Snecma Selects Eaton to Provide Advanced Oil-Debris Monitoring Technology for Revolutionary LEAP Engine

July 13, 2012
The contract value is expected to exceed $100 million over the life of the program.

CLEVELAND … Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation, a leading innovator in advanced oil-debris monitoring solutions for the aerospace industry, has been selected by Snecma to provide oil-debris monitoring technology for the revolutionary new LEAP engine. The contract value is expected to exceed $100 million over the life of the program.  

“Our innovations through the years have established Eaton as an industry leader in the growing engine prognostics market, and the LEAP contract validates the advancements we’ve made to develop solutions for next-generation aircraft,” said Brad Morton, president of Eaton’s Aerospace Group. “We look forward to working with the LEAP development team as we continue improving and refining our oil-debris monitoring technologies for commercial and military customers.”

LEAP engines are a product of CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and General Electric. CFM is the world’s leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines.

LEAP is a new baseline turbofan engine designed to power the next generation of single-aisle commercial jets and will succeed the CFM56 engine. Featuring the industry’s most innovative materials and technologies, LEAP will deliver breakthrough performance in fuel efficiency, cost savings and emissions reduction, and also will be significantly quieter than its predecessor.

Eaton’s advanced oil-debris monitoring system enhances engine health and aircraft safety by capturing, retaining and analyzing oil debris particles to determine if critical engine component failures are imminent. The system in development for the LEAP engine will comprise Eaton’s patented LubricloneÒ debris separator, a quantitative debris monitor (QDM) sensor and a signal conditioner.

QDM is a proven, mature technology that has produced significant gains for engine monitoring and aircraft maintenance while improving safety and reliability and lowering operating costs. Eaton’s QDM has logged more than 22 million successful engine flight hours on the GE90 (Boeing 777); is qualified for the GP7200 (Airbus A380); and has been selected for GEnx (Boeing 787, 747-8), Trent 1000 engines (Boeing 787) and Trent XWB engines (Airbus A350).

Eaton’s oil-debris monitoring technology has evolved along with the aerospace industry’s demand for lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft. Eaton has led efforts to develop low-pressure debris-monitoring systems that use less energy, operate more efficiently and improve fuel economy and reliability.

Eaton’s technology also saves money by reducing the maintenance burden for airplanes. Engines equipped with QDM preclude the need for manual checks and inspections and enable condition-based maintenance, a more cost-effective alternative that increases time on wing over the life of the airplane.

In the aerospace industry, Eaton is a leading supplier of hydraulic, electro-hydraulic pump and generator products and integrated systems; engine and airframe fuel pumps; electric motors; aircraft door actuation, flight and flow controls; fluid, fuel and air delivery products and systems; nose wheel steering systems; integrated control systems; cockpit controls and displays; power and load management systems; pressure sensors, seals, and fluid health monitoring products and systems. Eaton serves commercial and military aviation, aerospace, military weapons, marine and off-road markets worldwide.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with more than 100 years of experience providing energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power. With 2011 sales of $16.0 billion, Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical components, systems and services for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has approximately 72,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.