Flying through volcanic ash clouds
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Flying through volcanic ash clouds
From the BBC:
Flying through volcanic ash clouds
Imagine that the next time a volcano erupts in Iceland, the airlines are able to treat it as though it was no more than a simple weather hazard, like fog.
Scientists working on an ash cloud detection system believe that airlines will soon be able to do just that.
Volcanic ash and jet engines simply don't mix. The superheated particles turn to glass inside the engine and stop it dead.
So, those who manage the airspace above us go to great lengths to keep aircraft well away from the ash clouds that form during an eruption.
Full story:
BBC News - Flying through volcanic ash clouds
Flying through volcanic ash clouds
Imagine that the next time a volcano erupts in Iceland, the airlines are able to treat it as though it was no more than a simple weather hazard, like fog.
Scientists working on an ash cloud detection system believe that airlines will soon be able to do just that.
Volcanic ash and jet engines simply don't mix. The superheated particles turn to glass inside the engine and stop it dead.
So, those who manage the airspace above us go to great lengths to keep aircraft well away from the ash clouds that form during an eruption.
Full story:
BBC News - Flying through volcanic ash clouds
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The AVOID device can measure the density of the ash cloud too, finding air corridors between different layers of ash.
"This device can be used in a tactical sense to let the pilot see the hazard and fly safely around it," says Dr Prata.
===========================
Easyjet's head of engineering, Ian Davies, is working closely with Dr Prata
He said existing models of ash dispersal assume that its evenly distributed throughout the atmosphere but their research shows that it actually "travels in clumps".
AVOID would let pilots "see those clumps and avoid those clumps," said Mr Davies.
"This device can be used in a tactical sense to let the pilot see the hazard and fly safely around it," says Dr Prata.
===========================
Easyjet's head of engineering, Ian Davies, is working closely with Dr Prata
He said existing models of ash dispersal assume that its evenly distributed throughout the atmosphere but their research shows that it actually "travels in clumps".
AVOID would let pilots "see those clumps and avoid those clumps," said Mr Davies.
and avoid them by ~ 1000 miles or become locked between them
Can it also distinguish melting points of the ash particles?
Can it scan like a weather radar?
Does it display color images in the cockpit like a weather radar?
When do they anticipate that it will be certified for flight?
Who is paying for the development?
Can it scan like a weather radar?
Does it display color images in the cockpit like a weather radar?
When do they anticipate that it will be certified for flight?
Who is paying for the development?
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Paxing All Over The World
Reported elsewhere:
The airline [EZY], which is sharing its findings with other carriers. is understood to have spent up to £1m on developing the system. That figure will increase sharply if it is installed across the easyJet fleet of 204 aircraft. But Ian Davies insisted “ We will not be putting ticket prices up. We are seeking to limit our losses”.
The airline [EZY], which is sharing its findings with other carriers. is understood to have spent up to £1m on developing the system. That figure will increase sharply if it is installed across the easyJet fleet of 204 aircraft. But Ian Davies insisted “ We will not be putting ticket prices up. We are seeking to limit our losses”.
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I think EasyJet needs a pat on the back for funding this research. Only by investing in projects like this will we be able to mitigate against the effects of volcanic ash.
Can it also distinguish melting points of the ash particles? Don't know
Can it scan like a weather radar? Yes
Does it display color images in the cockpit like a weather radar? Yes
When do they anticipate that it will be certified for flight? Don't know
Who is paying for the development? EasyJet
I hope they get a return on their investment.
Can it also distinguish melting points of the ash particles? Don't know
Can it scan like a weather radar? Yes
Does it display color images in the cockpit like a weather radar? Yes
When do they anticipate that it will be certified for flight? Don't know
Who is paying for the development? EasyJet
I hope they get a return on their investment.
Who is paying for the development? EasyJet
I hope they get a return on their investment.
I hope they get a return on their investment.
Easy Jet should be in the airline operation business for their stockholders and not in a speculative development and manufacturing business.
