Williams EJ22

Last updated
EJ22
Type Turbofan
National origin United States
Manufacturer Williams International
First run2000

The Williams EJ22 was a small turbofan engine that was being developed by Williams International for very light jet (VLJ) aircraft applications.

Contents

Development

Williams International had been building small turbofan engines for cruise missile applications since the 1960s, and had successfully entered the general aviation market in 1992 with the FJ44 engine. That same year, NASA initiated a program, Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE), to partner with manufacturers and help develop technologies that would revitalize the sagging general aviation industry. In 1996, Williams joined AGATE's General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program to develop a clean-sheet fuel-efficient turbofan engine that would be even smaller than the FJ44 and designated the FJX-2 engine. This provided $100 million in research and development funding for the new engine. [1]

Initially, Williams contracted with Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites to design and build the Williams V-Jet II, a Very Light Jet (VLJ) to use as a testbed and technology demonstrator to showcase the new engine. The aircraft, powered by two interim FJX-1 man-rated version of Williams' cruise-missile engine, debuted at the 1997 Oshkosh Airshow. Development of the FJX-2 engine progressed, most of the design work was completed during 1998 with initial prototype parts being delivered in the second quarter of that year. The program ultimately culminated with altitude testing at the NASA Glenn Research Propulsion Systems Laboratory from March - April 2000.

In 2000, Williams joined with Eclipse Aviation to develop an FAA-certified version of the FJX-2, designated the EJ22, to be used on the Eclipse 500 VLJ due for first flight in June 2002. The new EJ22 powered the Eclipse 500 prototype on its first flight in the summer of 2002, but never flew with the EJ22 again and Eclipse terminated their contract in late 2002, stating: "The EJ22 is not a viable solution for the Eclipse 500 aircraft, and Williams International has not met its contractual obligations", while Williams acknowledged "a number of challenges" with the EJ22 but viewed its obligations as accomplished, implying that the aircraft was too heavy. [1] Eclipse switched to the more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PW600 series. [2] Following termination of the contract, development work and FAA certification was halted shortly thereafter. [3] Eclipse initially required the engine to produce 770 lbf (3,400 N) thrust, exceeding the 700 lbf (3,100 N) rating of the FJX-2 by 10%.

Design

The FJX-2 engine was designed with many experimental systems and manufacturing processes to minimize parts count, lower production costs and have a bypass ratio of 4:1. [4] As a result, there were many technical difficulties and failures of the initial prototype hardware. However, subsequent re-designs and the incorporation of more conventional systems resulted in the engine eventually meeting the NASA requirement of 700 lbf (3,100 N) thrust.

To achieve the required thrust-specific fuel consumption, the EJ22 turbofan was designed as a three spool engine having a fan, two axial compressors and three expansion turbines. As a result, the engine was significantly more complicated than any prior Williams International engine. While very impressive on the test stand, the EJ22 proved quite temperamental during the two years of its development process and it was frequently subject to problems starting, overheating, part failures and various subsystem issues.

Specifications

Data from NASA [4]

General characteristics

Components

Performance

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jet engine</span> Aircraft engine that produces thrust by emitting a jet of gas

A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet of heated gas that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include rocket, water jet, and hybrid propulsion, the term jet engine typically refers to an internal combustion air-breathing jet engine such as a turbojet, turbofan, ramjet, pulse jet, or scramjet. In general, jet engines are internal combustion engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turbofan</span> Airbreathing jet engine designed to provide thrust by driving a fan

A turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a combination of the preceding generation engine technology of the turbojet, and a reference to the additional fan stage added. It consists of a gas turbine engine which achieves mechanical energy from combustion, and a ducted fan that uses the mechanical energy from the gas turbine to force air rearwards. Thus, whereas all the air taken in by a turbojet passes through the combustion chamber and turbines, in a turbofan some of that air bypasses these components. A turbofan thus can be thought of as a turbojet being used to drive a ducted fan, with both of these contributing to the thrust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney PW2000</span> Series of high-bypass turbofan aero engines

The Pratt & Whitney PW2000, also known by the military designation F117 and initially referred to as the JT10D, is a series of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines with a thrust range from 37,000 to 43,000 lbf. Built by Pratt & Whitney, they were designed for the Boeing 757. As a 757 powerplant, these engines compete with the Rolls-Royce RB211.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney F119</span> American low-bypass turbofan engine for the F-22 Raptor

The Pratt & Whitney F119, company designation PW5000, is an afterburning turbofan engine developed by Pratt & Whitney for the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, which resulted in the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. The engine delivers thrust in the 35,000 lbf (156 kN) class and was designed for sustained supersonic flight without afterburners, or supercruise. Delivering almost 22% more thrust with 40% fewer parts than its F100 predecessor, the F119 allows the F-22 to achieve supercruise speeds of up to Mach 1.8. The F119's nozzles incorporate thrust vectoring that enable them to direct the engine thrust ±20° in the pitch axis to give the F-22 enhanced maneuverability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Electric TF39</span> Turbofan aircraft engine

The General Electric TF39 is a high-bypass turbofan engine that was developed to power the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. The TF39 was the first high-power, high-bypass jet engine developed. The TF39 was further developed into the CF6 series of engines, and formed the basis of the LM2500 and LM6000 marine and industrial gas turbine. On September 7, 2017, the last active C-5A powered with TF39 engines made its final flight to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for retirement. The TF39 was effectively retired, and all remaining active C-5 Galaxies are now powered by F138 engines.

