Rolls-Royce’s new UltraFan engine prototype. It offers a 25% fuel efficiency improvement compared with the first generation of Trent engines. Photo: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce’s new UltraFan engine prototype. It offers a 25% fuel efficiency improvement compared with the first generation of Trent engines. Photo: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce’s new UltraFan engine prototype. It offers a 25% fuel efficiency improvement compared with the first generation of Trent engines. Photo: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce’s new UltraFan engine prototype. It offers a 25% fuel efficiency improvement compared with the first generation of Trent engines. Photo: Rolls-Royce

Business

Aviation

Rolls-Royce prepares to test the world's largest turbofan

UK engine-maker will test the prototype of its UltraFan engine early next year, using 100% sustainable aviation fuel

Deena Kamel
Deena Kamel

December 25, 2022

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Rolls-Royce is preparing to test a prototype of its UltraFan engine, the world's largest turbofan, which is designed to slash carbon emissions in the coming years amid the aviation industry's sustainability push.

The London-based company has completed building the demonstrator turbine on its UltraFan programme, transporting it to its purpose-built Testbed 80 in Derby where it has been mounted in preparation for testing early next year, Rolls-Royce said.

“Seeing the UltraFan demonstrator come together and getting ready for test in Testbed 80 is a great way to end the year … The next stage will be to see UltraFan run for the first time on 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel in 2023, proving the technology is ready to support more sustainable flight in the future,” Chris Cholerton, president of Rolls-Royce civil aerospace unit, said.

In addition to working to improve the efficiency of gas turbines, the UK-based engine maker is working on nascent hydrogen and hybrid electric technologies to power commuter and regional aircraft. European plane-maker Airbus is exploring a new aircraft model that would be powered by liquid hydrogen, making it completely carbon free.

Rolls-Royce's UltraFan demonstrator has a fan diameter of 140 inches and offers a 25 per cent fuel efficiency improvement compared with the first generation of Trent engine, according to the company.

The UltraFan programme is designed to offer a variety of sustainability options to back the aviation industry's shift towards net-zero by 2050.

In the near term, there are options to transfer technologies from the UltraFan development programme to current Trent engines to deliver better fuel efficiency and reductions in emissions.

The new UltraFan engine prototype. Photo: Rolls-Royce
The new UltraFan engine prototype. Photo: Rolls-Royce

In the longer term, UltraFan’s scalable technology delivers the potential to further improve fuel efficiency of both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft by up to 10 per cent, according to Rolls-Royce.

Testbed 80 in Derby, which opened in 2020, was designed and built specifically to accommodate the size and technical complexity of the UltraFan demonstrator.

The UltraFan engine prototype's first test run will use 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel, a jet fuel replacement that is expected to play a key role in cutting net emissions in the coming few years, but is currently expensive and in short supply.

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IPL 2018 FINAL

Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)

Chennai win by eight wickets

Brown/Black belt finals

3pm: 49kg female: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) v Thamires Aquino (BRA)
3.07pm: 56kg male: Hiago George (BRA) v Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA)
3.14pm: 55kg female: Amal Amjahid (BEL) v Bianca Basilio (BRA)
3.21pm: 62kg male: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) v Joao Miyao (BRA)
3.28pm: 62kg female: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR)
3.35pm: 69kg male: Isaac Doederlein (BRA) v Paulo Miyao (BRA)
3.42pm: 70kg female: Thamara Silva (BRA) v Alessandra Moss (AUS)
3.49pm: 77kg male: Oliver Lovell (GBR) v Tommy Langarkar (NOR)
3.56pm: 85kg male: Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE) v Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA)
4.03pm: 90kg female: Claire-France Thevenon (FRA) v Gabreili Passanha (BRA)
4.10pm: 94kg male: Adam Wardzinski (POL) v Kaynan Duarte (BRA)
4.17pm: 110kg male: Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE) v Joao Rocha (BRA

Schedule:

Pakistan v Sri Lanka:
28 Sep-2 Oct, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
6-10 Oct, 2nd Test (day-night), Dubai
13 Oct, 1st ODI, Dubai
16 Oct, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi
18 Oct, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi
20 Oct, 4th ODI, Sharjah
23 Oct, 5th ODI, Sharjah
26 Oct, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
27 Oct, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
29 Oct, 3rd T20I, Lahore

While you're here
Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
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Based: Tunisia 
 
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While you're here
The Facility’s Versatility

Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
 
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
 
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
 
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
 
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
 
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Updated: December 25, 2022, 8:17 AM
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