Pratt & Whitney Completes Advanced Core Testing for PurePower® Engine Family

FARNBOROUGH, England, July 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW -- Pratt & Whitney has completed testing on its full-scale PurePower engine core with more than 260 test hours, successfully validating performance and operability goals.  The PurePower family of engines is designed to power the next generation of passenger aircraft.  Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

"We are extremely pleased with the PurePower Engine Core test program," said Bob Saia, vice president, Next Generation Product Family.  "This advanced core contains many key technologies contributing to the lower engine operating cost of the PW1000G engine.  Our all new High Pressure Compressor (HPC) jointly developed with our program partner, MTU Aero Engines (MTU), demonstrated performance and operability levels at or above our design goals.  Our new low emissions combustor demonstrated excellent lighting capability and targeted exit temperature profiles that will enable our High Pressure Turbine (HPT) to deliver on our durability targets.  Finally, the HPT with our new and advanced turbine airfoil designs, confirmed we will meet our design goals.  These excellent results reconfirm the laboratory results obtained in our 2007 and 2008 technology maturation tests that the fuel burn and maintenance cost targets for the PurePower engine family - PW1000G and PW800 - will be fully achieved."

The PurePower Engine Core test program initiated testing in late December 2009 with more than 1200 measurements to fully characterize temperature, pressure and overall operational characteristics of these engine components. Full engine testing will begin in late summer with engine certification scheduled for the third quarter of 2012.

"Pratt & Whitney shared the engine core test results with us last month during our Monthly Program Review," stated Rob Dewar, vice president, CSeries*, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.  "We were very impressed with Pratt & Whitney's accomplishment and the great results from this first engine test."

The PurePower family of engines shares a common, advanced engine core and features test proven, next-generation technology tested during Pratt & Whitney's technology maturation program, which began in late 2004.  The engine HPC includes many technology advances to improve aerodynamic efficiency, improve overall compressor operability and lower engine assembly and disassembly times.  HPC Laboratory testing totaling more than 250 hours was conducted prior to this core testing to fully characterize the new 'clean sheet' design. Similar laboratory testing has been conducted on the combustor and HPT to mature the PW1000G technologies prior to this core test.  

With entry into service scheduled for 2013, the PurePower PW1000G engine features an advanced gear system that allows the engine's fan to operate at a slower speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine.  The combination of the gear system and all-new advanced core delivers double-digit improvements in fuel efficiency and emissions with a 50-percent reduction in noise over today's engines.  

The PurePower PW800 engine, which is targeted to power the next generation of large business jets, is a 10,000- to 20,000-pound thrust turbofan that has double-digit improvements in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs.

The PurePower PW1000G engine is the exclusive power for the Bombardier* CSeries* aircraft scheduled to enter service in 2013 and the Mitsubishi Regional Jet scheduled to enter service in 2014.  The PW1000G engine was recently selected by Irkut Corporation to power the new MC-21 aircraft family scheduled to enter service in 2016.  

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

This release includes "forward looking statements" concerning anticipated business opportunities that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including with regard to the programs described in this release.  Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in forward looking statements include the impact of deterioration or extended weakness in global economic conditions on demand for our products and services, the financial strength of customers and suppliers and on levels of air travel; and challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies and new products and services.  For information identifying other important economic, political, regulatory, legal, technological, competitive and other uncertainties, see UTC's 10-K, 10-Q and other reports filed with the SEC.

* Bombardier and CSeries are trademarks of Bombardier Inc or its subsidiaries.

For more information on the Pratt & Whitney PurePower engine, visit www.purepowerengines.com

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SOURCE Pratt & Whitney