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GE Aviation Czech and CTU in Prague to cooperate on SAF testing

Published: 09. 11. 2021

As one of the largest R&D public-private partnership in Europe – kicked off in October 2016 to join efforts with the aim to build an ecosystem for aerospace technologies – at the MSV-International Engineering Fair, the Czech Technical University’s Centre of Aviation and Space Research CTU in Prague and GE Aviation Czech announced an expansion of their collaboration to demonstrate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Embracing GE’s global ambitions to reduce carbon emissions and achieve a more sustainable future of the aviation industry, which is also within the ecosystem’s mission: CTU in Prague and GEAC are going to leverage their capabilities, knowledge and expertise in the fields of both aeronautics and advanced engineering technologies and design with the aim to complete a successful demonstration of the Catalyst engine using an approved SAF blend and replacing conventional jet fuel.

The Catalyst engine – the first new, clean-sheet turboprop engine to enter the business and general aviation segment in more than 50 years – completed its maiden flight last September 30th and is currently moving forward in its flight-testing campaign at the Berlin airport on a Beechcraft King Air Flying Test Bed that will then fly to Hradec Kralove Airport (CZ). Here, is where GE Aviation Czech and CTU in Prague have their partnered advanced center including four state-of-the-art ground test cells.

“CTU in Prague and GEAC are planning experiments with the new Catalyst turboprop engine using the SAF as decarbonization of aviation is a key topic within the EU Green Deal and crucial goal of research and development”, said Michael Valasek, Dean of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague. “We are expecting to add significant results and solid data to the ongoing flying test bed campaign by further validating the Catalyst engine’s compatibility with SAF now and in the future.”

“We’re so proud of this collaboration that started just 5 years ago with the creation of an ecosystem and the development of preventive health monitoring system methodology for turboprop engines, then reached the milestone of first flight after thousands of testing hours at our test cells and now it is evolving for the sustainable aviation of the future” said Milan Slapak, CEO and General Manager of GE Aviation Czech. “The test cells at Hradec Kralove Airport, thus, will host the new SAF demonstrations from 2022, while the joint team of experts and engineers at GEAC and CTU in Prague already started the preparation work on our new Catalyst engine that is really positioned to open a new era in its general aviation segment”.

The Catalyst engine, aimed to service the 850 -1600 SHP range, yet collected more than 2600 hours of testing operation: in particular, the GEAC and CTU in Prague joint work contributed to 1337 of those hours and accomplished 7 experiments (two are ongoing and 3 already scheduled), and yet generated over 250 terabytes of data.

GE’s Catalyst features an industry-best 16:1 overall pressure ratio and is able to achieve up to 20 percent lower fuel burn as well as lower CO2 emissions. The expertise of GE, dated back in 2007, for both the approval path and the development of SAF – all GE and GE partnership engines in service today and in the future could operate with 100% drop-in SAF once it is standardized and qualified by the industry – will be beneficial to the cooperation between GEAC and CTU in Prague.

Download the press release HERE.

Photo galleries from the press conference held at International Engineering Fair 2021 in Brno, 8 November 2021, can be found HERE.

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