Researchers visualize turbulence from aircraft engines

Researchers have discovered an improved way to use computer models to reduce aircraft noise, a study released Monday by Imperial College London revealed.

Noise pollution from aircraft is a global policy and health issue. Researchers from Imperial College London have previously found that risks of hospital admissions and deaths from stroke and heart disease were around 10 to 20 percent higher in areas with the highest levels of aircraft noise, compared with areas with the least amount of noise.

Much work has been done by the aviation industry to lessen the noise impact of aircraft, including the development of serrated engine jet nozzles, which feature in some of the latest passenger aircraft such as Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

The latest research involves computer models which can visualize the engine's serrated edges which create small, unsteady pockets of air called vortical structures. These vortical structures break up the larger air parcels being forced out of the jet engine, a process which disrupts the engine noise, making the planes quieter.

The computer-generated images show how air is forced through engines when planes are in flight, helping researchers and their industrial collaborators interpret and analyze the results of very large aircraft engine simulations, the researchers said.

Their work has the potential to accelerate new discoveries in the field, ultimately leading to the next generation of even quieter aircraft engines, they said. Endit