150,000 lbf Certification Test Facility – Rolls-Royce plc, John C. Stennis Space Center, NASA complex, Mississippi, USA

Project

It Stands Alone Located in the NASA complex, the Rolls-Royce Outdoor Jet Engine Test Facility is recognized as a globally-unique self-contained facility.

Gold Standard Thrust As Rolls-Royce’s Gold Standard engine test certification site, the facility is capable of a wide range of tests, and provides for the outdoor location of the development testing of Rolls-Royce’s latest family of high thrust jet engines. Currently on test: the Trent 900 (Airbus A380). Coming soon: Rolls-Royce’s new Trent 1000 destined for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Fixated Maintaining an intense schedule, MDS delivered this turnkey facility to meet Rolls-Royce’s demanding development program requirements.

Features

  • 60 foot tall rotating test stand
  • 300 foot diameter arena
  • Thrust capacity up to 150,000 lbf
  • Crosswind generator
  • Turbulence control structure
  • Noise measurement
  • Anti vortex mats and re-ingestion screens
  • 2000+ steady state and dynamic DAS channel count.
  • Pre-rig shop with multiple engine test stands

Capabilities

  • Performance testing (fan flutter)
  • Acoustic certification testing
  • Ground plane simulation testing
  • Endurance testing, (cyclic thrust reverse)
  • Cross-wind certification testing

MDS Project Scope

The design and supply of:

  • Site infrastructure and buildings
  • Test arena
  • Test stand
  • Mechanical support systems
  • Data acquisition and control systems
  • Special purpose test equipment including:
    • Re-ingestion screens
    • Ground Plane simulator
  • Overall project management
  • Relocation and refurbishment of additional specialized testing equipment from an existing facility in the UK, to the new site in the USA including:
    • Turbulance Control Structure (TCS)
    • Cross Wind blower