Environment
Environmental research

Research by industry, especially at Snecma, largely falls within the scope of the European objectives as defined by ACARE. There are a number of major research projects already under way, including the following.

CLEAN SKY

The Clean Sky research project, approved by the European Council of Ministers on December 20, 2007, is the logical outcome of thinking in Europe on the future of air transportation and the solutions needed to meet environmental challenges.

Clean Sky is set up as a public-private partnership (PPP) between the European Commission and industry. It will help meet the ambitious environmental goals set by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) in 2000: to reduce, by 2020, CO2 emissions by 50%, NOx emissions by 80% and perceived noise by 50%, while also decreasing the environmental impact of the aircraft’s life cycle.

Clean Sky is based on six major Integrated Technology Demonstrators (ITD), plus a “Technology Evaluator”, which will quantify the combined environmental impact of the technologies developed through the ITDs.

The Safran Group is one of the founding members of this initiative, and one of the largest contributors. Snecma is participating in five of the ITDs and the Technology Evaluator, and is joint coordinator of the engine ITD, along with Rolls-Royce.

The Clean Sky project will last seven years and is budgeted at 1.6 billion euros, with half funded by the European Commission. To date, 86 organizations from 16 countries have been identified as project participants, and calls for proposals will bring in other partners over the course of the project.

VITAL

In January 2005 the European Commission launched a new R&T project dubbed VITAL, designed to reduce aircraft engine perceived noise by 6 dB and CO2 emissions by 7%. This is a four-year program, budgeted at 90 million euros (50 million euros from the Commission), with Snecma leading 53 partners including all major European engine manufacturers.

VITAL focuses on the low-pressure section of the engine, and is investigating new architectures based on contra-rotating fans, lightened structures and turbines, different rotational speeds, etc.

Partners are counting on VITAL to develop the technologies expected by their customers to manage the environmental impact of air travel.

NEWAC

A European project launched in May 2006, NEWAC focuses on the high-pressure, or core of the engine. It aims to demonstrate technologies that will reduce CO2 and NOx emissions. Snecma is studying advanced technologies that will considerably improve the efficiency of the high-pressure compressor, and therefore decrease fuel burn.

SILENCE(R)

Another European Union project, SILENCE(R) seeked to reduce the noise generated by aircraft. Its aim was the large-scale experimental validation of noise reduction technologies concerning the engine (aeroacoustic design, active control technologies), the nacelle (aeroacoustic design, innovative acoustic treatments, active noise control, chevron type nozzles, beveled air inlet), and also the aircraft, including landing gear (aeroacoustic design).

Snecma was leading 51 partners, including manufacturers, research organizations and universities.

SILENCE(R) also assessed the acoustic performance of typical future-generation engines, such as those studied through the EEFAE (Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Aero Engine) project, and its CLEAN subproject.

Budgeted at 111 million euros, the SILENCE(R) program kicked off in April 2001 and is now completed. The technologies validated through this program reduced noise by 5 dB, a significant step forward in meeting the objectives set by ACARE.

CLEAN

Launched in 2000 and now finished, Clean was one of two technology demonstrators that were part of the EEFAE project in the European Commission’s 5th PCRD framework program.

The aim of Clean was to significantly reduce polluting emissions on commercial aircraft, especially carbon dioxide (and therefore fuel consumption) by 20% in relation to current engines, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 80%.

Snecma was technology leader, as well as taking responsibility for the gas generator, and producing and testing the combustor in partnership.

Launched in September 2004 at the University of Stuttgart, using a simulated altitude chamber, the Clean test series was a success.

In particular, this project tested two new technologies developed by Snecma: a lean prevaporized premix (LPP) type combustor, in a joint effort, and an active surge control (CAP) device. This latter technology is still unprecedented, because no other active surge control system has operated to date on a modern engine, from idle to full throttle, using a highly-loaded high-pressure compressor as on the one used in the Clean program.