Contrail-free Aero-Engines
Dr. Sarah Qureshi is working on contrail-free aero engines as the CEO and founding director of Aero Engine Craft (Pvt) Ltd. She is also a visiting fellow at the School of Aerospace at Cranfield University where she provides technical feedback on research on environmentally safe aircraft engines. Sarah has a PhD degree in Aerospace Engineering from Cranfield University, UK. Her area of specialization is Aerospace Propulsion whereby she worked on the development of a contrail-free aero-engine that has been derived from a novel patented technology. During her initial PhD research, Sarah assisted the inventor with patenting the contrail-free aero-engine. The invention has been granted two international patents and has a. Dr. Sarah Qureshi , has now set up Aero Engine Craft (Private) Limited, as Pakistan’s first commercial aircraft and engine development company to convert this patented technology into a full scale application ready to be used by modern civil aircraft.
Aero Engine Craft is developing the first generation of environmentally safe contrail-free aero-engines for the reduction of global warming and to induce artificial rain during aircraft flight through on-board water recovery from fuel emissions; creating a vision of the future for the aviation industry whereby it can not only reduce aviation induced global warming but also adopt an approach to treat the fuel emissions as a resource. A revolutionary technology is employed that eliminates contrails at source and recovers water from fuel exhaust emissions as a net positive product. This is a true definition of a disruptive technology; a global first attempt to create water within the aero-engine from the exhaust plume during flight, carry it aboard and release it as rainfall prior to landing. Our product is a low cost alternative to aero-engine redesign, and offers revenue potential to the aviation industry while solving a crucial environmental challenge.
The aviation industry is being redefined by numerous environmental challenges which include contrails. Contrails are artificial cirrus clouds that are created by the atmospheric condensation of the supersaturated water vapor that is present in the exhaust emissions as a combustion by-product. According to the emission index of water, 1.25 kg of water is produced for every 1 kg of kerosene fuel burn. In the wider context of the environmental impact of aviation, contrails created through aero emissions disturb the atmospheric balance and affect the earth’s radiation budget either by reflecting sunlight back to space or by trapping the infra-red radiation emitted by the earth’s surface (greenhouse effect). The radiative effect of contrails is said to vary around 10mW/m2. According to IPCC, contrails cover 0.1% of the Earth’s surface at present and this is likely to rise to 0.5 % by 2050. This constitutes a considerable proportion of the aviation’s contribution to global warming at 25K Watts. Studies have also proven that the global warming potential of contrails is five times that of carbon-di-oxide. Hence a reduction in the water footprint is equally important as that of the CO2 footprint. Contrail avoidance therefore remains the current focus of the aviation industry.
A contrail-free aero-engine is designed to reduce aviation induced global warming through the development of a pressure-based turbomachinery defined as the water expeller that is introduced as a modular attachment to a standard aero-engine. It encompasses a condensation and containment mechanism for the exhaust water vapour content of emissions. This mechanism intends to eliminate the source of contrail formation. This is a unique pressure based condensation system devised specifically for airborne applications and is a novel addition to the family of gas-turbine components.
Since water is created during the course of condensing the emissions, artificial rainfall can be induced at an altitude of naturally occurring low level precipitation clouds while the aircraft is descending and flying below its cruise altitude. Direct rainfall can be precipitated to the ground within a radius of 17 km of the landing airport depending on the direction of the approach of the aircraft to the airport if water is released from the aircraft once it descends to an altitude of around 2500m (nearly 8000 feet) above sea level. This water can continue to being released until the aircraft lands. The time duration for this process would be around 5 minutes.
Not only does our technology reduce the aviation industry’s contribution to global warming by effectively eliminating contrails, but it also signifies a positive contribution by the aviation industry towards meeting the global challenge of water scarcity by creating localized rain in the process. Artificial rain can be a major revenue generator for the airlines employing this system. The implementation of this technology shall shift the negative impact of aviation on the global environment towards a positive contribution from the aviation industry towards the environment.
