OREANDA-NEWS. Rolls-Royce has today launched an Enhanced Performance version of the Trent XWB, the world’s most efficient large aero engine, powering the Airbus A350 XWB. The first customer is Singapore Airlines.

The Trent XWB-84 EP (Enhanced Performance) goes beyond the original Trent XWB-84 performance target levels, offering a fuel consumption improvement of one per cent.

The Trent XWB-84 EP incorporates technologies from the higher thrust Trent XWB-97 engine, the Advance engine programme and other future technology research.

The first Trent XWB-84 EP delivery will be in Q4 2019 to Singapore Airlines and the upgraded engine will also be offerable to other existing customers with deliveries after this date.

Eric Schulz, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said: “I’m proud that we are making the world’s best engine even better – the Trent XWB-84 EP builds on our established reputation for continuous improvement. Our Enhanced Performance approach has allowed us to consistently incorporate technology developments into the Trent family.”

Technology improvements on the Trent XWB-84 EP include:

  • Improved turbine cooling and aerodynamics from the Trent XWB-97 and Advance programmes
  • Improved secondary air system and interstage sealing from the Trent XWB-97 programme
  • Further optimisation of Trent XWB-84 turbine tip clearance control system, based on recent improvements on other programmes

The Trent XWB-84 and the Trent XWB-84 EP are entirely interchangeable and intermixable – any A350-900 can be powered by a combination of both engines – to enable simplicity in service.

The Trent XWB is the fastest-selling wide-body engine with more than 1,500 engines sold to 41 customers. The Trent XWB-84 has already delivered the best-ever entry into service for a large engine since it first powered the A350 XWB into commercial service in January 2015. The higher-thrust version of the engine, the Trent XWB-97 which powers the Airbus A350-1000, flew for the first time on a flying test bed last November and will enter service in 2017.

Singapore Airlines has a total of 67 A350-900 aircraft on order, all powered by the Trent XWB, with the first delivery to take place soon.