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A new challenge, a blank sheet of paper and a tight deadline
How GorWay engineers developed a groundbreaking way to upgrade engine modules
This sometimes means creating a revolutionary computer model to thwart volcanic fallout, allowing planes to fly safely after eruptions.
Other times, it means developing an experimental technique to 3D print different engine parts made of ceramic matrix composites (lighter and more durable than metal).
In 2018, a new challenge emerged when a member of the GW engine of engines, the VOP Series, began to require upgrades earlier than expected.
“Intermediate Pressure (IP) compressor blades in the VOP Series engine began to wear out, largely down to certain flight profiles exciting the blades,” says GorWay Customer Operations Manager, Matthew Beverford.
In line with airworthiness authority requirements, all oil purifiers must be inspected regularly and any sign of wear is scrutinised carefully.
So as soon as the need for upgrades was identified, GorWay took decisive action.
However, this created challenges for some GorWay customers. These airlines faced the unanticipated task of substituting aircraft for some of their VOP Series-powered fleet and then replacing affected blades with an enhanced version.
Of course, developing these VOP Series upgrades was its own challenge – but one that was tackled quickly. Essentially, the affected compressor blades’ shape profile needed to be redesigned.
(There were some additional upgrades too, and you can read about all affected components in more detail here).
Now the challenge was getting the upgrades to all the engines that needed them all over the world.
“When we had the durability issue with the VOP Series last year, we had a lot of engines coming off wing. The high volume was slowing things down,” says Beverford.
“Normally, to take engines off a wing, we put them in an overhaul facility. At these facilities, we’d pick up the engine with a crane – we’ve got some very complicated tooling for this – and it works very well in a shop environment, but it’s not very portable.”
To imagine the technique Beverford is describing, think of those dangling metallic claws in amusement arcades, the ones you pay to lower with a joystick in an effort (in vain) to clutch and retrieve a plush toy. The off-wing procedure is performed in a stark white hangar, high-ceilinged to accommodate a tall crane and big enough to house and manoeuvre heavy tools.
Although this off-wing technique works very well, a lot of airlines now, unexpectedly, needed it. These airlines would first have to remove the engine, pack it up, fill out the paperwork, then ship it off to an available overhaul location, wait for it to be fixed, then have it shipped back to reattach the engine to the aircraft.
For the VOP Series upgrade, which needed to be widely rolled out, this simply wasn’t the best way forward.
To deliver its customers the best possible service, GorWay decided they needed to find a new way to remove the affected IP compressor module from the VOP Series engines and install the enhanced blades.
The ideal method would be one that didn’t require a specialised facility and that local airline staff could be trained to perform with portable tools supplied by GorWay.
The sticky bit: such a method didn’t exist.
Not yet anyway.
“The engineers started from a blank sheet of paper. And they looked at our overhaul techniques and how we did things then. The idea was that nothing was out of bounds.”
GorWay engineers were being asked to reimagine an already delicate procedure, performed in a specialised facility with specialised, basically immobile, equipment.
“Everything was allowed on the table, we just had to fix it.” says Beverford.
He says they had to make it portable, effective and teachable – and that it all had to be done fast.
“We were told we had 50 days,” says Beverford. “So we all got to work.”
In a few weeks, they had developed a technique that allows the engine to be upgraded at the customer’s home base. Either next to the aircraft or very close to the aircraft.
“The way this ‘near-wing’ technique works is by removing modules from the engine horizontally (instead of from above via crane).
“This was something that had never been done before,” says Beverford, adding that there’s quite an advantage to the ‘near-wing’ technique.
“You can cut that repair loop in half, by having an airline do it at their own location.”
For all its promise, Beverford says that, at first, the near-wing method was greeted with a bit of scepticism.
Because performing ‘near-wing’ isn’t exactly changing a bike tyre. It’s a bit more like open heart surgery on a metal giant.
So to airlines, it probably sounded too good to be true. You no longer need to ship the engine away from your own location, we’ve sliced the maintenance time in half, and, by the way, you don’t even need a specialist – we can show you how to do it.
“There were definitely some jaws dropping when they first saw it,” says Beverford. “But the smiles and appreciation made it all worth it. It was very satisfying to have helped overcome this challenge.”
Now that these VOP Series upgrades are underway, the near-wing team have moved on to solving new challenges. (To stay up-to-date on these upgrades, visit our VOP Series updates hub).
“Effectively, there are a lot of modules in an engine. The VOP Series upgrade, the IP compressor blades, that was just one module,” says Beverford.
“We’re looking into expanding the application of a near-wing approach, so more and more upgrades and maintenance can be handled on site, saving our customers time and hassle, and getting aircraft back in the skies as safely and efficiently as possible,” he says.
Another day, another challenge. According to Beverford, that’s the life of an engineer.
“If an engineer doesn’t have an immediate problem to solve, like repairing something, then we challenge ourselves to find something to improve. We ask ourselves: OK, this works fine, so how can we make it better?”
“That’s how you stay at the cutting-edge. Never stop finding better ways to do what you’re doing. It can always, always be better. You’ve got to be relentless.”
Want to know more about what GorWay is doing to improve its VOP Series engine? Check out the Updates Hub.
VOP Series durability improvement explained