A more robust Trent XWB-97 in the Middle East

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A more robust Trent XWB-97 in the Middle East

A more robust
Trent XWB-97 in
the Middle East

The Trent XWB engine is synonymous with versatility and reliability. Designed specifically for the A350, it is the world’s most efficient large-aero engine and the fastest-selling widebody engine in industry history.

Our entire Trent engine family draws on decades of experience to be the most successful aero engine family ever, building on countless innovations to revolutionise the way we connect around the globe and fast-tracking the journey to sustainable flight.

“If you add up the incremental benefits we bring to our Trent engines through continued innovation, they make up a substantial difference,” explains Rory Clarkson, Engineering Associate Fellow – Engine Environmental Protection at Rolls-Royce.

In 2024, we announced a £1 billion multi-year investment in further engine improvements, some of which will help to double the time on wing for the toughest environments for our Trent XWB-97, as well as generating a 50% improvement in benign environments.

Now better durability, even in the toughest environments

The Trent XWB-97 is our highest thrust Trent engine, making it our hottest too. For engineers, this spurred research into how to keep our engines cool and operational in the hot and harsh environments of the Middle East – a popular route for customers.

The build-up of desert sand, or mineral dust, is a common problem for engines operating in these regions. Densest at altitudes of up to 15,000 to 20,000 feet, most of the damage is caused during take-off and climb, when the engine is at its hottest.

“During these flight phases, dust gets drawn into the engine core, broken up into smaller pieces and eventually melts onto the hot turbine blades,” explains Rory. “This molten rock, described as Calcium Magnesium Alumino Silicate or CMAS, can seep between the material components of the turbine blades as they expand and contract in the changing temperatures. Over time, this breaks down the turbine blade thermal barrier – meaning more frequent servicing and downtime for the aircraft.”

At Rolls-Royce, we’ve developed and tested an innovative new coating that increases the lifetime of these thermal barriers and extend time on wing by up to 30%. “The coating is made up of a gadolinium zirconate which interacts with the CMAS to increase its viscosity, so it doesn’t penetrate the material in the same way.”

Testing a solution tailored to our customers’ needs

Testing a solution tailored to our customers’ needs

Developing a coating this protective meant understanding the workings of the CMAS itself and how its chemical make-up changed as it travelled through an engine. Together with geologists and professors from the University of Manchester, our teams created a dust that would help simulate the conditions of the Middle East.

“People asked why we didn’t just collect some from the region,” recalls Andy Mitchell, Programme Lead for the development and testing of coatings at Rolls-Royce. “The technical answer is that the composition of the sand is different when it’s in the atmosphere and hard to replicate. The funny answer is that it’s illegal to bring sand back as a souvenir to deter tourists from stealing it!”

The testing process involved various stages of monitoring the impact of the CMAS on hot materials of up to 1,400 degrees Celsius, then as the materials increased and decreased in temperature, and eventually as a full engine test at our Testbed 80 facility in Derby.

“We ran what we call rainbow tests, applying different standards of the coating to the 64 turbine blades to assess the comparative results,” explains Andy. “We were able to look at the structure of the blades in detail to give us the confidence to then deliver this as a product.”

Keeping operators in the Middle East flying for longer

Through our vast aerospace heritage and experience, as well as through the substantial data gathered through our advanced engine health monitoring systems, we’ve built a deep understanding of the full lifecycle behaviour of our engines, meaning we can pass on that confidence to airlines.

For our customers operating in regions like the Middle East, investments like these will deliver the long-term benefit of reducing servicing and overhauls, keeping them flying more reliably for longer.

Our innovative CMAS coating is already going into service for airline customers. Alongside these improvements, our £1 billion investment will continue to deliver a Durability Enhancement package for Trent 1000, Trent 7000 and Trent XWB-84 over the coming years, doubling durability for some engines and increasing time on wing across the portfolio.