Teams at the University of Copenhagen research and University of Iceland have created a platform to offer air traffic authorities the data essential to decide whether planes need to be grounded when ash from volcano eruptions threaten aircraft safety.
Professors Susan Stipp from the Nano-Science Centre at the University of Copenhagen and Sigurdur Gislason at the University of Iceland have published their research paper recently in the journal, PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA).
Nanoparticles of volcanic ash are able to move high and far, and if sharp, they could sandblast the windows and structure of airplanes. Airplanes could crash even if the particles melt inside the jet engines. The Eyjafjallajökull volcanic ash included all these dangers. Around 10 million travelers were affected, costing authorities around 2.5 billion euros.
Stipp says the team found no information on ash anywhere on the internet or other literature. Susan Stipp and Siggi Gislason in Reykjavik wore protective clothing, gathered ash as it fell during the eruptions and sent the samples to Denmark. Scientists at the Nano-Science Centre at the University of Copenhagen helped characterize the ash nano-particles and their response to air, water and oil.
The system developed could offer data within 24 hours. Scientists can detect poison levels in ash samples within an hour and determine how hazardous the ash would be to life close to the eruptions. Scientists will be able to foretell, within 12 hours, the dangers of sandblasting on aircraft, and determine the danger to jet engines. They will be able to predict the dimensions of the nanoparticles within 24 hours, and offer information on the scale and reach of the volcanic cloud.
Susan Stipp says the equipment required for the platform is commonly used by materials scientists. This could enable aviation authorities to obtain rapid and dependable information.