Boeing is starting a series of flight tests this month to evaluate a new engine inlet design, along with some aircraft operating concepts, seeking to improve fuel efficiency and reduce jet-engine noise. The tests will be conducted on the Boeing ecoDemonstrator flying test bed - a modified aircraft used as an airborne laboratory to test engine features, avionics, and aerodynamic concepts, and collecting real-time data under actual flight conditions.

Research will be conducted through mid-August at a Boeing site in Glasgow, Mont., aboard a 787-9 scheduled to be delivered later to Lufthansa and powered by twin Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

Rolls-Royce and Lufthansa are partnering with Boeing to conduct the flight tests.

The first focus of the studies will be the Next Generation Inlet, a reduced-length engine inlet demonstrator with advanced acoustic treatments. According to Boeing, the inlet design will make it possible to integrate more fuel-efficient engines onto future aircraft platforms, and will reduce weight and drag while maintaining the acoustic performance.

The second objective involves modified aircraft departure and arrival procedures, including Intelligent Operations flight paths, seeking to lower jet in communities near airports. “These flight paths are algorithmically generated using multiple data sources to identify opportunities for fuel-efficiency and noise benefits,” according to a Boeing announcement.

“The more efficient inlet and Intelligent Operations flight paths we’re evaluating on this year’s ecoDemonstrator Explorer are among the many promising concepts we’re working on,” Boeing Chief Technology Officer Lane Ballard noted.

Both concepts being tested are part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s CLEEN (Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise) program, Phase III. CLEEN is a government-industry collaboration that develops and tests technologies that aircraft and engine builders may adapt for manufacturing, such as improved fuel efficiency and reduced noise.