NASA has selected Pratt & Whitney to develop advanced engine technologies to reduce fuel consumption and emissions for next generation single-aisle aircraft. The Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project is part of NASA’s Sustainable Flight National Partnership, which will enable breakthrough innovations in support of the aviation industry’s goal to significantly reduce CO2 emissions by 2050.
Through HyTEC Pratt & Whitney will demonstrate the compatibility of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) with advanced combustors for small core engines. The project includes developing and testing the fuel and air mixers for optimal efficiency and then measuring the emissions and noise emitted using Jet A fuel and high blends of SAF.
Geoff Hunt, senior vice president, Engineering and Technology, at Pratt & Whitney said: “Aviation is moving toward a greener, cleaner future. Our partnership with NASA on HyTEC will allow Pratt & Whitney engineers to explore new technologies that will help make future aircraft propulsion systems even more sustainable. This award helps Pratt & Whitney continue to ensure we develop advanced propulsion technologies that will be ready for the next-generation aircraft in the next decade.”
In October 2021, NASA awarded Pratt & Whitney two contracts under the HyTEC project to develop technologies for a high-pressure turbine that will include next-generation ceramic matrix composites (CMC) materials capable of operating at higher temperatures than current CMCs, environmental barrier coatings, and advanced cooling and aerodynamic approaches that will enable new component designs and efficiencies.
In the second phase of the HyTEC project, Pratt & Whitney plans to demonstrate a technology-infused core comprised of a high-pressure compressor, high-pressure turbine, and combustor leveraging successes from the first generation GTF core. This phase is planned for 2024 through 2027 and will provide critical learning and increased maturation of the core prior to the next program launch.