to. On the return trip, theoretically the engines won’t need to work as hard to power the aircraft at take-off, because Newark is at a lower temperature and altitude. The engine could detect its surroundings and adjust the cooling flows for each stage of the flight. Ultimately, this could save a considerable amount of fuel, and reduce emissions.”

Go with the flow

Just like the human body, look beneath the surface of a jet engine and there are thousands of intricate details that work together to power aircraft into the sky. “We look for efficiencies in every single component of our engines,” says Marko. “Take the valves that direct the flow of air throughout the engine. At the moment, due to the challenging engine temperatures, these can only be deployed in the cooler and easily accessible parts of the engine. If we can have valves embedded in hot parts of the engine that switch the flow of air right where it is needed, we can improve efficiency.

“This type of engineering is difficult enough, but when the air is hot, fast and pressurised, rushing through the engine at around 1,000mph, it adds another layer of complexity,” says Bacic. “We’re working with Oxford University to explore different types of valves that can survive life in a jet engine. One explores using plasma, and another sound. They’re much more adaptive and responsive than traditional valves. It sounds small, but it can really drive efficiencies in the engine and improve reliability. Plus, it all adds up to reduce emissions.”

Using intelligence to tackle big challenges

While we’re pioneering breakthrough electrification projects and working with the industry to advance the use of sustainable aviation fuels, a key part of our drive to reduce our impact on the planet is to make our existing engine designs as efficient as physically possible, while continuing to extend their lives. A more intelligent engine is a more efficient and reliable engine.

“It’s really a case of using clever mathematics and physics to solve some of the most complex problems, and along with our network of some of the world’s top universities, we’re looking absolutely everywhere for efficiencies and improvements, pushing the boundaries of physics in every component,” says Bacic. “The aerospace industry is constantly investing, constantly looking for efficiencies. Our brightest minds are working relentlessly to reduce emissions and drive a more sustainable future for aviation.”