How nanotechnology might be the future of the aerospace industry

Air travel and tourism are key drivers and an important link in world economics. That said, aviation and aerospace are significantly one of the heaviest industries worldwide. Technological advancements are key to remaining competitive in this industry where cut-throat competition is the norm. And this couldn't be further from the truth, especially at a time when the whole world is ravaged by the viral pandemic and its consequences. Nevertheless, aviation will always make a comeback, and this time, much stronger-we have a knack for that.

Aviation has had its share of ups and downs throughout these times as we've seen the unfortunate disappearance of mighty jets like the Airbus A380 and Boeing B747. Operators now prefer to use the much smaller, more fuel-efficient narrow-bodies like the B737 and A320 family, which does make sense now. And it might be some time before the jumbos make a come-back.

CAPA

To drive more profits, the focus has been on producing more economical engines and hence more research has been directed towards lighter structural materials, even more so than the ones in place currently. The goal now is to control fuel consumption and carbon emissions connected with air travel and transportation as awareness of climate change has advocated the need for higher fuel efficiency.

Representative | Open Access Government

Use(s) of nanotechnology

Nanotechnology, an ever-evolving discipline, finds several uses within the aerospace industry.

Now, nanotechnology, more precisely nanomaterials, allows creating almost perfect material. As an example, improvised steel enhances performance and passenger safety while saving notable money. These materials exhibit considerably enhanced properties matched to their counterparts with microscale or larger grain structures.

Nanomaterials are engineered particles made to have remarkably small dimensions to take advantage of unique physical and chemical properties that exist at the nanoscale.

ResearchGate

With dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers – about the size of a virus -nanomaterials have unusual physical, chemical and biological properties that can differ significantly from the properties of bulk materials, including single atoms or molecules. These differences enable the aerospace industry to do several things including engineering aircraft structures that are flexible and adaptive, developing innovative energy generation and storage systems for air travel and manufacturing sensors that monitor virtually every element of air travel.

Developments so far

Smart Intelligent Aircraft Structures (SARISTU)

 An EU-funded project is concerned with the challenges posed by the physical integration of smart intelligent structural concepts. Basically, It addresses aircraft weight and operational cost reductions as well as an improvement in the flight profile specific aerodynamic performance. It focuses on material concepts enabling a conformal, controlled distortion of aerodynamically important surfaces, material concepts enabling an active or passive status assessment of specific airframe areas for shape and potential damages and material concepts enabling further functionalities which to date have been unrealizable.

A "morphing wing" design which could revolutionize future air travel | Representative | Inhabitat

Reduction in drag, meaning that less fuel is needed to complete a flight. New aerodynamic designs are also lighter and generate less noise. This will help reduce the impact of overhead aircraft on neighbourhoods near airports.

Project ReSiSTant | Horizon 2020 EU NMBP-Pilot Project

ReSiSTant, an acronym for Large Riblet Surface with Super Hardness, Mechanical and Temperature Resistance by neofunctionalization, is focussed on developing new nanofunctionalized and optimised riblets’ surfaces to be applied in two real demonstrators related to aircraft turbofan engines and industrial compressors.

The four-year project ReSiSTant, launched in 2018, is optimising the performance of aircraft turbofan engines and industrial compressors while reducing environmental impact.

Representative | Live Science

ReSiSTant demonstrators are led by relevant industrial companies in aircraft and industrial compressors sectors, thus project improvements will notably impact Europe. It will be translated into environmental benefits thanks to the reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions as well as into economic growth.

Nanoparticles in aviation fuel

According to researchers in Canada, the simple addition of nanoparticles to a hydrocarbon fuel can drastically alter the characteristics of its combustion, into what is touted to boost aircraft efficiency.

Representative | NC State University

According to  Sepehr Mosadegh and colleagues at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus and Zentek in Thunder Bay Ontario, mixing liquid ethanol with tiny particles of graphene oxide under varying conditions could boost the breakdown of the fuel into tiny liquid droplets, which could one day, perhaps, lead to enhanced fuels for aircraft engines – making them both greener and more powerful.

