easyJet Ecojet
Thread Starter
Ut Sementem Feeceris
Joined: Jul 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
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From: UK
easyJet Ecojet
Is this the future?
http://www.easyjet.com/EN/News/easyjet_ecojet.html
Unfortunately I can't find how to upload an image - but think MD-90 with big unducted fans above the fuselage at the rear.......
Dubbed the “easyJet ecoJet”, the aircraft would need to be 25% quieter and would emit 50% less CO2 and 75% less NOx than today’s newest aircraft (the 737 and A320 families of aircraft).
The aircraft will incorporate the latest research by airframe and engine manufacturers around the world – all of which can be incorporated into an aircraft that should be in operation by 2015. The projection for the 50% CO2 reduction is based on the findings from the latest research by the industry leaders and will come from the engines (25%), the lightweight airframe (15%) and from improvements to air traffic control technology and design (10%).
In easyJet’s current configuration and operation, the projection for the eco-liner would generate less than 47g of CO2 per passenger km. For comparison, easyJet’s current operations generate 97.5g of CO2 per passenger km, the Toyota Prius emits 104g of CO2 per kilometre; and the European car industry has recently been given a target to achieve 130g of CO2 per kilometre.
The design will contain a number of key features to make it radically more environmentally efficient:
Rear-mounted “open-rotor” engines offer unrivalled environmental performance for short-haul flying due to their higher propulsive efficiency. However, there are significant difficulties in fixing such a large engine under a wing of a narrow-body aircraft, making rear-mounting of the engines the optimum solution
A lower design cruise speed to reduce drag and a shorter design range to reduce weight
Noise reductions are expected to come from a gear box between the engine and the open-rotor blades keeping them subsonic during take-off and landing, the use of the rear empennage to shield the ground from engine noise, and airframe improvements (such as no slats on the front of the wing)
The airframe will be made of advanced weight-reducing materials similar to those used in current projects like the Boeing 787, which itself is estimated to be 27% more fuel efficient than the aircraft it will replace in many fleets
Even as global demand for air travel matures over time, several step-changes in technology will be needed to reduce the emissions from aviation in 2050 to below 2005 levels. The “easyJet ecoJet” will be the first of these step changes and alone could lead to a stabilisation of emissions from short-haul aviation at 2005 levels until 2035 providing massive environmental benefits.
A4
http://www.easyjet.com/EN/News/easyjet_ecojet.html
Unfortunately I can't find how to upload an image - but think MD-90 with big unducted fans above the fuselage at the rear.......
Dubbed the “easyJet ecoJet”, the aircraft would need to be 25% quieter and would emit 50% less CO2 and 75% less NOx than today’s newest aircraft (the 737 and A320 families of aircraft).
The aircraft will incorporate the latest research by airframe and engine manufacturers around the world – all of which can be incorporated into an aircraft that should be in operation by 2015. The projection for the 50% CO2 reduction is based on the findings from the latest research by the industry leaders and will come from the engines (25%), the lightweight airframe (15%) and from improvements to air traffic control technology and design (10%).
In easyJet’s current configuration and operation, the projection for the eco-liner would generate less than 47g of CO2 per passenger km. For comparison, easyJet’s current operations generate 97.5g of CO2 per passenger km, the Toyota Prius emits 104g of CO2 per kilometre; and the European car industry has recently been given a target to achieve 130g of CO2 per kilometre.
The design will contain a number of key features to make it radically more environmentally efficient:
Rear-mounted “open-rotor” engines offer unrivalled environmental performance for short-haul flying due to their higher propulsive efficiency. However, there are significant difficulties in fixing such a large engine under a wing of a narrow-body aircraft, making rear-mounting of the engines the optimum solution
A lower design cruise speed to reduce drag and a shorter design range to reduce weight
Noise reductions are expected to come from a gear box between the engine and the open-rotor blades keeping them subsonic during take-off and landing, the use of the rear empennage to shield the ground from engine noise, and airframe improvements (such as no slats on the front of the wing)
The airframe will be made of advanced weight-reducing materials similar to those used in current projects like the Boeing 787, which itself is estimated to be 27% more fuel efficient than the aircraft it will replace in many fleets
Even as global demand for air travel matures over time, several step-changes in technology will be needed to reduce the emissions from aviation in 2050 to below 2005 levels. The “easyJet ecoJet” will be the first of these step changes and alone could lead to a stabilisation of emissions from short-haul aviation at 2005 levels until 2035 providing massive environmental benefits.
A4
Considerably Bemused Wannabe
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 498
Likes: 0
From: UK
Just to add this link for a photo of the thing:
http://www.abtn.co.uk/EasyJet_showcases_new_aircraft
S.
http://www.abtn.co.uk/EasyJet_showcases_new_aircraft
S.
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,835
Likes: 85
From: Boldly going where no split infinitive has gone before..
I read in FI that Rolls was looking at an "Open Rotor" engine as the next generation for narrow bodies, so maybe this IS what the 797/A390 will look like.
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 2,202
Likes: 4
From: Surrounding the localizer
More gimmick than serious at the moment. The same FI article you refer to Wiz goes on to extrapolate the argument of un ducted fans vs Geared..with geared ducted fans being the favourite right now.
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
From: the low lands
what about noise?
What about noise levels of such a design? I can imagine that this engine design produces more noise than current configurations (i'm not an expert on this). Has anybody have an idea?
Would it in that case mean that airports have to make a trade-off between emissions and noise?
Would it in that case mean that airports have to make a trade-off between emissions and noise?
A Runyonesque Character
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,209
Likes: 2
From: The South of France ... Not
The mockup looks as though it's a combination of the 'Fozzie' and the 'Kermit Kruiser'.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...oncepts05.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...oncepts05.html
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,946
Likes: 0
From: Coventry
Easyjet haven't tried to pretend that this is anything other than a concept. Any chance of a slightly more constructive debate here guys?
I have just checked the BBC, and seen that they haven't even bothered commenting - afaik, they didn't even send a reporter to the event.
Easyjet are an airline, and as LFL rightly says, they aren't in the business of building planes. But they are in the business of buying them, and they have already had a number of modifications (galleys, seats, exits etc) made to the A319s to suit their needs.
This might just be a PR gesture, but it is still a very serious one. The whole industry needs to wake up, and stop burying its head in the sand. If Airbus and Boeing don't want to make the quantum leap, then I'm sure the likes of Embraer will be watching closely.
Many of the concepts Easyjet have used here are nothing new - so if they are doing some recycling of these ideas, and calling for the engineers concerned to pull their fingers out of their backsides, then fair play. If AH can't quite pull in the attention that the bearded one or Mickey bluemouth can generate then that's a shame, but can we please give the guy some credit for trying?
I have just checked the BBC, and seen that they haven't even bothered commenting - afaik, they didn't even send a reporter to the event.
Easyjet are an airline, and as LFL rightly says, they aren't in the business of building planes. But they are in the business of buying them, and they have already had a number of modifications (galleys, seats, exits etc) made to the A319s to suit their needs.
This might just be a PR gesture, but it is still a very serious one. The whole industry needs to wake up, and stop burying its head in the sand. If Airbus and Boeing don't want to make the quantum leap, then I'm sure the likes of Embraer will be watching closely.
Many of the concepts Easyjet have used here are nothing new - so if they are doing some recycling of these ideas, and calling for the engineers concerned to pull their fingers out of their backsides, then fair play. If AH can't quite pull in the attention that the bearded one or Mickey bluemouth can generate then that's a shame, but can we please give the guy some credit for trying?
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
From: LHR
More pictures of the "ecoJet" here - http://www.flightglobal.com/articles...ts-ecojet.html 