Williams International is an American manufacturer of small gas turbine engines based in Pontiac, Michigan, United States. It produces jet engines for cruise missiles and small jet aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney F100</span> Afterburning turbofan engine that powers the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon

The Pratt & Whitney F100 is an afterburning turbofan engine designed and manufactured by Pratt & Whitney to power the U.S. Air Force's "FX" initiative in 1965, which became the F-15 Eagle. The engine was to be developed in tandem with the F401 which shares a similar core but with the fan upscaled for the U.S. Navy's F-14 Tomcat, although the F401 was later abandoned due to costs and reliability issues. The F100 would also power the F-16 Fighting Falcon for the Air Force's Lightweight Fighter (LWF) program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney J57</span> Turbojet engine

The Pratt & Whitney J57 is an axial-flow turbojet engine developed by Pratt & Whitney in the early 1950s. The J57 was the first 10,000 lbf (45 kN) thrust class engine in the United States. It was also the first two-spool turbojet to run, a few months before the similar Bristol Olympus in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Trent 500</span> 1990s British turbofan aircraft engine

The Rolls-Royce Trent 500 is a high-bypass turbofan produced by Rolls-Royce to power the larger A340-500/600 variants. It was selected in June 1997, first ran in May 1999, first flew in June 2000, and achieved certification on 15 December 2000. It entered service in July 2002 and 524 engines were delivered on-wing until the A340 production ended in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams FJ44</span> Small turbofan engine

The Williams FJ44 is a family of small, two-spool, turbofan engines produced by Williams International for the light business jet market. Until the recent boom in the very light jet market, the FJ44 was one of the smallest turbofans available for civilian applications. Although basically a Williams design, Rolls-Royce was brought into the project at an early stage to design, develop, and manufacture an air-cooled high-pressure (HP) turbine for the engine. The FJ44 first flew on July 12, 1988 on the Scaled Composites/Beechcraft Triumph aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce RB401</span> 1970s British turbofan aircraft engine

The Rolls-Royce RB.401 was a British two-spool business jet engine which Rolls-Royce started to develop in the mid-1970s as a replacement for the Viper. RB.401-06 prototype engines were already being manufactured when a decision to develop the higher thrust RB.401-07 was taken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams FJ33</span> Family of jet engines

The Williams FJ33 is an American family of turbofan jet engines intended for use in very light jet aircraft. The FJ33 is a scaled-down version of the FJ44 engine. The FJ33-5A is the latest version certified in June 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams V-Jet II</span> Type of aircraft

The Williams V-Jet II was designed and built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites for Williams International as a test bed and demonstrator aircraft for Williams' new FJX-1 turbofan engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotarev DV-2</span>

The Lotarev DV-2 is a two-spool turbofan engine manufactured in Považská Bystrica, Slovakia by Považské Strojárne Letecké Motory (PSLM) and designed in partnership with Ivchenko Lotarev Design Bureau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFE CFE738</span>

The CFE CFE738 is a small turbofan engine aimed at the business/commuter jet market manufactured by the CFE Company, and is used on the Dassault Falcon 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivchenko AI-25</span>

The Ivchenko AI-25 is a family of military and civilian twin-shaft medium bypass turbofan engines developed by Ivchenko OKB of the Soviet Union. It was the first bypass engine ever used on short haul aircraft in the USSR. The engine is still produced by Ukrainian based aircraft engine manufacturing company, Motor Sich.

The Turbomeca Astafan is a single-spool, variable-pitch turbofan engine developed from the Turbomeca Astazou. Despite successful flight-testing, an efficient, quiet and clean design and some commercial interest, the Astafan never entered series production. The engines were only flown on the Fouga 90 prototype and Turbomeca's two test aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ishikawajima-Harima F3</span>

The Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) F3 is a low bypass turbofan engine developed in Japan by Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries for the Kawasaki T-4 jet trainer aircraft. The first prototype engine, the XF3, was manufactured in 1981 and first flew in the XT-4 in July 1985. About 550 have been built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Electric Passport</span> High bypass turbofan aircraft engine

The General Electric Passport is a turbofan developed by GE Aerospace for large business jets. It was selected in 2010 to power the Bombardier Global 7500 and 8000, first run on June 24, 2013, and first flown in 2015. It was certified in April 2016 and powered the Global 7500 first flight on November 4, 2016, before its 2018 introduction. It produces 14,000 to 20,000 lbf of thrust, a range previously covered by the General Electric CF34. A smaller scaled CFM LEAP, it is a twin-spool axial engine with a 5.6:1 bypass ratio and a 45:1 overall pressure ratio and is noted for its large one-piece 52 in (130 cm) fan 18-blade titanium blisk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney F401</span> Turbofan Engine

The Pratt & Whitney F401 was an afterburning turbofan engine developed by Pratt & Whitney in tandem with the company's F100. The F401 was intended to power the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and Rockwell XFV-12, but the engine was canceled due to costs and development issues.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Noland, David (November 2005). "The Little Engine That Couldn't". Smithsonian Magazine.
  2. "Eclipse Aviation Completes Two Successful Flights of First Eclipse 500 Certification Flight Test Aircraft" (Press release). 2004-12-31. Archived from the original on 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  3. "Williams EJ22". Minijets. 7 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 "The General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) Program" (PDF). NASA. July 2008.
  5. 1 2 "FJ22". Williams.