Ofelia, Open Fan for Environmental Low Impact of Aviation

Safran Aircraft Engines will coordinate the Open Fan new engine technology demonstration program as part of Clean Aviation's Open Fan for Environmental Low Impact of Aviation (OFELIA) project. The French engine manufacturer will work with 26 key European industrial partners, including Airbus, Avio Aero, GKN Aerospace, as well as research laboratories such as ONERA and universities from several European countries. The OFELIA consortium will receive €100 million in European funding from Clean Aviation. "The Open Fan architecture is the major innovation of our CFM RISE technology demonstration program with GE Aerospace and is a key element to improve the fuel efficiency of next-generation engines. We look forward to partnering with European industry leaders to shape the future of sustainable aviation," said Michel Brioude, Safran Aircraft Engines vice president of engineering and R&T. 

For short- and medium-haul aircraft with 20% fuel savings 

The objective of OFELIA is to demonstrate the benefits of an Open Fan architecture in terms of energy efficiency to meet the needs of the future generation of short- and medium-haul aircraft by 2035, and the aviation industry's goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The Open Fan architecture aims to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20 percent compared to current engines. As part of Clean Aviation's OFELIA initiative, Safran Aircraft Engines and its partners will mature to TRL 5 a set of technologies related to low-pressure systems, the high-pressure body and advanced systems like hybridization. These developments will pave the way for ground and flight demonstrations to take place in the middle of this decade on an Airbus A380 equipped with an Open Fan. The consortium will also ensure that this disruptive architecture will be 100 percent compatible with sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and hydrogen.

A roadmap of 20 tests 

OFELIA's roadmap will include more than 20 tests conducted at the partners' facilities. Safran Aircraft Engines, Avio Aero and GKN Aerospace will work together to design and produce the Open Fan demonstrator components. Through this unique collaboration between program partners, laboratories and universities, OFELIA will address specific topics in the Open Fan technology maturation plan, such as whirl flutter, the unshrouded fan, propellers and blades, the high-speed compressor, high-speed low-pressure turbine aerodynamics, the compact high-power gearbox, lightweight engine components, combustor emissions, high-pressure compressor aerodynamics and engine hybridization. In order to be ready for the second phase of Clean Aviation focused on flight testing, Airbus will prepare the preliminary dossier for the flight demonstrator.