Boeing 747-8 Engine Overview from GE Aviation
A GE Aviation overview of the GEnx-2B engine used on the 747-8.
A close look at the General Electric GEnx-2B, the only engine ever offered on the Boeing 747-8.
The 747-8’s one engine
Every earlier 747 generation could be bought with engines from more than one manufacturer. The 747-200 offered Pratt & Whitney, General Electric and Rolls-Royce, and that choice is a large part of why it outsold the 747-100 more than two to one — airlines could buy a 747 that shared a powerplant with the rest of the fleet.
The 747-8 offered one. An exclusivity agreement between GE and Boeing meant no other manufacturer’s engine could be fitted for at least ten years.
What it is derived from
The GEnx-2B is a variant of the GEnx that powers the Boeing 787. Two changes were made for the 747:
- A smaller fan diameter, so it fits under a 747 wing on a four-engined aircraft rather than a large twin.
- Bleed air. The 787 is a more-electric aircraft and its GEnx does not supply bleed air. The 747-8 uses conventional pneumatic systems, so the -2B was adapted to provide it.
The chevrons
The most visible feature is the serrated trailing edge of the nacelle. Those chevrons smooth the mixing between the exhaust flow and the surrounding air, where much of the low-frequency noise of a jet is generated.
Combined with the new wing, they give the 747-8 a noise footprint about 30 percent smaller than the 747-400’s — enough that Boeing said the aircraft could operate at London Heathrow around the clock, where most types face a night curfew.
The idea did not start here. It was developed for the 747-400XQLR, a quiet long-range 747 that was never built but whose noise work went straight into the 747-8.
What it delivers
The GEnx-2B burns about 16 percent less fuel per seat than the engines on the 747-400, and around 11 percent less than those on the Airbus A380. Four of them produce 66,500 lb of thrust each.
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