Development of a sensor for calculating in-flight ash and desert dust dosage

It is clear that regulations around exposure of aircraft engines to mineral aerosol, particularly volcanic ash, are moving towards a dose-based approach, as opposed to zero tolerance (pre-2010) and concentration thresholds (< 2mg m-3, post 2010-to-present). This will require quantifying exposure of engines to ash, as a dosage, to a dose limit, approximately equivalent to 2 mg m-3 for 2 hours. Much can be done with both remote observations and modelling but, in order to better understand the relationship between exposure and damage it is necessary to measure ingestion directly. This project will develop and test sensors that detect ash across a range of operations pressures and temperatures, and capture fine ash for subsequent analysis.

Aims and Methods
This project will design and test a new mirco-sensor that could be mounted, in-engine, to delimit exposure and capture ash samples. The instrument will be tested in the lab against known samples of both ash and dust across a range of compositions, crystallinities and engine conditions (e.g. during different parts of the flight cycle). Components of the sensor then flown on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) into an ash cloud at an active volcano, provisionally Fuego, Guatemala. Results from both the laboratory and field work components will be used to formalize the complex relationship between composition, crystallinity, particle size, dosage and damage.

Candidate
The student will need to have at least a good 2:1 in one of the following subjects: chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, maths or physics and should be both numerate and autodidactic. Experience in lab work would be beneficial but is not a requisite.

Case Award
This will be a CASE studentship, with co-supervision from Dr. Rory Clarkson (Rolls Royce). Dr Clarkson has indicated that this is their preferred route for funding and we have a long standing (and very productive) collaboration in place. The details of the award are still under consideration but will involve a secondment to Rolls-Royce (Derby).

Training
The student will receive training (outside the DTP) for use in the petrology lab, including the advanced microscopes techniques require for mineral aerosol characterisation and hot engine test simulations (e.g. Giehl et al., 2016) They will also be trained in flight avionics and control systems as well as piloting qualification.

More information on the application process can be found here: http://nercgw4plus.ac.uk/research-themes/prospective-students/