GE and XTI to Study Hybrid Propulsion Solution for TriFan 600 With GE’s Catalyst

XTI Aircraft Company has selected GE’s CatalystTM engine as the core of its TriFan 600 hybrid-electric propulsion system. The two companies will work together to define a series hybrid architecture that will meet the TriFan performance requirements.

GE’s Catalyst is the first clean-sheet turboprop engine to hit the general aviation market in more than 30 years, enabling better performance through proven GE commercial technology. Operating as a series hybrid generator, GE’s Catalyst is designed to answer the propulsion and system needs of aircraft in the emerging megawatt hybrid propulsion market.

It currently has 98 patented technologies and is the first engine in its class to introduce two stages of variable stator vanes, cooled high-pressure turbine blades and more 3-D printed parts than any other commercial engine in history. It performs at an industry-best 16:1 overall pressure ratio. These key technologies enable GE’s Catalyst to extract more power at altitude, as well as excess thermodynamic power for growth in aircraft capability over the lifetime of a system.

Catalyst is designed to incorporate a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) to allow simpler integration with the aircraft’s autopilot, flight control systems, and avionics, enabling seamless control for the pilot while protecting all engine limits in all phases of flight.

The TriFan 600 will have the speed, range and comfort of a business jet and the ability to take off and land vertically, like a helicopter. Using three ducted fans, the TriFan 600 lifts off vertically. Its two wing fans then rotate forward for a seamless transition to cruise speed and its initial climb. It will reach 30,000 feet and cruise to the destination as a highly efficient business aircraft. The TriFan 600 will incorporate advanced safety features, including autopilot and computerized controls for takeoff and landing.

Aero-engine, the well-known ‘crown jewelry’, is also the cutting edge of the equipment manufacturing industry. It is estimated that in the next 10 years, China's military and civilian aviation engine market will exceed the annual average market size of more than 110 billion yuan, of which more than 80 billion are civilian markets. In the next 20 years, China's airlines will have about 4,700 new machines delivered, with a market value of more than $500 billion. The substantial increase in demand for the whole machine will definitely drive the market for engine demand. Assume that the engine price is 25% of the whole machine price, and the domestic engine market share is 40%. The domestic aircraft engine demand driven by the growth of domestic passenger aircraft in the next 20 years is 50 billion US dollars.

Unders this background, 8th China Aerospace Propulsion Technology on September 26th – 27th, 2019, it is an unmissable conference in Xi’an. Attracted more than 120 professional audience to attend.

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