The Pratt
& Whitney Canada PW600 series is a family of small turbofan engines
developed by Pratt & Whitney Canada for use in very light jets. Designed
with scalability in mind, the engines can produce between 900 lbf (4,000 N) and
3,000 lbf (13,000 N) of take-off thrust.
First run
of the 2,500 lbf (11,000 N) thrust PW625F demonstrator engine was on 31 October
2001. P&WC began work on the 900 lbf (4 kN) thrust PW610F engine, destined
for the Eclipse 500, in 2002. The engine was certified by the Canadian authorities
on the 27 July 2006. The first Eclipse 500 aircraft, powered by two PW610Fs,
was delivered to a customer on 31 December 2006.
With a 14.5
inch (36.83 cm) diameter fan, the PW610F is one of the smallest turbofans to
enter production. Little is known about the engine cycle, although the bypass
ratio is believed to be about 1.83.
Driven by a
single-stage low pressure (LP) turbine, the single stage fan is an advanced design,
with wide chord blades integral with the rotor hub.
The newly
patented high pressure (HP) compressor comprises a diagonal (i.e. mixed) flow
stage, supercharging a conventional centrifugal blower, the whole being driven
by a single stage HP turbine.
A reverse
flow combustor and forced mixer/common exhaust are also featured in the design.
Dual lane
Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC), for smoother, more reliable,
operation, is included in the specification.