Multinational conglomerate General Electric (GE) Power Conversion has been awarded an important contract by low-pressure compressor manufacturer Safran Aero Boosters to supply an electrical variable-speed drive system to equip an airplane motor compressor test bench.

This bench will be part of the new aerodynamics test centre called BeCOVER that Safran is building close to Liege, in Belgium.

The new facility, scheduled to be operational from 2023, while not limited to aviation, will offer unique capabilities in Europe to the aviation industry with capacity to test all types of compressors for the next generations of civil and military aircraft engines.

It will for example offer a turbofan test capability, a multi-speed gearbox as well as the possibility of co-piloting the tests remotely.

“We are delighted to work once again with our long-term partner GE,” says Safran Aero Boosters CEO François Lepot.

He adds the collaboration will ensure that the BeCOVER test bench has the outstanding technical capabilities required to test new generation compressors, with the objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

GE Power Conversion’s electrical system is composed of two MV7315 drives, a 30 MW induction motor and associated auxiliary equipment – a technology that will allow BeCOVER to test a range of compressors, both low and high pressure, in many configurations.

This important project demonstrates the versatility of GE’s MV7000 drives systems, offering a high level of performance, with efficient and flexible control, to a range of applications including in the research and test industry.

The contract also includes the electrical studies and the installation and commissioning.

“With the growth trend we currently see in the aerospace industry, engine manufacturers need to develop their test facilities and improve their efficiency and flexibility.

“Our company has specialised in the development and manufacture of electrical variable speed solutions for decades, based on highly efficient motors and drives, making us today a partner of choice for such high-power applications,” concludes GE Power Conversion president and CEO Philippe Piron.