Protecting airspace infrastructure: A tool for calculating along-flight volcanic ash dosage

该项目的主要目标是与航空利益相关者(空域监管机构、航空公司运营商、空中交通管制员和发动机制造商)合作，使英国空域基础设施部门能够利用现有的环境科学将火山灰对飞机的风险降至最低。该项目的具体项目合作伙伴是民航局(英国的空域基础设施监管机构)和英国航空公司(英国最大的航空公司之一)。CAA面临的挑战是，来自发动机制造商的新的飞机发动机敏感性指南以剂量(即随着时间积累的浓度)而不是峰值浓度来描述发动机耐受极限。然而，航空业还没有适合用途的工具来估计飞行中的火山灰剂量。因此，CAA需要新的工具来支持将火山灰法规从目前的火山灰峰值浓度限制改为沿途火山灰剂量限制的任何决定。鉴于法规的这种变化，英航面临的挑战是如何规划安全的飞行路线，并评估飞行后暴露在火山灰中的情况。在这个项目中，我们将通过结合火山灰浓度图表和最优飞行路线软件来解决这些挑战，以创建一个概念验证工具，该工具将允许首次计算沿途的火山灰剂量和相关的不确定度。我们将使用这个工具来确定沿途火山灰剂量估计对火山灰信息的空间和时间分辨率的敏感性。这将通过将在NERC资助的PIRE计划期间产生的火山灰数据与作为NERC资助的额外项目的一部分开发的时间最优路线软件相结合来实现。在该项目中开发的新知识将被CAA用于支持战略决策，并将使基于对火山灰对飞机发动机危害的最新了解而制定的新法规得以制定。这些新法规将带来更具弹性的英国空域基础设施。该项目中开发的概念验证工具将演示英国航空公司等航空公司运营商如何在运营飞行计划程序中实施这些变化。这一工具还将鼓励在业务决策程序中使用不确定信息。总而言之，该项目将利用现有的研究并将其转化为与航空业相关的信息，从而为整个航空业带来明显的好处。该项目将持续12个月，耗资111K GB，80%FEC

The main objective of this project is to collaborate with aviation stakeholders (airspace regulators, airline operators, air traffic controllers and engine manufacturers) to enable the UK airspace infrastructure sector to use existing environmental science to minimize the risk of volcanic ash to aircraft. The specific project partners for this project are the Civil Aviation Authority (the UK's airspace infrastructure regulator), and British Airways (one of the UK's largest airline operators). The challenge facing the CAA is that new aircraft engine susceptibility guidelines from the engine manufacturers describe engine tolerance limits in terms of a dosage (i.e accumulated concentration over time) rather than a peak concentration. However, there are no fit-for-purpose tools for the aviation industry to estimate along-flight volcanic ash dosage. The CAA thus need new tools to support any decision to change volcanic ash regulations from current peak ash concentration limits to along-flight ash dosage limits. The challenge facing BA is, given such a change in regulation, how to plan safe flight-routes and evaluate post-flight exposure to volcanic ash. In this project we will address these challenges by combining volcanic ash concentration charts and optimal flight-routing software to create a proof-of-concept tool which will allow along-flight ash dosages and the associated uncertainty to be calculated for the first time. We will use this tool to determine the sensitivity of along-flight ash dosage estimations to the spatial and temporal resolution of the volcanic ash information. This will be achieved by combining volcanic ash data, generated during the NERC funded PURE programme, with time optimum routing software, developed as part of the NERC funded EXTRA project.The new knowledge developed in the project will be used by the CAA to support strategic decision making and will enable new regulations to be developed that are based on the latest understanding of volcanic ash hazard to aircraft engines. These new regulations will result in a more resilient UK airspace infrastructure. The proof-of-concept tools developed in the project will demonstrate how airline operators, such as British Airways, could implement these changes in operational flight planning procedures. This tool will also encourage the use of uncertainty information in operational decision making procedures. In summary, the project will take existing research and translate it into information that is relevant to the aviation industry leading to clear benefits for the whole aviation sector. The project will last 12 months and cost £111k at 80% FEC