A Small, Cheap Gearbox For Jet Engines Could Send Airline Profits Soaring
Pratt & Whitney
A new development from Pratt & Whitney, a unit of
The key, Daniel Fisher at Forbes reports, is the addition of an 18-inch gearbox to the front of the jet engine.
It slows down the plane's turbines, making the bypass fans more efficient, as they operate better at lower speeds. That efficiency yields a significant drop in fuel use.
Called the Fan Drive Gear System, the new gearbox has the added benefit of making the engine quieter, a bonus for airlines looking to add flights in urban areas where noise levels are a concern.
The importance of fuel-efficiency to the airline industry is proved by the seriousness of the problems with Boeing's new Dreamliner passenger jet. The passenger jet uses a large, powerful lithium-ion battery that allows for the replacement of some mechanical components with electrical systems, saving weight and fuel.
Pratt & Whitney
Now airlines are left with expensive planes they cannot fly until further notice, and Boeing has suspended deliveries on the hundreds of jets airlines have already ordered.
While the
This month, Embraer became the fifth aircraft manufacturer to select Pratt & Whitney's PurePower Geared Turbofan engine, for use in its second generation of regional E-Jets. That engine uses the new Fan Drive Gear System.
Forbes gives the credit for the windfall to United Technologies Corporation CEO Louis Chênevert, who made the gamble on adding the gearbox to the engine, which posed considerable complications.
Furthermore, the revenue Pratt & Whitney gets from new contracts converts directly into profit, because Chênevert chose to fund research costs with current earnings, rather than capitalize them.
Meanwhile, Boeing is still waiting to see a return on the $32 billion it invested in the efficient Dreamliner.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- Having an regional accent can be bad for your interviews, especially an Indian one: study
- Dirty laundry? Major clothing companies like Zara and H&M under scrutiny for allegedly fuelling deforestation in Brazil
- 5 Best places to visit near Darjeeling
- Climate change could become main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century: Study
- RBI initiates transition plan: Small finance banks to ascend to universal banking status
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market