Trent turbine troubles ground Thai 787s
06 JULY, 2017 SOURCE: FLIGHT DASHBOARD BY:
GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE
Thai Airways International has grounded part of its
Boeing 787-8 fleet owing to turbine replacement issues with the Rolls-Royce
Trent 1000 engine.
The carrier says it is working with Rolls-Royce on the
issue, which it expects to be sorted out by September.
"Due to the shortage of Boeing 787 Dreamliner engine
spare parts, it is necessary that some aircraft of this type must be parked and
temporarily cannot be operated, which is a problem that affects Thai and other
airlines worldwide whose 787 aircraft are equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000
engines that have turbine blade problems," says Thai's acting president,
Usanee Sangsingkoo, in a statement.
She adds: "As this problem may affect flight safety,
Thai has removed these engines from its aircraft and sent them for repair at
the Rolls-Royce technical maintenance center in Singapore earlier this
year."
The Star Alliance carrier has also conducted negotiations
with R-R to obtain compensation expenses accruing from the issue.
When contacted by FlightGlobal, R-R said it is working to
resolve Trent 1000 issues.
“This is the continuation of work which started last year
to upgrade Trent 1000 engines to the latest standard," says R-R.
"We have a clear service management plan in place
with all operators to undertake this work and minimise disruption. The current
disruption that we are causing to the Thai fleet is clearly of great concern to
us. The Thai and Rolls-Royce teams are working together to minimise this impact
and restore full flight operations as soon as possible.”
In September 2016, R-R said it would replace turbine
blades in the intermediate-pressure turbine of the global Trent 1000 fleet. The
engine-maker said that the existing design was "failing to meet its
expected lifespan", and that it would roll out a global fix.
Media reports from Thailand say that four of Thai's six
787-8s are grounded. One story shows the image of a parked 787-8 with an empty
engine cowling.
Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the average age of
Thai's 787s is 2.6 years. Thai also has two 787-9s on order, which are to be
delivered in September and December.
Sangsingkeo adds that it is using other types on 787-8
routes to ensure passenger service is not affected. FlightMaps Analytics shows
that Thai's 787s operate short and middle-haul routes. Key destinations include
Brisbane, Perth, Delhi, Beijing, and Phuket.
Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that there are 213
in-service 787s globally that are powered with Trent 1000s. Of these, 101 are
with operators in the Asia-Pacific.
Globally, major users of Trent 1000 powered 787s
include All NipponAirways with 59 aircraft, British
Airways (24), and LATAM (23).
Source: flightglobal.com
Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine
|
787 Engines:
GEnx-1B Trent 1000 |
|
767 Engines:
GE CF6-80C2 RR RB211-524G/H |
Bypass Ratio
|
~10
|
|
~5
|
Overall Pressure Ratio
|
~50
|
|
~33
|
Thrust Class
|
53,000–74,000 lbf
|
|
53,000–63,000 lbf
|
Fan Diameter
|
111–112 in
|
|
86–93 in
|
Specific Fuel Consumption
|
15% lower
|
|
Base
|
Noise
|
ICAO Chapter 4
|
|
ICAO Chapter 3
|
Emissions
|
CAEP/8 (2014)
|
|
CAEP/2
|
In addition to the improved fuel burn requirements, the
787 propulsion system also had to meet more stringent noise and emissions
requirements. Finally, in order to maximize the capital value of the airplane,
Boeing decided that the propulsion systems should be designed for full
interchangeability between the two engine types.
Source: boeing.com
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