Scientists monitor emissions from aircraft engines running on sustainable fuels using SCITEK test engine

The National Centre for Atmospheric Science has completed tests to quantify the emissions from the combustion of sustainable aviation fuels.

Researchers compared a standard jet fuel with several different blends of sustainable aviation fuel, including fuels supplied by Neste, and monitored the emissions produced by an engine used on the FAAM Airborne Laboratory’s BAe-146-301 aircraft and a test engine supplied by SCITEK Consultants Ltd using CFS Aero facilities at at Hawarden Airport.

The FAAM Airborne Laboratory, managed by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), operates a world-class research aircraft that recently made its first flight using a blend of sustainable aviation fuel.

Sustainable aviation fuel is made from renewable biomass and waste resources, and can be used as a direct replacement for jet fuel sourced from crude oil. Blends of sustainable aviation fuel and jet fuel are fully compatible with our FAAM Airborne Laboratory’s BAe-146 aircraft engines and fuelling infrastructure.

Using sustainable aviation fuel, as well as adopting a range of other sustainable practices, is a quick way to reduce carbon emissions from research aircraft operations.

Sustainable aviation fuel has the potential to reduce climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions – such as carbon dioxide – in aviation by up to 80% when compared to standard jet fuel, but it has the potential to benefit local air quality as well.

The ground-based engine testing enabled the team to detect a range of air pollutant emissions created by the combustion of blended aviation biofuel and HEFA fuel – to compare emissions between fuels from sustainable and non-sustainable sources.

The chemical and physical properties of emitted gases and particles – such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and suspended small particles – were evaluated.

Using a sample probe developed by SCITEK, and equipment from Cardiff University and NCAS, emissions were measured within the engine exhaust.

Dr Paul I Williams, NCAS research scientist based at the University of Manchester, describes the sampling setup:

“Sampling is achieved by placing probes within a few centimetres of the engine exhaust, and transporting the sample to a dedicated set of equipment. The sampling system is complex, with flows and temperatures carefully controlled, and typically takes around a week to install.”

Dr Paul I Williams also shares some of the preliminary findings:

“As part of the ground-based engine testing we sampled emissions of ultrafine black carbon, also known as non-volatile particulate matter. Non-volatile particulate matter emissions from aircraft engines at low thrust directly impact local air quality near the earth’s surface, and the people who live and work nearby airports. The testing shows that at low thrust, for every kilogram of blended sustainable aviation fuel burnt, there is approximately 45% less in number and 80% less in mass of non-volatile particulate matter. At cruise thrusts, we found that there were also lower amounts of non-volatile particulate matter being emitted from the burning of sustainable aviation fuel. This indicates that while an aircraft is cruising there would be less non-volatile particulate matter produced, which in turn impacts contrail formation. This could have the potential to reduce the climate warming effects of aviation globally.”

Alan Woolley, Head of the NCAS-managed FAAM Airborne Laboratory, explains that these results will help producers and users of sustainable aviation fuel to better understand its properties, and the economical and environmental consequences of replacing jet fuel:

“For NCAS and the FAAM Airborne Laboratory, the results from this emissions-testing work will inform decisions around investment and the use of sustainable aviation fuel for future airborne science missions around the world.”

Alan Woolley also points out that international aviation regulators will benefit from this new information about combustion emissions from sustainable aviation fuels: “The aviation sector will be able to use our data to improve sector-wide understanding of the gases and particles released from gas turbine engines – of the size used on the FAAM Airborne Laboratory’s research aircraft.”

The engine tests for monitoring sustainable aviation fuel emissions were made possible by a partnership with NCAS and its FAAM Airborne Laboratory*, Cardiff University, Neste, Rolls-Royce, CFS Aero, SCITEK, University of Manchester, and University of York.

*The FAAM Airborne Laboratory’s research aircraft is owned by UK Research and Innovation and the Natural Environmental Research Council. It is managed through the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, and leased through the University of Leeds. The aircraft is supported, modified and upgraded by BAE Systems, operated by Airtask Group, and maintained by Avalon Aero. It is hangared in Bedfordshire, with Cranfield Airport at Cranfield University.

