BANGKOK, THAILAND-- March 19, 2012 -- THAI Airways has taken delivery of its ClearCoreTM engine wash system, developed by GE Aviation. GE's ClearCoreTM system could save THAI more than $4 million annually if utilized across the airline's aircraft fleet.
"THAI Airways has taken many steps to reduce its impact on the environment, and GE's ClearCoreTM engine wash system is another way that we can improve our engine's fuel consumption and performance, which ultimately reduces emissions," said Flt. Lt. Montree Jumrieng, Managing Director of Technical Department, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited.
"By selecting GE's ClearCoreTM engine wash system, THAI Airways is demonstrating its commitment to improving the performance of its engine fleet and lowering its overall operating costs," said John Gough, GE Aviation's flight operations director and leader of Fuel & Carbon Solutions. "GE's ClearCoreTM engine wash system features a full effluent capture system in which the water is cleaned and can be re-used, providing THAI with a complete on-wing engine wash system that can be used at the gate or in a hangar."
An engine's performance deteriorates over time due to mechanical wear and environmental contamination, such as dust and sand. The deterioration caused by these environmental factors can be lessened with GE's ClearCoreTM. The mobile unit enables operators to quickly and easily clean surface contaminants, like dust and other environmental deposits, from inner aircraft engine components to maximize operating efficiency.
For an airline experiencing a 0.25 percent fuel efficiency loss due to an ineffective engine wash program, GE's ClearCoreTM engine wash system combined with GE diagnostics can provide significant cost savings. For a fleet of 10 GE90-115B-powered Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, even a modest improvement from the ClearCoreTM engine wash system could produce annual fuel savings of close to $500,000 while reducing annual CO2 emissions by 1,900 metric tons.
ClearCoreTM engine wash system is designed to fully capture wash water and prevent runoff during the wash operation. The wash water is then filtered for reuse. An integrated vacuum system eliminates water pooling. While the amount of performance recovered can vary based on operating conditions and wash interval cycle, customers who use ClearCoreTM can see an improvement in the exhaust gas temperature (EGT), specific fuel consumption and time on-wing.
The ClearCoreTM engine wash system can be used on any aircraft engine. Customers can purchase a full-service package with GE providing the washes or can choose to purchase the equipment only. The water collection system can be used with existing front-end washing systems.
GE's ClearCoreTM engine wash system is part of GE's ecomagination product portfolio, which is GE's commitment to develop new, cost-effective technologies that enhance customers' environmental and operating performance.
THAI Airways is the national flag carrier and the largest airline in Thailand. THAI flies to 72 destinations in 35 countries with its fleet of 92 aircraft. The airline operates GE's CF6 and GE90 engines along with CFM56* engines.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation. Follow GE Aviation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation.
TMClearCore is a trademark of GE.
*CFM56 is a product of CFM International, a 50/50 joint venture between GE and Snecma (SAFRAN group).
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