NASA Studying Ice Crystals In Engines

In partnership with engine manufacturer Honeywell, the team at NASA's Glenn Research Center has launched a study taking a closer look at a specific type of high-altitude engine icing called ice crystal icing. Ice crystal icing occurs when ice crystals get into an engine's core, combine and grow. The accumulation can result in an engine stall, loss of thrust, engine surge and even damage caused by the ice itself as it sheds.

Photo: NASA

So why is studying ice crystal icing so important when aircraft have been flying at high altitudes for quite some time now? Turns out it's all about advances made in engine technology. According to Ashlie Flegel, NASA Glenn's engine icing technical lead, "As new engine technologies strive for smaller cores that are highly efficient and lightweight, understanding how design changes impact the potential icing risk is crucial in order to maintain aviation safety." The suspicion is clearly that advances in turbine core technology could make these new-generation engines friendlier to ice formation.

NASA reports that it currently has the only facility in the world capable of testing full-sized engines in ice crystal icing conditions. The engine being tested is an uncertified gas turbine research engine provided by Honeywell.

What's the next step? After the team reaches its conclusions on the subject of ice crystal icing, the logical next step would be for researchers and the industry to develop countermeasures. What exactly those might be is an even more mysterious subject than the ice formation they're studying. At least for now.

Learn more at NASA.