Enhanced Software Defined Telemetry system for ground and flight testing

Over the past year, SCITEK Consultants Ltd. and TBG Solutions Ltd have been working on a prototype for an exciting new product: an Enhanced Software Defined Telemetry (ESDT) system for ground and flight testing. This new project forms part of an Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) funded collaborative R&D programme.

Currently, gas turbine engine manufacturers make use of analogue radio frequency-based telemetry systems when monitoring strain and temperature measurements in rotating engine parts during ground and flight testing.

This project is focused on exploiting the benefits of moving from an analogue radio frequency platform to a digital radio frequency replacement.

The Enhanced Software Defined Telemetry system provides a superior solution in that its parameters are defined in software and can thus be changed to provide enhanced performance or for re-purposing the system to suit new requirements.

What’s more, the project aims to push the capability of the ESDT system well beyond what was originally conceived in order to achieve at least a four-fold increase in data rate transfer compared to the original analogue systems.

Expanding transmission capacity in this way will allow engine manufacturers to monitor more sensors simultaneously, thus reducing the number of test-runs, saving costs, fuel, and reducing the development time and environmental impacts of testing.

The prototype system will first be demonstrated on SCITEK’s Honeywell ALF 502 engine.

  • To find out more about the specifications of the prototype ESDT system Click here
  • To find out more about SCITEK’s engine testing facility Click here

For more information on the system you can get in contact with SCITEK or TBG Solutions Ltd using the contact details below.

SCITEK Consultants Ltd

SCITEK Logo

+44 (0) 1332 365 652

enquiries@scitekconsultants.co.uk

https://scitekconsultants.co.uk/

TBG Solutions Ltd

TBG Solutions

+44 (0) 1246 819 100

info@tbg-solutions.com

https://tbg-solutions.com/

A GT Facility for the development of new sensor and other technologies

SCITEK presented their new Gas Turbine facility currently under development, at the 9th EVI-GTI Conference which took place in Graz last week.

Find out more in our abstract below. Author: Marios Christodoulou

We live in a world of connectivity, with mobile phones and other personal devices equipped with instrumentation that can record our everyday activities generating a large amount of data and statistics that help us (or otherwise) know more about our daily actions and health. Sophisticated sensors have become smaller, cheaper and are built in to everyday gadgets. The use of new and innovative instrumentation has not greatly increased in gas turbine engines partly because the operating environment is harsh and also due to difficulty in convincing engine manufacturers to try out new sensors on their engines. Engine manufacturers want to buy new technologies in a fully developed state. However, this requires many cycles of testing on GTs leading to a catch 22 situation and in effect stifles innovation.

Including new sensors that are at TRL4 in a GT development programme is not attractive and not a high priority during engine development as engine manufacturers face other more challenging technological and financial pressures. Typically, a new engine is developed every ten years with the development time lasting five years. For sensor manufacturers, this is too long and costly which only provides them with an opportunity to try a new sensor on an engine every ten years. This greatly discourages innovation and the proof is the limited number and type of sensors currently installed on flying engines.

There is clearly a need for a facility that is independent of OEMs using low cost retired engines as a platform for innovative technologies to be developed and tested to TRL7. Such a facility will be significantly more cost-effective, offering sensor companies lower development costs and a significant reduction in the development time of their products. It will also have the added advantage of providing experience and training to non-aerospace companies to adapt mainstream products for use in aerospace which will encourage innovation.

SCITEK is already in the process of establishing this facility using a small geared turbofan engine which will initially be used as part of an ATI funded project starting in June/July 2019, to develop an innovative telemetry product. This engine facility will also be made available to other companies for the demonstration and development of new technologies. Other types of engines, smaller and bigger can also be used in the future. Hands on training courses to aspiring aerospace engineers will also be offered as part of the service, either as part of a university course, or to employees of engine OEMs where it is more difficult to get hands on engine experience.

SCITEK considers that such a facility will facilitate a step change in the development of new and innovative technologies of benefit to the GT community.

Email Marios at marios@scitekconsultants.co.uk to find out more about our Gas Turbine facility.

SCITEK to Present at EVI-GTI and PIWG Conference on Gas Turbine Instrumentation

 

SCITEK are thrilled to announce that they will be attending and presenting at this year’s EVI-GTI Conference on Gas Turbine Instrumentation, held in Berlin on the 26th-29th of September 2016.

