Open Air Test Bed for Safran
SAFRAN
Context
Safran needed an open-air test bed for development, validation and qualification testing on the prototype of the Open Rotor civil aircraft engine as well as some work on the LEAP engine range. Safran engaged us as the leader of a consortium of companies to deliver this capability which combines operational flight conditions with highly complex instrumentation to monitor performance.
The Open Rotor programme forms a key part of Safran’s future strategy to meet aircraft manufacturers’ needs into the 2030s.
Spherea was selected as the consortium leader working alongisde AtkinsRéalis (before SNC-Lavalin), Équip’Aéro and Latercoere for the entire test bed capability.
Our role
- Provided all project management, including management of partners, suppliers and customer interfaces across multiple technical capabilities, locations and time zones.
- Integrated the system architecture (which was based on the customer’s own objectives), defined technical requirements and maintained financial and planning targets.
- Provided the entire measurement, command and control systems within the test facility using existing Spherea technical capability.
Results
Over two years, our consortium delivered Europe’s first open air engine test facility, with a footprint of around six hectares. It comprises:
- An 18-metre-high structure to support the engine, which is interlinked with four measurement systems containers featuring 20 instrumentation cabinets and 1200 measurement lines.
- A 600m² operations centre capable of hosting up to 50 operators to control the engine(s) and to monitor the tests.
- Two compressed air production units
- Fuel management and pressurisation cooling units.
- There were no major accidents during this project.