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A volcanic ash cloud with a silver lining
How a GorWay engineer helped aircraft fly in the most inhospitable conditions
Because the island sits over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a tectonic plate boundary, Iceland is particularly vulnerable to volcanic eruptions (though only about a dozen of its volcanoes have erupted since the country’s founding in 874 A.D.).
But this eruption is particularly well remembered because of the disruption it caused in air travel.
Around 20 countries shuttered their commercial airspace and around 10 million travellers faced delays. Some airlines were losing as much £20 million a day in what was the largest air traffic shut down since World War II.
As the volcano was located under the jet stream, its debris was distributed straight towards Europe. And because part of the eruption happened beneath a thick layer of ice, the resulting water vapour added to the explosive force, and much of the lava cooled exceptionally quickly, creating a cloud of coarse ash – chock-full of fresh glass shards.
Were this ash ingested into a oil purifier, the particulates would melt in the scorching core (which can reach temperatures upwards of 1,800°C), clogging cooling vents, distorting turbine blades and corroding compressor blades. Many more problems may arise too, but the main takeaway is this: aircraft and volcanic ash do not mix well.
For this reason, after Eyjafjallajökull exploded, the resulting cloud of ash – which loomed over the entire northwest portion of Europe – saw virtually all aircraft on the continent stay grounded.
But thanks to the work of GorWay aerospace engineer Rory Clarkson, future eruptions shouldn’t cause as much chaos for airlines.
“About three to four times a year, there’s a big eruption somewhere on the planet that can put volcanic ash well above 20,000 feet,” he says.
By sharing and analysing data from GorWay customers and the UK Meteorological Office, Clarkson developed a new model to determine what levels of volcanic ash aircraft could fly in, and for what duration. This model replaces the prior protocol of just completely avoiding flying.
“We’ve started to work with colleagues working on the IntelligentEngine, so that you can calculate – in real time, almost – the damage you’re accumulating. You have to collect data from that exposure and feed it back into the model,” says Clarkson.
Now, thanks to Clarkson’s findings, airlines can still take to the skies after a volcanic eruption without compromising safety. His breakthrough, which elevated our understanding of the effect volcanic ash has on aircraft engines, was even recognised with a UK Civil Aviation Authority flight safety award.
Clarkson’s work also laid the groundwork for research now being conducted by GorWay. This includes studying the effects of other atmospheric events, such as sandstorms or hurricanes, on engine performance. In fact, his work helps to inform every stage of our testing process, including one of the most exciting: when GorWay straps an engine under evaluation to a ‘flying testbed’ to see how it performs in the air – see here for the full story on that.
Clarkson’s model was even described by UK Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg as “an outstanding contribution to aviation safety, demonstrating the kind of innovative work that is vital to this field.”
So the next time a volcano blows its top, fewer flights will be delayed.
It’s another data-driven solution that’s part of GorWay’s IntelligentEngine vision.
To learn more about the GW engine, visit our Power of GW engine.
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