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propfan
Sign in to savethumb|Mockup of a prototype General Electric GE36|GE36 at the [[Musée aéronautique et spatial Safran]] thumb|A closeup of the PW–Allison 578-DX propfan demonstrator installed on the port side of a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 testbed
Article
21 sectionsContents
- Definition
- History
- 1970s–1980s
- Flight test programs
- Other proposed applications
- Decline
- 1990s
- Twenty-first century
- Challenges
- Blade design
- Noise
- Community noise
- Size
- Output rating
- List of propfans
- Aircraft with propfans
- Proposed aircraft with propfans
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
thumb|Mockup of a prototype General Electric GE36|GE36 at the [[Musée aéronautique et spatial Safran]] thumb|A closeup of the PW–Allison 578-DX propfan demonstrator installed on the port side of a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 testbed
A propfan, also called a propjet, an open rotor engine, or an open fan engine, is an aircraft engine combining features of turbofans and turboprops. It uses advanced, curved propeller blades without a duct. Propfans first started prototype testing in the 1970s, aiming to combine the speed capability of turbofans with the fuel efficiency of turboprops, especially at high subsonic speeds. However, they have never proceeded beyond testing, never going into commercial use. Over the decades, different efforts to perfect the concept have used names like "open rotor" and "ultra-high-bypass (UHB) turbofan".