March 7, 2018 – PRAGUE – GE Aviation, which continues its mission to drive innovation in the Business and General Aviation turboprop market, has announced an official name for its Advanced Turboprop (ATP) engine.
ATP is now the GE Catalyst™ Advanced turboprop engine, a name that represents GE Aviation’s commitment to moving the turboprop market forward through innovation. This includes:
– Enabling better performance through proven technology
– Simplifying the flying experience by reducing pilot workload
– Creating a higher standard of personalized service and support through digital
“The GE Catalyst engine is redefining what a turboprop can do for pilots, airframers and operators in Business and General Aviation,” said Paul Corkery, general manager for GE Aviation Turboprops. “It acts as a catalyst in an industry segment that has seen very little technology infusion in decades.”
History of the GE Catalyst engine
In 2012, GE’s Business and General Aviation Turboprop team set out to validate its original hypothesis: the turboprop market is hungry for an engine with new technology and value. They met with airframers and operators to discuss specifications and designs of interest in a next-generation, clean-sheet turboprop in the 1000-1600 SHP range that could create a new class of aircraft.
After gathering feedback from around the world, the GE team confirmed the demand for an advanced engine. GE engineers completed four design iterations and initiated a full preliminary design with the same process GE uses for commercial engines to determine what is feasible to deliver.
During this time frame, Textron issued a request for proposal to power its all-new, clean-sheet-design Cessna Denali. GE submitted an updated design, competing for the bid with other established engine makers. In the fall of 2015, Textron announced it selected GE’s design – now the Catalyst engine — to power its single-engine turboprop Denali design.
Since the engine project was unveiled to the public at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention in November of 2015, GE Aviation has committed more than $400 million in development costs for the GE Catalyst. GE also finalized an agreement with the Czech government to build its new turboprop headquarters for development, test and engine-production in the Czech Republic.
Just over two years after announcing the engine, engineers ran the GE Catalyst for the first time on Dec. 22, 2017, at the GE Aviation Czech site in Prague. Certification test will take place over the next two years, with entry into service targeted for 2020. By then, the engine will have completed more than 2,000 hours of testing.
Enabling better performance through proven technology
The GE Catalyst engine is the first all-new, clean-sheet engine in more than 30 years in the BGA market. There are currently 98 patented technologies on the engine. It utilizes proven technologies from GE’s larger engines with billions of hours of service.
It is first turboprop engine in its class to introduce two stages of variable stator vanes and cooled high-pressure turbine blades. It performs at an industry-best 16:1 overall pressure ratio, enabling the engine to achieve as much as 20 percent lower fuel burn and 10 percent higher cruise power compared to competitor offerings in the same size class. At 4,000 hours, the GE Catalyst offers 33 percent more time between overhaul than its leading competitor.
GE has incorporated new manufacturing techniques like 3D printing to enable more advanced component designs and reduced part counts. A total of 855 conventionally manufactured parts has been reduced to 12 additive parts. This reduction in complexity speeds production, reduces fuel burn and weight and increases durability with fewer seams and tighter tolerances. Additive components reduce the ATP’s weight by 5 percent while contributing a 1 percent improvement in specific fuel consumption (SFC).
When installed on the Denali, these engine efficiencies allow for a larger cabin experience with a comfortable 6000-foot cabin altitude at a 30,000-foot cruising altitude, as well as class-leading, low cost of operation compared to smaller aircraft in the category.
Simplifying the flying experience while reducing pilot workload
GE is introducing the first Full Authority Digital Engine and Propeller Control (FADEPC) for the BGA turboprop market. The GE Catalyst is the alternative to traditional turboprop hydro-mechanical, multiple-lever control systems. GE Aviation leveraged its expertise in integration and controls on the engine to develop a single-lever control that offers a “jet-like experience” to reduce pilot workload and maximize performance without exceeding the engine’s limitations.
The FADEPC includes an automatic auto-start function and enhanced integrated functions.
“You are essentially allowing the pilot to focus on higher-level tasks,” Corkery said. “The system can make flying as simple as pushing a lever and pilots love it. They have more time to fly the plane, look out of the window and take in the experience, instead of monitoring and adjusting the engine all the time.”
“The simplified cockpit alone is going to be a catalyst for change in the way airplanes can be thought up in the future,” said Brad Mottier, president and general manager of GE Aviation’s BGA and Integrated Systems organization.
Creating a higher standard of service and support through digital
The GE Catalyst was designed with digital in its DNA tailored for preventative health maintenance to avoid unnecessary repairs or downtime using the latest commercial airline technology. The engine is equipped with sensors that can capture part-level performance characteristics for OEM needs.
Furthermore, the GE Catalyst’s fully integrated digital control system provides the architecture required to deliver personalized support. The system collects performance data during each flight and can determine what environment the Catalyst is flying in, the health of the engine during the flight, as well as the health of the controls and accessories.
The cloud-based data is transmitted and collected to create a virtual simulation, or a digital twin, of every Catalyst engine that enters service. Digital twins are useful in this process as operators can add weather, flight and fleet data to compare actual versus expected performance of the engine. This helps them to ensure that the engine will perform safely and efficiently, before making any adjustments to the physical version. GE Aviation can send alerts specific to engine serial numbers.
No other civilian turboprop is currently using a digital twin for preventative health maintenance, however, GE Aviation is using the digital twin on its commercial and military technology.
“Our insights tell us that airplanes need different times between overhauls depending on their operating environment,” Corkery said. “For instance, an airplane flying in a desert environment versus a more benign environment would require different intervals between overhaul. The digital twin-enabled service offering will help lower ownership costs.”
About GE Aviation
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation. Follow GE Aviation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation.