If achieved on a commercial scale, this innovation could be a crucial step forward in urgently needed efforts to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by the aviation industry.

The warming effect of aeroplane contrails on Earth’s climate could increase threefold by 2050according to new research done by Lisa Bock and Ulrike Burkhardt at the German Aerospace Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen

Physics World

Hence it becomes imperative that better, more efficient combinations of fuel are used to mitigate carbon emissions from aircraft.

To summarize, the benefits of adopting nanotechnology in aviation has immense benefits with much of its potential yet to be tapped into.  The reduction of the total weight of the aircraft translates to a significant reduction in fuel consumption, which in turn leads to a reduction in costs-Profits being a major factor driving this industry.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Air Liquide Advanced Technologies

Benchmark Brent crude oil prices have surpassed INR 6,750 per barrel on account of growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine as the former is one of the world’s largest oil exporters. If the situation aggravates further, there is a risk of oil prices inching up even more.

This is worrisome for investors in airline stocks as Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) forms a significant portion of the operating expenses. This situation is creating a huge rift in Indian aviation stocks, InterGlobe Aviation Ltd and SpiceJet Ltd has become tougher.

Further, expectations from the upcoming Union Budget are running low, too. According to an analyst, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, “Reduction in value-added-tax (VAT) on ATF and decrease in customs duties on repairs are among the few wishes of the airline operators. However, these are not expected to be quenched by the government in the forthcoming budget as it continues to prioritize other more drastically affected sectors.”

One consistent expectation of airlines has been to bring ATF under the ambit of the goods and service tax (GST). Such a decision could provide relief in way of an input tax credit.

Going ahead, demand revival and operating at full capacity will remain a primary catalyst for airline stocks. Here, the pace of recovery has slowed down in the domestic market lately.

In a report on January 24, ICICI Securities Ltd said, “The number of weekly average daily fliers stood at 168k in the week ended (W.E) January 22, 2022, versus 192k in the W.E. January 15, 2022.”

Because of the looming threat of the third covid-19 wave, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has extended the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services till the end of February 2022.

Of course, it helps that the restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations, which have been a lifesaver for airlines amidst the pandemic. Robust e-commerce growth due to pandemic led restrictions and higher demand for medicines and vaccines prompted big airlines to utilize the idle passenger aircraft to transport cargo thereby compensating the subdued passenger demand to an extent.

Even so, both IndiGo and SpiceJet have incurred losses owing to the pandemic. After incurring massive losses in FY21, IndiGo and SpiceJet’s net loss for the half-year ended September stood at about INR 4,600 crore and INR 1,300 crore, respectively. As of September 30, both airlines had negative net-worth.

As such, the December quarter is expected to be better. In a report on January 14, HSBC analysts said, “We forecast INR 310 crore net loss at IndiGo and INR 170 crore loss at SpiceJet; so, on a sequential basis the numbers should be much better.”

In 2020, shares of IndiGo have increased by 18% vis-à-vis around 20% drop in SpiceJet’s shares. Investors believe IndiGo’s stronger balance sheet holds it in good stead.

But, a challenging operating environment and the potential rise in competitive intensity with new entrants such as Akasa Air are key near-term worries for airline stocks, which may well keep investor sentiments low.

(With Inputs from Live Mint)

A China Airlines Boeing 747-400F suffered damage to its engine number 2 after colliding with a baggage cart while taxiing at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Friday, January 28 morning (ORD). The Chicago Department of Aviation reports that there were no injuries as a result of the incident, which occurred around 6:30 a.m.

The plane involved in the incident, according to local reports, was a Boeing 747-400F with the registration B-18715. The jumbo plane's engine number 2 was damaged after colliding with a baggage cart while taxiing at O'Hare. The engine was severely damaged, as evidenced by images shared on social media.

(Image Courtesy - Twitter - JACDEC)

After operating flight CI5240 between Taipei and Chicago via Anchorage, the Boeing 747-400F landed. The flight left Taipei at 10:30 a.m. local time on January 27, 2022, according to data provided by Radarbox.com.

