The Insane Engineering of the GEnX

Watch the 60 minute Nebula version here: nebula.app/videos/real-engineering-the-insane-engi…

I love how he’s explaining this revolutionary technology and just throws in a casual yeet

Absolutely great video! I'm an aerospace engineer and was the original mechanical design leader of the GEnx-1B fan blade at GE Aviation in Cincinnati. The video and appreciation of it in the comments are really amazing and I'm glad to see so many people interested in it. Working with the great team at GE on this project is my proudest and most rewarding career highlight so far. There is so much engineering and amazing testing on all these components that they could each be their own video. Watching the CFAN team in Texas do the hand layup of the hundreds of carbon prepreg plies for each blade in this video brought back great memories. Just a couple suggestions if you want to incorporate them: First, the actual spelling is GEnx (not GEnX or GENx). Also, the LP system (fan, booster and LP turbine) are all on the same shaft and spin CW (as viewed from the front). Some of the animated cross sections in the video appear to show the booster and LPT spinning CCW. The HP system (HPC and HPT) are on the same shaft and spin CCW. It's a counter-rotating concept, unique to the GENx for GE turbofans and was intended to increase performance and reduce parts count. It's the only GE commercial turbofan to have the LP system spin CW. Some mention of the fan blade out requirements might be warranted. Fan blade out loads play a large role in sizing all the primary engine structures. The unique carbon fiber fan case of this engine is sized strictly to contain this event and keep the blades from leaving the engine Moving from 22 blade to 18 blades as mentioned was a concern on how big the blade out loads were. The fan blade out test required for certification is the most severe test there is and of course pretty much destroys the engine. Thanks for the great video and sharing the amazing engineering that we can do when we we put our minds, energy and passions to it.

As a current 787 pilot, this video is fascinating and so well presented. Really impressive how complex systems and tech are explained so clearly, and without any dumbing down. Well done!

I spent 10 years of my life working on the 787 power systems, from primary to secondary power, and lived your presentation. Very well researched.

4:15 Really hammering in the point that the 787's APU is started by a battery but is very different 😂

15:09 "..involves 'yeeting' a dead bird into the engine.." There it is. Excellent.

I’m just amazed by the amount of information that you had to scour through the internet and the number of scientific papers that you red to create this video. Well explained thermodynamics, great covered of polymers and materials, and design engineering. As an engineer, this totally deserved an award.

As an aerospace engineer who’s worked at GE, you do a great job explaining this tech👏👏

I remember my dad telling me this series had tons of issues with the batteries/electrical systems when they worked on it years and years ago. Looks like fixing and overcoming those issues was ultimately worth it!

I've been watching your videos since I was a senior in high school, now I'm a senior in aerospace engineering and you made a video on a jet engine I've worked on during one of my internships. Feels really cool and I even learned some things I didn't know. Commercial aviation is definitely underrated, they can sometimes be a lot cooler than military aircraft because of how extreme the competition is.

8:34 The brake test isn't an aborted landing test. The last thing you want to do is slow down during an aborted landing. Think you meant aborted take off.

I just flew in a 787 for the first time today, and I kept remembering different features of the plane that were described in this video. I was amazed at how quiet and comfortable it was due to the significantly reduced noise profile and higher cabin pressure allowed by the rigidity of the carbon fuselage. This video provides a stunning look at the 787 and the GEnx engine that is truly inspirational. I really appreciate your videos and the respect you have for the engineering and technology!

You make this plane look like it is the most amazing thing to have been created by humanity. Seriously, your videos sometimes make me almost want to become an aerospace engineer, but then I realized that I'm terrible at maths and physics

Normally "insane" is a hyperbole but wow, the amount of work that went into this design is actually insane.

Just add my laptop to it, those fans hit 5000 rpm in 2 seconds. All i have to do is open call of duty and connect those jet engines..

A couple of small corrections: At 3:25 - an air starter doesn’t feed air “directly through the turbine section”. It feeds air to a separate small air turbine that is geared to the main shaft to spin it. It is just like the cartridge starter, except the starter turbine is fed compressed air instead of combustion gases. 17:13 - the term is pressure ratio, not compression ratio. Compression ratio is a piston term and is a volumetric ratio. Pressure ratio is a jet engine term and is just what the name says. You use the correct terminology later in the video. People may think that they can compare these numbers with piston engine compression ratio but they can’t be compared directly. They describe different things.

Listening to a professor giving a lecture on engineering while saying “yeeting a dead bird into the engine” made my day!

Several channels tried to get me to sign up to Nebula. This series just might have single handedly made me want to do so. Impressively well made content. Thank you so much!

Before the B787 the B747-8 started using the same GEnx Engines and trust me as a Transit Engineer I have not seen an engine so robust, which requires little maintenance on line.. The difference between the 2 engines on 787 and 747-8 is that one on 787 is bleedless and the other on 747-8 taps bleed off the engine.. Great Machine 👍🏽