LAN Airlines performs its 1,500th Cyclean™ engine wash

LAN Airlines has performed its 1,500th Cyclean™ engine wash. LAN Airlines is using Lufthansa Technik’s Cyclean™ engine water wash equipment since June 2010 and has currently leased four units which are based in Santiago de Chile, Lima and Miami. This coverage enables LAN to perform cleanings of its whole engine portfolio, including the CF6-80C2, PW4000, PW6000, V2500 and CFM56-5C types. Due to Cyclean™, LAN’s engines run at lower temperatures, use less fuel and therefore emit less CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

Cristián León, Powerplant Components & Materials Vice-President LAN Airlines, said: “Depending on type, we wash every engine of our fleet every 40 or 90 days the latest. With this interval we reach an optimum in engine overall performance improvement. Due to Cyclean™ we achieve a fleet-wide fuel consumption reduction of 2,120 tons every year meaning 6,550 tons of CO2-emission.”

Washing a jet or turboprop engine on a customized cycle leads to a cleaner and therefore more efficient compressor.

To achieve the minimum downtime necessary to perform the washing process as an integral part of aircraft operations, Lufthansa Technik developed completely new equipment (patent technology) which makes engine washing a quick, easy and safe process.

Matthias Langko, Section Manager of Engine Life Cycle Services with Lufthansa Technik, said: “We are proud to have this intense engine wash partnership with LAN Airlines which brought up three Cyclean™ stations in North and South America operated by LAN on a long-term lease. Moreover, Cyclean™ proved it’s capability to extend on-wing time of LAN’s engines due to a lower EGT (exhaust gas temperature) and a reduced structural stress.”

A dual nozzle arrangement sprays water heated to 70°C (160°F) with up to 100 bar (1450 psi) directly into the core engine. Contrary to conventional washing methods, a fine and evenly distributed water mist follows the gas path. The amount of water injected is optimized for each engine type. Lufthansa Technik supports their Cyclean™ customers with a tailor-made Engineering Order which makes a run-up after the wash event obsolete.

Combined with twin-wash programs and an ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) aircraft wash procedure, Airlines can even benefit from further time and cost savings.

Lufthansa Technik offers the Cyclean™ engine wash technology to Airlines around the globe. Every customer can choose between a service model (Lufthansa staff or a local partner perform the washes) or a long term lease, in which the customer’s staff receives a local training and performs the washes on its own.