It arrived in Anchorage at 22:25 before departing for Chicago, where the incident occurred. According to the Chicago Department of Aviation, no injuries were reported as a result of the incident. The plane has been on the ground since the incident.

(Image Courtesy - Worldakkam)

China Airlines is a Taiwanese airline that was founded in 1959 and is based at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). According to data provided by ch-aviation, it serves 27 countries with 84 destinations and 128 routes.

The airline currently operates a fleet of 88 aircraft, including 18 Boeing 747-400 freighters. Aside from B-18715, which was involved in the Chicago incident today, B-18723, another China Airlines B747, is currently undergoing maintenance. All of the remaining planes are flying.

(Image Courtesy - Wikimedia Commons)

B-18715 was a plane first ordered by China Airlines on November 28, 2002. One year later, in August 2003, it had its first flight, and Boeing delivered it to the carrier. China Airlines has confirmed it will retire the aircraft in 2027.

As of November 2021, B-18715 had 77,862 total hours and 14,244 flight cycles. In 2021, the aircraft totalled 4,588.06 hours and 923 cycles, a 9% and 12.3% increase compared to the use it had in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the last 15 days, China Airlines Boeing 747-400, registered as B-18715, has had two unrelated incidents. The first happened on January 16, as the aircraft was taking off as flight CI5240 from Taipei.

According to The Aviation Herald, the jumbo freighter experienced problems on its outboard right-hand engine as it was climbing from Taipei’s runway 05L.

The crew stop the climb at 7,000 feet and shut the engine down after hearing a series of bangs and streaks of flames coming from the engine. Following that, the crew dumped fuel and returned to Taipei safely. The Boeing 747-400 only spent 36 hours on the ground and quickly re-entered service following this incident.

(With Inputs from Simple Flying)

Air India Ltd. is seeking to end a case filed by Devas Multimedia Pvt. in a U.S. court, arguing a recent change in ownership of the carrier prevents demands over recovery of arbitration awards.

Devas demands USD 1.2 billion from the Indian government after winning three international arbitration awards over a scrapped telecommunications deal with a state-run firm.

Air India attempts to settle USD 1.2 billion lawsuits in the US, referencing a new owner

The company is seeking to seize overseas assets of the formerly government-owned flag carrier, which was handed over to Indian conglomerate Tata Sons Pvt. on Thursday, January 27 saying the national carrier is an alter ego of the Indian government.

Air India’s filing in a U.S. court came on Thursday, January 27, the same day new management took over, ending years of taxpayer-funded bailouts for the airline, and helping Prime Minister Narendra Modi successfully execute the first major privatization in nearly two decades. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said last week the nation will begin the process of winding up Devas.

The district court in New York can dismiss and dispose of Devas’ case entirely based on Air India’s request, or it can identify remaining issues in the case if the demand is denied, according to a filing by the airline.

In an interview before Air India’s latest filing, Devas’ lawyers said they will continue their efforts to recover the arbitration award money from assets of the Indian government in several countries. Matthew McGill, counsel for shareholders of Devas, said the company will initiate a new arbitration against the Indian government.

(With Inputs from Bloomberg)

An aircraft of the Indian Army’s Officers’ Training Academy in Gaya, Bihar on January 28 crashed soon after taking off during training due to a technical glitch. Both the pilots in the aircraft are safe. The two-seater aircraft M-102 was being used by the Air Force Station of Gaya for training purposes.

https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1487032217880567811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1487032217880567811%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com%2Fnews%2Findia%2Fbihar-gaya-army-aircraft-crash-locals-come-to-rescue-watch-video-2022-01-28-756807

Following the incident, the IAF officials rushed to the accident site and removed the aircraft. A large number of villagers also assembled at the place, who demanded compensation for the crop loss due to an emergency landing.

"Both pilots were safe and the aircraft did not suffer much damage. The IAF officials have taken the aircraft to their base."Rakesh Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Gaya City

Villagers noticed the trainer aircraft falling, rushed to the spot and pulled the cadets out. They were taken away by Army personnel who arrived soon afterwards. Debris from the crashed plane was also collected by them.