I suspect that all Easy Jet is doing is to offer to install the thing once the development has moved far enough along to be certified airworthy. Sounds to me like either Easy Jet is speculating outside the box or there is money coming from somewhere else.
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I can see how that might be your thought lomopaseo but EZY's Ian Davis is quoted as saying: "We are seeking to limit our losses”.
That statement makes this an investment in their own operations to keep flying in the future. They may, or may not, make money from selling the invention. However, no one else has stepped up to fund this. One might have thought that a European based aircraft manufacturing company - whose clients lost tons of money - could have funded the research with NILU and then made money selling it to all of their clients, as well as to the operators of their competitors aircraft. But, for whatever reason, they did not.
Accordingly, if they bring this to a certified solution, EZY wins:
That statement makes this an investment in their own operations to keep flying in the future. They may, or may not, make money from selling the invention. However, no one else has stepped up to fund this. One might have thought that a European based aircraft manufacturing company - whose clients lost tons of money - could have funded the research with NILU and then made money selling it to all of their clients, as well as to the operators of their competitors aircraft. But, for whatever reason, they did not.
Accordingly, if they bring this to a certified solution, EZY wins:
- Money by keeping flying in the next eruption
- Their money back by selling it
- Good PR in the airline world for sharing the technology
- Good PR with the pax for developing it
"We are seeking to limit our losses”.
http://www.pprune.org/jet-blast/4122...tla-blows.html
per ORAC:
Experts are warning that an eruption could be imminent at an even more powerful Icelandic volcano than the one that paralysed air traffic last year.
Seismologists are nervously watching rumblings beneath Katla which could spew an ash cloud dwarfing the 2010 eruption that cost airlines two billion dollars (£1.27 billion) and drove home how vulnerable modern society is to the whims of nature. Brooding over rugged moss-covered hills on Iceland's southern edge, Katla is a much bigger beast than the nearby Eyjafjallajokul volcano, which blasted ash all over Europe for several weeks in an eruption that local scientist Pall Einarsson describes nonetheless as "small".
Seismologists are nervously watching rumblings beneath Katla which could spew an ash cloud dwarfing the 2010 eruption that cost airlines two billion dollars (£1.27 billion) and drove home how vulnerable modern society is to the whims of nature. Brooding over rugged moss-covered hills on Iceland's southern edge, Katla is a much bigger beast than the nearby Eyjafjallajokul volcano, which blasted ash all over Europe for several weeks in an eruption that local scientist Pall Einarsson describes nonetheless as "small".
BBC: New Icelandic volcano eruption could have global impact
Hundreds of metres under one of Iceland's largest glaciers there are signs of a looming volcanic eruption that could be one of the most powerful the country has seen in almost a century.
Hundreds of metres under one of Iceland's largest glaciers there are signs of a looming volcanic eruption that could be one of the most powerful the country has seen in almost a century.
rp122 link (post #6) with a plot of the ash cloud in 2010 is interesting too.
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The European plan developed in the wake of the Eya… etc eruption in 2011 is based on airlines conducting Safety Risk Assessments and regulators accepting these SRAs. The idea is that flight plans filed by airlines with SRAs will be automatically accepted by the authorities in the national states overflown.
[disclaimer: what follows is from memory, it may contain some inaccuracies]
The ash cloud dispersal model distinguishes between medium concentrations of <4mmg/m2 and higher concentrations above 4. Most airlines have SRAs for <4 but noone as far as I am aware has had one approved for >4.
When this procedure was tested in May with the Grim… etc eruption, some states followed the new approach and never closed their airspace – except of course since nobody had an SRA for >4, nobody filed flightplans for >4 airspace (not quite true but almost). Some countries announced that they would close their airspace at >4 but follow the SRA model for <4.
The one exception was Germany, which (a) announced that it would only approve SRAs (for German airlines) at <2, and (b) insisted that non-German airlines would need German SRA approval to fly in German airspace. Consequently, for practical purposes this meant that while the rest of Europe was operating to a <4 threshold, Germany was at <2. It also meant that German airlines could not fly in <4 airspace over other countries because they did not have an SRA approved by their own CAA.