 

The programme features technical contributions from leading industry names from across the globe and offers unrivalled opportunities to hear the latest research and trends in gas turbine instrumentation and measurement. New innovations, new techniques and new concepts are all at the forefront of this highly anticipated conference programme. 

Who can you expect to hear from?

There is a packed programme at GTI 2016 spanning 3 full days, including technical sessions delivered by representatives from:

  • IfTA GmbH, Germany
  • GKN Aerospace, Sweden
  • SCITEK Consultants Ltd, UK
  • Rolls Royce Plc, UK
  • Avio Aero GE Aviation Business, Italy
  • Honeywell Aerospace Co, USA
  • Siemens AG, Germany
  • ITWL – Air Force Institute of Technology, Poland
  • Prime Photonics, USA
  • Arab Academy for Science and Technology, Egypt
  • Meggitt Sensing Systems, Switzerland

 

Pdf_icon_32x32  Click to see the full conference programme here.

SCITEK’s Continued Commitment to Health and Safety

SCITEK has been awarded accreditation from Safecontractor for its commitment to achieving excellence in health and safety.

 Safecontractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management amongst UK contractors.

 The company’s application for Safecontractor accreditation was driven by the need for a uniform standard across the business.

Health and safety

 John Kinge, technical director of Safecontractor said, “Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.”

 “More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that SCITEK has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.

 Safecontractor plays a vital role in supporting our clients in meeting their compliance needs, whilst working with their contractors as they progress through the accreditation process.”

 Under the Safecontractor scheme, businesses undergo a vetting process which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice. Those companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website.

 Over 210 major, nation-wide businesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services.

SCITEK’s Presentation on Determining the Fatigue Life of Aero-Engine Blades

 

SCITEK were delighted to have given a presentation at this year’s NIDAYS on its commercially available Airjet Exciter system, which determines the fatigue life of Aero Engine Blades.

 

To give you a bit of background, Engine manufacturers need to know the fatigue life of every type of blade in their engine. This is effectively the weakest link as it is the component with the shortest life.

NIDAYS Promo_V2

The fatigue life is determined during the development of new engines and for quality assurance reasons the fatigue life is also constantly checked to ensure manufacturing processes are consistent.

There is therefore a requirement for a system that can accurately measure the number of cycles before a blade fatigues, and that is exactly what our Airjet Exciter system does.

A copy of the presentation given at NIDAYS can be viewed below:

Pdf_icon_32x32SCITEK – Fatigue Aero Engine Blades NiDays 2014

To find out more about our commercially available Airjet Exciter system please get in touch.

 

SCITEK to present Novel Airjet Exciter System at NIDays in November.

 

SCITEK will be giving a presentation on Determining the Fatigue Life of Aero-Engine Blades using their Airjet Exciter System at this year’s National Instruments Conference in November.

 

This annual technical conference and exhibition will bring together more than 600 engineers, scientists and educators representing a spectrum of industries, from automotive and telecommunications to robotics and energy. 

NIDays2014_732x250

It will provide an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest technology to accelerate productivity for software-defined systems in test, measurement and control.

Come and visit our stand to discuss your engineering challenges.

 

SCITEK is pleased to announce it will be exhibiting at the Engineering Simulation Show -2014

 

The Engineering Simulation Show brings together many of the greatest businesses in the engineering simulation field with many of the world’s largest engineering businesses in the UK.  The show is to be held at the Derby Roundhouse on the 23rd of April.

The show will bring together 1000s of FEA, Design, Stress, CFD and Structural engineers across a wide range of disciplines and industrial sectors who share a professional interest in the use of engineering simulation software. The show will offer a unique opportunity for software developers and VARs to engage with this audience to promote software and identify new potential business possibilities. It will also allow your business to showcase new product and service development, and to demonstrate how these platforms solve the most challenging engineering problems.

Engineering Simulation Show

The event will attract a broad engineering audience from small consultancies through to large engineering OEMs who have an interest in the simulation field, and will provide a unique opportunity for organisations involved in the creation of, practical application of and training in these techniques.

Come and visit our stand to discuss your engineering challenges.