Green Technology

Your cars fuel injectors or carburetors can get gummed up so it is not hard to imagine the same happening to airplane engines.  Dirt can degrade fuel economy. 

Problem is ... planes only make money when they are is service and there are no "plane washes" at the airport.

Pratt & Whitney has developed a closed loop, on-wing engine cleaning system that can boost economy by up to 1%.  While not a large number it translates to saving big bucks as the price of Jet Fuel keeps rising.  The process is called "EcoWash"

Read on for more >>>

" ... "washing" is meant the use of water and, in some cases, detergents, flowed through the engine to clean the turbine blades and the core.  ... carbon buildup is minimized and operating efficiency is maximized. ... applied to the interior components to ensure economical operation  ..."

" ...Pratt & Whitney, ... has developed a means of conducting these engine washes while the engine is "on the wing,"... is superior in terms of cleaning efficiency, environmentally friendly  ...and it can be done in a fraction of the time taken for traditional engine washes."

" ... EcoPower ... can wash engines in as little as one quarter the time (roughly 60-90 minutes), and the water used is between 16-42 gallons (60-160 liters), ..."

Via:  Aviation Maintenance Magazine   Link