CFM RISES

The CFM RISE open fan architecture is a radical innovation that seems to offer the best hope of achieving the large reduction in CO2 emissions for environment sustainability

- JOSEPH NORONHA

THE COMMERCIAL AVIATION INDUSTRY IS UNDER GROWING pressure to clean up its act on emissions. Aviation is hardly a major emitter, accounting for just 2.4 per cent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, its relative share of emissions is projected to at least triple by 2050 as air traffic surges and other sectors of the economy successfully decarbonise. Acutely aware of the danger of being branded a climate change "bad boy", the industry has set its sights on achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In other words it aims to completely eliminate or at least offset its emissions by then. This ambitious goal (some would call it an impossible dream) rests on two main pillars - sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and technological innovations, especially more fuel-efficient aircraft. SAFS produced from renewable sources can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent compared to conventional jet fuel. But they are expensive and their current production is pitifully low - around one per cent of the global jet fuel requirement.

When it comes to fuel efficiency, CFM International, a 50-50 joint venture between two of the world's leading aerospace companies General Electric (GE) and Safran Aircraft Engines (SAE) - has been in the forefront of technological advancement for over 40 years. Its first product, the CFM56, was a high-bypass turbofan engine that entered service on April 24, 1982, and eventually became one of the most successful engines in history. However, in an effort to further improve efficiency, the LEAP engine, introduced in 2016, was 15 per cent more fuel-efficient than the CFM56-5B and -7B engines. LEAP is doing exceedingly well, having logged over 25 million engine flight hours in just six and a half years of revenue service. It has left the competition far behind. Yet CFM feels the need to achieve a step change in efficiency over LEAP.