Trent: Delivering continuous improvement

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Trent: Delivering continuous improvement

In the modern aerospace industry, it’s essential that engines are not only fuel efficient and durable, but also reliable. These three requirements are the holy trinity for airline operators and three areas where our Civil Aerospace engineers pursue continuous improvement.

This continuous improvement lies at the heart of the Trent family philosophy, where each engine builds on the experience and success of its predecessors to take the next leap in innovation.

Delivering fuel efficiency the Rolls-Royce way

In 1960, Rolls-Royce introduced the first turbofan jet engine specifically designed to power the large, intercontinental passenger aircraft market with new levels of fuel efficiency. The key to the success of this highly efficient engine – named the Conway – was its bypass ratio.

An engine’s bypass ratio provides quiet and efficient thrust by diverting a portion of the air that enters the engine past the gas turbine. The higher the ratio, the quieter and more efficient the engine will be.

Although it had a bypass ratio of just 0.3:1, the Conway set the benchmark for the next 60 years of turbofan jet engine design, helping to deliver ever more fuel-efficient engines, unlocking more range and capability and lowering ticket prices for passengers.

Sixty years on, the latest member of the Trent family, the Trent 7000, now features a 10:1 bypass ratio: the largest bypass ratio for any widebody turbofan engine. It is over 70% more fuel efficient than the Rolls-Royce Conway.

Ensuring millions of miles of durability

While large aero engines must deliver huge amounts of thrust, they must also display unprecedented levels of durability to keep passengers flying and operators moving without disruption.

This is the challenge our engineering teams have succeeded in overcoming, achieving the efficiency an engine needs over several years of operation between major engine overhauls. This reduces operating costs, keeping both airlines and their passengers happy.

Today, our engines deliver up to five years – around ten million miles – of continuous on-wing operation between major overhauls.

The proven reliability of the Trent 7000

Being able to accurately predict engine overhauls is another important criteria for airline operators, helping them avoid delays or cancellations that lead to passenger dissatisfaction. Our Advanced Engine Health Monitoring system provides real time engine monitoring to ensure the reliability our operators need.

From its first day of operation, the Trent 7000 has exhibited truly exceptional levels of reliability that have continued to improve over its five years and over two million engine flying hours in service.

Today, our monitoring system shows that over one million continuous engine flying hours the Tent 7000 reported zero in-service disruption events due to engine issues. This level of reliability and service availability has been maintained for more than half our in-operation fleets, proving that the Trent 7000 is an engine operators can depend on.

Making the best better

At Rolls-Royce, continuous improvement is in our blood, and we strive to continue to enhance each engine through its service life, delivering more for those who operate it.

In 2023, Rolls-Royce CEO, Tufan Erginbilgic announced a £1 billion investment to upgrade all our current in-service engines, making the best better. As part of this investment, our engineering teams have designed a Durability Enhancement package for the Trent 7000 and Trent 1000 TEN.

The package employs the latest technology in analytics and design methods, specifically in the area of turbine blade cooling design, to optimise turbine component durability against the much higher turbine temperatures needed to deliver the fuel efficiency and durability operators require. For the Trent 7000 and Trent 1000, this means more than doubling their time on wing, even in the toughest climates, and driving down the cost of operation for our operators.

A second phase of the package will be introduced in 2026, increasing engine durability by up to an additional 30%, delivering even more profit and generating even more potential for our operators. Our unique TotalCare package will ensure that every engine will be upgraded to the Durability Enhancement package standard and fully benefit from these improvements in time on wing.