In Flight Ash Detection

Name: In Flight Ash Detection
Start: 2016-04-13T17:00:00
Location: Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London

13 April 2016
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FREE AND OPEN TO ALL

Overview

The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull brought the aerospace industry to a standstill affecting around 10 million travellers. A few years on, is the volcano likely to erupt again soon?

This lecture looks at the new technology being implemented by Easyjet after a successful test was carried out by Airbus over the Bay of Biscay. New data is expected by March 2017.

The new technology AVOID, designed by Nicarnica, can be seen as a weather radar for ash and is a dual camera that is installed on the aircraft and can detect the amount of ash and its position in the atmosphere.

What to expect:

Ash deposition and what damage this can cause the engine
Technological developments in ash detection and how this will help the airline industry resume normal service
The new technology AVOID, designed by Nicarnica

Day 1

17:30 - WEDNESDAY 13 APRIL 2016

17:30 - Registration and refreshments
18:00 - Lecture begins
19:30 - Lecture ends

Dr Fred Prata: Chief Technical Officer, Nicarnica Aviation AS

Dr Fred Prata is an atmospheric physicist with expertise in remote sensing of the atmosphere. He has published more than 150 papers, many of them on the topic of volcanic ash as a hazard to aviation. Fred gained a BSc (Hons) in physics and an MSc in meteorology from Imperial College, London. He gained a D.Phil from Oxford University and after spending 23 years at the CSIRO in Australia, Fred returned to Europe to lead work with ESA and Eumetsat on techniques to retrieve volcanic ash from satellite instruments. In 2009, Fred co-founded a Norwegian spin-out company to exploit his patents on an airborne infrared imaging device.

Ian Davies: Head of Engineering, Easyjet

Ian is the Technical Director and Head of Engineering at easyJet where he is responsible for the airworthiness of all easyJet's 247 Airbus A320 family of aircraft. Ian is a Licensed Aircraft Engineer with 40 years of experience in civil aviation and has worked for easyJet for almost 8 years. He leads a team of around 250 support engineering staff who ensure easyJet’s aircraft are always kept in a safe and highly maintained condition. Ian initially discovered the work of Dr Fred Prata whilst the first Icelandic eruption was taking place. Prior to his appointment at easyJet Ian was Director of Engineering at BMI British Midland for seven years. In recognition for their work on “In flight ash detection and AVOID, Ian Davies and Dr Fred Prata were named Flightglobal's Aviators of the Year in 2012.

Dr Rory Clarkson: Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce

Prior to joining Rolls-Royce in 1997, Dr Clarkson spent time working in the nuclear, automotive and engineering software sectors. His career at Rolls-Royce has covered periods involved in turbine, compressor and combustor design and analysis. Since the end of 2010 he has led the Rolls-Royce Engine Environmental Protection team, the group of people who ensure the Company’s engines can operate optimally, and without unacceptable impact on safety margins, in the extremes of environment they can be exposed to. These environmental extremes include icing conditions, rain, hail, sand, dust and volcanic ash.

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