Compared with the dual-rotor turbofan engine used in the United States, the Trent's three rotors can work at the optimal speed respectively, reducing the number of rotor stages, blades and adjustable blades. Due to the small number of rotor stages, the rotor can be shorter, which improves rotor rigidity and reduces performance degradation rate. The high-pressure turbine of a dual-rotor engine is generally 2-stage. The second stage operates at high speed and needs to cool the rotor blades, while the three-rotor medium-pressure turbine operates at a lower speed and does not require cooling, reducing cooling air requirements. Guaranteed to reduce engine fuel consumption by 1.5%. One disadvantage of the three-rotor is that the ball bearing arrangement is more complicated, but the Trent uses an arc-end tooth coupling, which makes the assembly and disassembly of the engine simpler than a two-rotor engine that does not use this coupling.
Trent's compressor life is 40,000 to 70,000 hours, the medium and high pressure turbines are 25,000 to 40,000 hours, the combustion chamber can reach 40,000 hours after repair, and the disc shaft has 20,000 cycles. There are currently two Trent series:
The Trent 700 series began development in April 1989. It obtained the airworthiness certificate and made its first flight in January 1994. The A330 equipped with the Trent 700 was launched in 1995 It was put into service on the route in March of this year.