General Electric Catalyst

After two years of development, it completed its first test run in Prague on December 22, 2017. After most of the component tested and the engine run, GE Aviation maintains its performance objectives and hope to exceed them. It will begin certification testing in 2018, validating the aerodynamics, mechanics, and aerothermal systems. It is expected to power the Beechcraft Denali first flight in late 2018 and will complete over 2000 hours of testing before the Denali enter service. GE Aviation Czech, the development, testing and production headquarters, has recruited around 180 employees, with another 80 expected in 2018 among 500 others for the complete facility at full production rate. It was developed over two years by 400 GE designers, engineers and materials experts in the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Poland, the U.S. and elsewhere. Six test cells will open, 10 test engines will be built and it will be flown later in 2018 on a flying testbed, certification tests over 2018-2019 include altitude, performance and high-vibration testing.[12]

In March 2018 the first sample ran nearly 40 hours before several years of health monitoring review. The next engine is assembled and instrumented for altitude trials and will be tested in Canada from summer 2018. From later in 2018, Cessna will receive three engines to prepare the first-quarter 2019 Denali maiden flight.[13] Its development is 30% faster than previous new GE projects as the development program has 10 engines, plus several rebuilds. Over the next two years, 33 engine tests overall will happen including 17 certification tests. The certification do not require a flying testbed but a modified King Air 350 may be used for flight safety clearance early in 2019, before Denali flight tests.[2] At the end of May 2018, 60 hours of testing were completed including at full power while second engine assembly was nearly complete for a summer first run, component certification was imminent and should be followed by whole-engine certification testing, starting with ingestion and altitude tests.[14] By July 2018, the first engine ran over 100 hours while a second engine is running in Prague before being sent to Canada later in the year for altitude testing, performance is on target or better than predicted.[15]

By May 2019, test engines ran up to 41,000 ft (12,000 m) in an altitude chamber and over 1,000 h, simulating three years of operations, while the FADEC ran 300 h in the Denali iron bird.[16] By October 2019, over 1,000 engine cycles logged 1,600h of tests: 1,200h in test cells and 400h in compressor rigs. Altitude, endurance, vibration, durability and ingestion testing were complete, as integrated propeller controls tests and high-pressure compressor and gas generator turbine overspeed tests. New icing tests requirements pushed back the first engine delivery to 2020, and Beechcraft Denali first flight even further. Five engines were assembled by then, and two other should be completed before 2019 ends.[17] First flight test aboard a King Air was delayed until spring 2020 and certification for autumn 2021, after a 18-month campaign, due to new FAA testing requirements, including icing tests.[18]

By July 2021, 16 engines had been produced and completed 2,500h of operation; as 30% of Catalyst’s certification tests were completed including some icing tests.[19] Tests have shown more power at high altitudes than expected and a 1-2% more efficiency than anticipated for up to 16-17% more than competitors.[19] One turboprop was fitted to a Beechcraft King Air 350 in Berlin which completed some taxi tests, to achieve maiden flight in the coming months and certification by end-2022.[19] Another engine was installed on a Denali airframe to make its first flight before year-end and to achieve certification in 2023.[19]

The Catalyst made its first flight on a King Air testbed on September 30.[20] On November 23, the Denali made its first flight with a Catalyst engine, targeting a 2023 certification.[21]

In May 2023, Denali certification was pushed back to 2025 as the engine certification was delayed to 2024 by more-stringent standards like icing and engine ingestion requirements, having completed 16 of 22 planned engine certification tests and 26 of 37 component certification tests, hot-weather tests and cold-temperature trials.[22]

The GE Catalyst is intended to cover the market between the H80 and CT7.[23] It will compete with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6, produced at 51,000 units and leading the small turboprop market for 50 years, adding to the sub 850 horsepower (630 kW) General Electric H80. It has been selected to power the new Beechcraft Denali single engine turboprop aircraft, seating up to 12 passengers at over 280 knots (520 km/h) for 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km). GE plans to invest up to $1 billion in the project, including $400 million for a manufacturing center in Europe.[24]

General characteristics

• Type: Turboprop
• Length: 71.6 in (1,820 mm)[33]
• Diameter: About 26 in (660 mm)[33]
• Dry weight: 625 lb (283 kg)[33]

• Compressor: four axial stages and a single centrifugal stage[27]
• Combustors: reverse flow single-annular combustor[27]
• Turbine: two-stage high pressure, three-stage low-pressure [27]

• Maximum power output: 1,300 hp (970 kW) (850–1,600 hp (630–1,190 kW) range)[25]
• Overall pressure ratio: 16:1[25]
• Specific fuel consumption: Less than 0.5 lb/(hp⋅h) (0.30 kg/kWh)[33]
• Power-to-weight ratio: About 2.6 shp/lb (4.3 kW/kg)[33]
• Time between overhauls (TBO): 4000-6000 hours[25]