The increase in the strap is one of the reasons why the A350-900 can fly from New York to Singapore – the longest flight in the world – with only two engines. Another crucial factor is that, in the past 30 years, plane engines have become much more effective, even if the fundamental turbine technology remains the same.
Improvements include progress in the manufacture of lighter motor blades in carbon fiber composite which are twice resistance and much lighter as titanium blades; Improved cooling systems; and sophisticated control programs that monitor crucial data during flight such as air pressure, temperature, speed, etc. The optimal location of the engines on the wing has also been refined.
“If you look at the 747, with four engines – you can now provide the same amount of thrust on two engines that burn 20 to 30% less fuel than the engines that were produced 20 to 30 years ago,” explains Cary Grant, assistant professor of Aeronautical Sciences at the Embry -Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.
The difference lies in how engines use the air flow. The turbojet engines used in older aircraft forces all the air entering through the engine nucleus and the combustion chambers, generating a thrust by ejecting the exhaust gases at the rear at high speed. This process used more energy and was much stronger than more recent engines.
Modern long-haul aircraft use what are called high speed motors, which use a system that allows a large volume of air to circulate around the engine nucleus. The push is therefore generated mainly by the large fan at the front of the engine – the first part can see by looking directly at it – as opposed to the exhaust which pulls at the rear. This design has considerably improved the efficiency of the engine as the derivation air ratio has increased.
The new engines produce an extraordinary amount of power. The General Electric High-Bypass engine, Genx, which feeds the Dreamliner, is almost as wide as the Boeing 737 fuselage. According to the GE website, the engine has a 10: 1 derivation ratio, which means that 10 times more air turns outside the engine rather than by the engine nucleus for combustion.
Computer -assisted design has also made the blades more effective and stronger, which allows them to run at 30,000 to 40,000 rpm. “You must be able to have structures that can withstand this type of rotational stress and torsion,” explains Grant. The ceramic materials used in the engine nucleus allow internal operating temperatures higher than nickel -based super alloys, which are currently used in most engines.
The use of light composite materials, namely carbon fiber, in the wings and fuselage of the plane has considerably reduced the overall weight of the aircraft. Less an aircraft weighs, less energy is necessary to feed it.
The global conceptions of these aircraft are also more aerodynamic. The wings on the variants A350 and Dreamliner are thinner than on previous generations, and the conceptions of fuselage, in particular the dolphin nose of the Dreamliner, generally create less trail.
In the cockpit, new technologies simplify pilot orders and problem solving via advanced feedback systems, which helps reduce the pilot’s workload and increase performance. Today’s long-haul aircraft allow a semi-autonomous flight-in fact, technology already exists for fully autonomous flights, even for major commercial planes.
Even passenger experience has improved, although the pace of this technology may not have followed that of the plane itself. The biggest difference between today’s commercial aircraft and previous generations is the capacity to control the cabin pressure, humidity and air circulation. “”[When] Boeing produced the 787, they were able to keep the atmosphere moistened, “said Grant.” All alone is a huge improvement for people – you know, after a nine or 10 hour flight, he felt like you had corn in your nose. »»
The other major improvement in long-haul flights, according to Grant? Today’s airline’s wi-fi is actually good.
