Rolls-Royce has received joint European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and U.S. FAA certification for the first phase of a two-part durability enhancement package for the Trent 1000 which is designed to double time-on-wing on the Boeing 787 before removal for maintenance and overhaul.
Clearance for installation of the enhancement package, which is also in service on the Trent 7000 sister engine powering the Airbus A330neo, is critical for Rolls-Royce’s battle to restore confidence in the engine and to increase market share on the 787 where the UK manufacturer competes with GE Aerospace’s GEnx-1B.
The new high-pressure (HP) turbine blade at the heart of the Phase 1 package features a 40% increase in shroud film cooling airflow with added cooling holes in the mid-chord section and an enlarged hole in the root for higher flow from a redesigned combustor rear inner case.
Supporting modifications include revisions to the engine control software for an optimized combustor light up pattern and turbine gas temperature trim—a parameter used to adjust the fuel control unit for setting idle RPM and maximum speed for the engine pressure ratio. The new fuel spray nozzle is designed to reduce smoke emissions and offset the revisions to the combustor rear inner case.
Rolls-Royce says the enhancement package has already been installed in new engines since January in anticipation of certification and in readiness for delivery to airlines “at the earliest opportunity post-certification.” The engine maker adds that “from today, they will now be distributed to maintenance facilities globally, to be retrofitted to engines that are already in service. Within two years, all of the Trent 1000 fleet will have been upgraded.”
Rob Watson, president of Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, says, “we know that the same enhancements have already tripled time-on-wing in some cases for the Trent 7000, so we are confident it will deliver for Trent 1000 customers. To do so at pace, we began installing the enhancements into new engines prior to today’s certification to reduce the lead time as much as possible. They will now enter the fleet immediately.”
Engines incorporating Phase 2 of the Durability Enhancement Package are currently being tested at Rolls-Royce’s facility in Derby. Targeted at a further 30% improvement in time-on-wing across the Trent 1000 and Trent 7000 fleets, the package incorporates an advanced calcium-magnesium-alumino-silicate resistant coating on the combustor tiles for hot and sandy environments. Other changes include improvements to the film cooling on the HP nozzle guide vanes. Also included are Trent XWB-84 style design improvements to the combustor/HP nozzle interface for reduced wear, and a redesigned, lower-weight HP turbine blade shroud.
Rolls-Royce says Phase 2 enhancement will start entering the Trent 1000 fleet from early 2026.
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