So, as to Easyjet’s motive, I suspect that it may have to do with obtaining CAA approval for an SRA for >4. If that were the case, they would be automatically allowed to fly through >4 airspace over those countries which had fully adopted the new procedure – airspace through which no other airlines (unless they had obtained their own SRA>4 approval) would be able to fly.
Obviously, the data gathered by this device during the next eruption will be invaluable in measuring the ash cloud dispersal and drawing more precisely the contours for medium and high concentrations – to the benefit of everybody.
[disclaimer: what follows is from memory, it may contain some inaccuracies]
The ash cloud dispersal model distinguishes between medium concentrations of <4mmg/m2 and higher concentrations above 4. Most airlines have SRAs for <4 but noone as far as I am aware has had one approved for >4.
When this procedure was tested in May with the Grim… etc eruption, some states followed the new approach and never closed their airspace – except of course since nobody had an SRA for >4, nobody filed flightplans for >4 airspace (not quite true but almost). Some countries announced that they would close their airspace at >4 but follow the SRA model for <4.
The one exception was Germany, which (a) announced that it would only approve SRAs (for German airlines) at <2, and (b) insisted that non-German airlines would need German SRA approval to fly in German airspace. Consequently, for practical purposes this meant that while the rest of Europe was operating to a <4 threshold, Germany was at <2. It also meant that German airlines could not fly in <4 airspace over other countries because they did not have an SRA approved by their own CAA.
So, as to Easyjet’s motive, I suspect that it may have to do with obtaining CAA approval for an SRA for >4. If that were the case, they would be automatically allowed to fly through >4 airspace over those countries which had fully adopted the new procedure – airspace through which no other airlines (unless they had obtained their own SRA>4 approval) would be able to fly.
Obviously, the data gathered by this device during the next eruption will be invaluable in measuring the ash cloud dispersal and drawing more precisely the contours for medium and high concentrations – to the benefit of everybody.
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What I think is important is that with a measurement device (and logging of measurement data) one can research the cumulative effects of flying longer times through low ash concentrations. This allows answers on some important questions:
- Is there an ash concentration below which there are no observable effects on jet engines?
- What is the relation between ash concentration, flight times and overhaul intervals to sustain safe flight?
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Known as AVOID, it makes it possible for a pilot to see an ash cloud ahead of the aircraft at altitudes between 5,000 and 50,000 feet.
The budget airline, which tested the system on a microlight aircraft over Mount Etna, said the trials were successful and it hopes to install the equipment on its fleet next year.
In April 2010 the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökul volcano in Iceland crippled aviation across Europe, stranding an estimated 10 million passengers across the continent.
Since then the aviation industry has been trying to find a solution to prevent another lockdown of the skies.
One major change has been the decision to allow airlines to make a safety case to fly through low and medium concentrations of ash, subject to the approval of the Civil Aviation Authority.
easyJet believes its technology will enable pilots to adjust their route and avoid the thickest concentrations of ash.
Experts are predicting that Katia will be the next volcano to erupt. They also believe that it will be on a scale far larger than Eyjafjallajökul.
Dr Fred Prata, who invented the system, said that installing the equipment on 100 commercial aircraft would provide enough information to enable European aviation to continue operating.
“Safety is at the heart of the aviation industry which is why we saw the blanket shutdowns in reaction to volcanic ash over the past two years,” added Ian Davies, easyJet’s head of engineering.
“In the absence of proven technology thousands of flights were grounded. This large scale grounding of flights should not happen again, thanks to both satellite and airborne technology which can be used to accurately predict not only the dispersal of ash from volcanic eruption but also crucially the levels of concentration.”
Telegraph.co.uk
The budget airline, which tested the system on a microlight aircraft over Mount Etna, said the trials were successful and it hopes to install the equipment on its fleet next year.
In April 2010 the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökul volcano in Iceland crippled aviation across Europe, stranding an estimated 10 million passengers across the continent.