"The nature of the technical fault that might have caused the crash will be known only upon examination by experts. The crash took place in fields adjoining a village under Bodh Gaya block, when the pilots tried to make an emergency landing."Bangajeet Saha, Director, Gaya International Airport

The official said that there were two pilots, one of whom was undergoing training in the aircraft when a technical glitch arose. The two pilots managed to land the aircraft in the agricultural field in the Bagdaha Beli Ahar village under Bodh Gaya police station. The training had started in the OTA ground on January 28 morning from where it took off. They confirmed that there were no casualties.

In what could be termed as a bold move by the  International Air Transport Association (IATA), the organization is pushing governments worldwide to ease restrictions on air travel, even as the virus seems to mutate on a seemingly never-ending spree globally.

Airport World

IATA, which represents most of the airlines around the world, believes the virus is here to stay and the only way forward is to evolve and live along with the virus.

The organisation, in its statement, has categorically pushed for:

The removal of all travel barriers (including quarantine and testing) for those fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccineQuarantine-free travel for non-vaccinated travellers with a negative pre-departure antigen test resultTake cognizance of the fact that that travellers pose no greater risk for COVID-19 spread than already exists in the general population

The bigger question, however though, is have we really moved on from the pandemic to the endemic stage?

Are we really approaching the pandemic-endgame?

With the experience of the Omicron variant, there is mounting scientific evidence and opinion opposing the targeting of travellers with restrictions and country bans to control the spread of COVID-19. The measures have not worked. Today Omicron is present in all parts of the world. That’s why travel, with very few exceptions, does not increase the risk to general populations. The billions spent testing travellers would be far more effective if allocated to vaccine distribution or strengthening health care systemssaid IATA Director General Willie Walsh

IATA Director General Willie Walsh | Travel Daily

But what comes next? Obviously, the virus, like any other virus, will mutate and is here to stay. What's changing is our immunity. The new coronavirus first emerged two years ago in Wuhan, China, and we were vulnerable. It was a completely new virus that our immune systems weren't exposed to before and we had no drugs or vaccines to help.

Should a new variant or old variant come along, for most of us, like any other common cold coronavirus, we'll get the sniffles and a bit of a headache and then we're OKProf Hiscox - who sits on the government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group

This is not to say the entire population would be immune to the virus as a large section of the population, especially the old and senior citizens, would still be possibly prone to the endemic Covid.

The near certainty is there will be booster vaccines for the vulnerable, coupled with the possibility that Lockdowns and restrictions on mass gatherings might not come back, might pave the way for mass covid testings to end this year- said, Prof Hiscox.

The UK, France and Switzerland have recognized this and are among the first to begin removing travel measures. More governments need to follow their lead. Accelerating the removal of travel restrictions will be a major step towards living with the virusIATA’s Walsh

What the future may hold in store for aviation?

Testing for Covid-19 will soon become history, and the governments should stop interfering with the ‘common sense health regulationssaid a senior official of Dubai Airports

Dubai Airport DXB | Representative | The National

According to Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), DXB received 24 million international passengers during the first 11 months of 2021, including 3.88 million in November alone, thereby maintaining its status as the world’s busiest international airport, despite the pandemic.

I think we have got to get to live with it we got to be able to travel as part of that normalisation of the approach to the virus in the future. That’s when the people will get their lives back and that’s when they will become mobile againsaid Paul Griffiths, chief executive officer of Dubai Airports

Here's what Roderico H Ofrin, WHO's India representative, had to say:

WHO does not recommend a blanket travel ban, nor a complete restriction of people's movement. In many ways, such blanket approaches can be counterproductive. India, with its diversity in population distribution and geographic spread, the risk-based approach remains the wiser public health practise to counter a pandemicRoderico H Ofrin

Roderico H Ofrin | UHC partnership

If all the do(s) and don't(s) are followed, there is no need for lockdown- stated by Roderico.

So, is a new Covid-era truly imminent?

Do let us know your views in the comments below.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)