Aero Engine Craft is set up to convert this patented technology into a full scale commercial application ready to be used by modern civil transport aircraft. The business is modelled as a circular economy creating value for global engine manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers and airlines by providing compliance to environmental standards and revenue through emission trading and artificial rainfall. Aero Engine Craft aims to mark the beginning of the first contrail-free aircraft flight in the world!
- Elevating understanding of and between people through changing people’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
The core technology is based on the research outcome of a PhD study conducted by Dr. Sarah Qureshi at the Propulsion Centre, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Cranfield University UK in collaboration with the inventor of the technology .Aero Engine Craft is set up to convert this patented technology into a full scale commercial application ready to be used by modern civil transport aircraft.
The concept is very unique and the design is patent-protected. It’s airworthiness, simplicity, and ease of implementation within the ecosystem sets it apart. The design of this device and the technology involved in its development are synergistic with the current technology employed by aero-engine and airframe manufacturers. Hence, this device can be easily incorporated within the existing framework of aero-engine and aircraft design. Another unique specification of this technology is that it is an add-on and can therefore be integrated with existing aircraft engines. Hence it is applicable to both in-service and pre-sales engines. Manufacturers lease each component of an aero-engine to airlines, in a modular fashion, and either charge one time to cover the cost or use a “performance by the hour” model. Our device can also be treated as a module and charged for in a similar fashion once the engine is upgraded with this technology.My story has attracted attention and I have been fortunate to be able to speak on many media platforms, including international media and radio.
- I have had the privilege of representing my country in many international forums - and as a rare woman entrepreneur, I am keen to inspire young people and especially girls to never limit the height of their ambitions.
As you can probably tell, I am passionate about aviation – especially pioneering new clean and green approaches that limit the impact of climate change
- To help me achieve this vision I have assembled a very strong team of experts .
- After this crisis will come huge opportunities for those willing to work with us in achieving our vision.
- We know what we want to do and how we will get there - and we invite you to come with us.
During her PhD on the current project, Sarah supervised a number of MSc. students for their research projects on Jet Engine Technology. Prior to this, Sarah completed her master’s degree in the field of Aerospace Dynamics from Cranfield University, UK. Her research involved the design of a trajectory following controller inclusive of stability augmentation, attitude control system and outer loop autopilot for unmanned aircraft (UAVs) flying in close formation for the purpose of air to air refuelling.
After graduating as a Mechanical Engineer from College of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, NUST Pakistan, Sarah gained extensive experience of working in the local automotive and engineering industry. Her bachelors' research project involved the development of a measurement and data logging system for the in-cylinder temperature and combustion of an internal combustion engine. This work was published and presented at the Society of Automotive Engineers Conference in USA.
Her prime technical interests are focused upon engine technology and aircraft design. Sarah holds a Private Pilot License (PPL) with 70 hours of Flying Experience. She has also learned acrobatic flying and several flight manoeuvres while at Cranfield. Sarah is now seeking an investment of US$ 1 million to scale up the product and promote it through the next technology readiness levels for the purpose of commercialization
Technical Interests:
Aircraft Design, Gas Turbine Aero Engines, Formula 1 Vehicle Design, Internal Combustion Engines and Automotive Technologies
Co-Curricular Activities and Achievements:
Winner of the Clean Technology Monaco Student Competition (March 2016, Cranfield University, UK)
Acrobatic Flying at Cranfield University, UK 2008-2016 (spin, spin recovery, loop, barrel roll, hammerhead); Tandem Sky Dive; R22 Helicopter Flight
General Secretary: Cranfield Students Association (2007-2008, UK)
Senior Girl Student: National University of Science and Technology (1997-2000, Pakistan)
Short-listed for the Aerospace Coachmakers Award (2016, Cranfield University UK)
Short-listed for the Schmidt-McArthur Fellowship (2017, Cranfield University UK)
Finalist, British Alumni Award Pakistan 2019
Solution Evaluation Expert at World Alliance for Efficient Solutions and Solar Impulse Foundation 2019 onwards
Aviation Instructor for STEM. teaching aviation to underprivileged children at a village community school 2018 onwards
- Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