Since then the aviation industry has been trying to find a solution to prevent another lockdown of the skies.
One major change has been the decision to allow airlines to make a safety case to fly through low and medium concentrations of ash, subject to the approval of the Civil Aviation Authority.
easyJet believes its technology will enable pilots to adjust their route and avoid the thickest concentrations of ash.
Experts are predicting that Katia will be the next volcano to erupt. They also believe that it will be on a scale far larger than Eyjafjallajökul.
Dr Fred Prata, who invented the system, said that installing the equipment on 100 commercial aircraft would provide enough information to enable European aviation to continue operating.
“Safety is at the heart of the aviation industry which is why we saw the blanket shutdowns in reaction to volcanic ash over the past two years,” added Ian Davies, easyJet’s head of engineering.
“In the absence of proven technology thousands of flights were grounded. This large scale grounding of flights should not happen again, thanks to both satellite and airborne technology which can be used to accurately predict not only the dispersal of ash from volcanic eruption but also crucially the levels of concentration.”
Telegraph.co.uk
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The superheated particles turn to glass inside the engine and stop it dead.
Easyjet never do anything that costs money unless it is confidently expected expected to turn a profit (and preferably huge bonuses too) so either they've found a market or this is another industry changing bombshell like the revolutionary and virtually fuel-less sonic cruiser from the renowned design stable of their genius chief aerodynamicist and aerostructures supremo (aka the breakdown mechanic). And we all know when the first of those is going to be delivered...
Last edited by Agaricus bisporus; 10th Dec 2011 at 11:54.
You'd think that with all the bolleaux that the media spout on aviation we'd not do it ourselves in this place. What an utter load of hogwash! Still, it would never do to let facts or accuracy get in the way of a good story, would it?
the original quote below
The superheated particles turn to glass inside the engine and stop it dead.
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Well, its identical to the statement "Smoking cigarettes/eating hamburgers kills you instantly".
Both are utterly misleading and factually utterly incorrect. Both are idiotically overstated manglings of a concept that has some validity if quantified and none whatsoever without.
It is not quantified and is therfore journalistic soundbite fact-free misleading nonsense.
Both are utterly misleading and factually utterly incorrect. Both are idiotically overstated manglings of a concept that has some validity if quantified and none whatsoever without.
It is not quantified and is therfore journalistic soundbite fact-free misleading nonsense.
It is not quantified and is therfore journalistic soundbite fact-free misleading nonsense.
I thought he came pretty close to nailing it.
Of course there is room to quibble just like your words of utterly, hogwash & bolleaux
but then how else does one add emphasis in grabber type headlines that the public will understand?
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Well, I reckon anyone who doesn't know the difference between "can" and "will" has a serious problem or is perhaps under 3 years of age.
And even if it did melt dust, which no one is disputing, unless in massive concentrations it will only accrete slowly and progressively degrade performance. Which is nowhere close to "stops it dead".
So I stick by accurately calling it utter fact-free misleading bolleaux.
And even if it did melt dust, which no one is disputing, unless in massive concentrations it will only accrete slowly and progressively degrade performance. Which is nowhere close to "stops it dead".
So I stick by accurately calling it utter fact-free misleading bolleaux.
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My - possibly limited - understanding of the issues for ash ingestion is that it gets into the cooling channels in the turbine blades, melts and block them. Then the first (and most expensive) turbine stage melts the next time it hits high temperature/power, leading to a very significant performance degradation and a very large invoice from the engine manufacturer.
In this picture, if you have a machine that tells you to inspect the engine before it gets very hot again, then you may save a great big bag full of money.
On the other hand, I can see a whole lab-full of Norwegians laughing hysterically as they all head down to the bank to pay in the cheque from easyjet.
In this picture, if you have a machine that tells you to inspect the engine before it gets very hot again, then you may save a great big bag full of money.
On the other hand, I can see a whole lab-full of Norwegians laughing hysterically as they all head down to the bank to pay in the cheque from easyjet.