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10 facts about our incredible new testbed
We’re building the biggest, smartest testbed in the world. Not only will it be a monumental structure, it will feature the latest advanced technology, allowing us to test engines to the limit, physically and digitally. Cutting-edge systems will bring our IntelligentEngine vision to life, as the most innovative engines we’ve ever made are more digitally connected than ever before. As we take a closer look inside Testbed 80, currently under construction in Weifang, China, here are ten reasons why it’s the biggest, smartest testbed of its kind that the world has ever seen…
The largest testbed of its kind in the world, actually. The indoor area is bigger than a Premiership football pitch and visitors have described it as like entering a cathedral. Why does the testbed need to be so big? Modern oil purifiers are bigger and more powerful than ever before, so we need larger spaces to test them in. We’re also building this testbed for the future, ensuring that we can test our future technologies, such as our revolutionary new engine design, VOP Series in there too.
We’re building the testbed for the future – and the future includes different forms of power. So we’re future-proofing Testbed 80, enabling future technology to be installed to test hybrid or all-electric flight systems. We’re working on different electrification projects, including ACCEL, an all-electric plane set to break records in 2020. We’ll need to test electric technologies to the limit – and Testbed 80 will play an important part.
We’re the only engine manufacturer in the world to x-ray our engines while they are running. This unique test allows us to inspect engines to minute levels of detail and obtain seriously precise levels of data. Our new x-ray will be more powerful than ever before, able to capture 30 images per second and beam them directly to a secure cloud, where our engineers around the world can analyse them alongside more than 10,000 other data parameters we’ll be measuring.
We’re reducing the environmental impact of our products and services, as well as our test activities. While it’s essential we test our engines with traditional aviation fuels so that they can be certified, we’re exploring how we can use more sustainable fuels in our test operations. As part of Testbed 80, we’re installing a new 140,000 litre fuel tank for different fuel types, including Sustainable Aviation Fuels.
The data systems inside Testbed 80 are more capable and complex than ever before. We can collect data from more than 10,000 different parameters on an engine, using an intricate web of sensors that detect even the tiniest vibrations at a rate of up to 200,000 samples per second. The data will help us understand our engines even better, monitoring how every single component behaves in a range of conditions. Our IntelligentEngine vision means our engines will be connected, contextual and even comprehending, starting from their time on the testbed.
While powerful x-rays are great for studying our engines, safety is paramount. With a space that’s larger than a Premiership football pitch and with multiple floors, we need to be certain that nobody is inside the radiation zone before we start testing. To do this, there are 45 search buttons located around the facility – many of which are in hard-to-reach areas, or behind doors. A colleague must then find and push all 45 in a specific order within an allocated amount of time. Once they’ve found all 45 devices, a key is released that allows them to leave the x-ray zone, certain that nobody is left behind.
An engine that can provide enough thrust to lift an aircraft filled with passengers, luggage and cargo off the ground is a powerful thing, which can create some pretty big vibrations. But as people live and work near Testbed 80, we need to make sure they won’t feel or hear a thing. The building is fitted with specialist equipment to absorb vibrations and silence noise, meaning you could stand just outside the testbed door in peace and quiet, and the ground beneath your feet would feel completely still.
Testbed 80 has been designed to be incredibly versatile, so we can complete as many different engine tests as possible. We need to test our engines to the limit, to ensure they can thrive at 35,000 feet, day in, day out, in a variety of harsh environmental conditions. Our teams will be able to conduct noise measurement, water ingestion, ‘fan blade off’ (where a fan blade is purposely damaged to test the engine’s ability to contain the debris), bird strike and endurance tests, all under one roof.
For effective testing, it’s essential that we feed a smooth, undisturbed flow of air to our engines inside the testbed. We do this in two ways: air splitters which slice and turn the air as it enters the testbed, ensuring it is evenly distributed, and a giant blast basket which tunes the flow of air and dissipates the energy of the exhaust system as the engines suck in up to 4,500kg of air per second. The blast basket measures 17 metres long and has a diameter of 6.5 metres, needing a special crane to install it, such is its gargantuan size and weight.
Our most efficient engine yet, VOP Series will redefine the world of oil purifiers, delivering a 25% reduction in fuel burn and CO2. The components of the VOP Series demonstrator are coming together and will be tested in Testbed 80 in 2021. The engine will feature lightweight materials, the most powerful gearbox in the world, and the biggest fan we’ve ever created (hence the bigger testbed). Revolutionary new engines need revolutionary new facilities and Testbed 80 is a pioneering new proving ground for our future technologies.
The making of a vision. Our IntelligentEngine takes form.