A radical approach to atmospheric chemical sensing: Rethinking aircraft mounted inlets and pinhole expansions
- Academic lead
- Dr Lisa Whalley, School of Chemistry, l.k.whalley@leeds.ac.uk
- Industrial lead
- Dr Chris Reed, FAAM Airborne Laboratory, National Centre for Atmospheric Science, chris.reed@faam.ac.uk
- Co-supervisor(s)
- Prof Nik Kapur, School of Mechanical Engineering, n.kapur@leeds.ac.uk , Prof Dwayne Heard, School of Chemistry, d.e.heard@leeds.ac.uk , Dr Greg de Boer, School of Mechanical Engineering, g.n.deboer@leeds.ac.uk
- Project themes
- Climate & Weather, Computational & Analytical Tools, Environmental Flows, Experimental Techniques
This project aims to enhance the performance of atmospheric chemical sensing by developing a combined experimental and computational approach to analysing and optimising the design of aircraft-mounted apparatus (Fig. 1). Atmospheric chemists use on-board measurements of radicals via laser spectroscopy to determine the composition of gases in the atmosphere, this underpins research into climate change with the aim to meet environmental sustainability goals. Current sensing apparatus are limited by the effective design of their components. This remains empirical, and their operation is therefore constrained to specific flight and weather conditions.
In this radical new approach to atmospheric sensing, Wind Tunnel Testing (Fig. 2) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (Fig. 3) will be used to understand and assess the effectiveness of sensing radicals in the atmosphere. The project will explore multiscale aerodynamic flow on the scale of the aircraft, through the sensing apparatus, and down to the pinhole aperture which provides chemists with the ability to perform spectroscopy. Design Optimisation will be used to develop improved sensing across a range of flight and weather conditions allowing atmospheric chemists to enhance current and future sensing apparatus. The FAAM Airborne Laboratory (FAAM) will provide flight testing and expertise to support this research.