The Cutting Edge of Engine Maintenance

Grounding flights due to technical faults can be hugely costly for airlines, and in response, most operators have a spare parts inventory in place to support their aircraft maintenance operations. With airlines spending at least $200 per flight hour on extra parts however, the race is on to find new ways to keep costs down. Industry experts recommend that airlines keep at least 8 percent of their flying fleet as spares. But to reduce maintenance cycles and downtime even further, the aerospace in

Take Rolls-Royce, for example, a company that has specifically highlighted engine maintenance as a key focus area for its business, predicting a tripling of demand for its services over the next 15 years. While there is no silver bullet yet, by minimising engine maintenance turnaround times, operators can cut their operational capital expenditure. The rise of connectivity, the Internet of Things (IoT), and the application of big data analytics, when applied to engine performance, could hold the key to achieving major improvements here.

In this article, I will explore how the engine performance monitoring space has evolved, looking at current solutions, imminent developments and the range of disruptive technologies throughout the supply chain that could transform the industry.

The Landscape Today: Data Analytics to Reduce Maintenance Times

Lengthy engine maintenance cycles are incredibly costly for operators, but airlines have this marked as an area where huge potential savings could be made. It is critical that both airlines and OEMs can find solutions in engine maintenance procedures to speed up maintenance downtime, keep their planes in the air, and increase revenue growth. This movement is being driven by a focus on proactive maintenance of existing service engines, removing the need for a rip-and-replace mentality that places a big emphasis on having large backup inventories.

The maintenance solutions available today do go some way to combating the problem, but more needs to be done. Sensors are installed throughout the aircraft, monitoring key performance parameters such as fuel burn in the engine. This information can be shared with maintenance crews and ground staff in real-time while the plane is still airborne, so that appropriate action can be taken once it has landed to get into back into service as quickly as possible.

Of course, the more data made available to ground staff, the more informed the decision-making process will be in ascertaining firstly, what the issue is, and secondly, whether it is a problem with one particular aircraft, or an entire fleet. While current solutions only permit the airborne transfer of data for key vital parameters to maintenance crews, expanding this remit would allow them to determine the continual status and performance of individual parts and components within the engine.

This continuous visibility of performance is crucial. If, for example, one of the engine vitals fails mid-air, a standby system would kick in and run all of the necessary functions to enable it to complete its journey safely. An alert would then be sent to the ground staff, who could use the real-time information to determine the cause of the failure, before engaging the necessary personnel and sourcing the components required to get the aircraft back up and running as soon as it lands.

While these advancements have the potential to transform how engine performance is assessed, adoption in the industry has so far been slow. But more widespread implementation could dramatically change how operators approach maintenance, reducing repair time on the ground cutting cycle times and costs in the process.

Driving Revenues Using the IoT

Sensors are installed throughout the aircraft, relaying important information back and forth between each other, across the plane’s systems and subsystems. These innovative new IoT solutions are leading to increased revenue for manufacturers, OEMs, and even operators. In 2015, for example, Bombardier announced that it had signed an agreement with Pratt to use its eFAST Health Monitoring System on the CSeries aircraft. This agreement was made with a view to enable the manufacturer to boost its profits by receiving data on the real-time performance of its engines, so that it can adjust the way its fleets are flown and take care of potential issues before it has to ground planes. Equally, the new generation of GEnx engines started pumping 5 to 10 TB of data per day. GE expects to gain up to 40 percent improvement in factory efficiencies by the application of IoT and big data analytics.

Maintenance Through the Eyes of the Future Technician – the Rise of Wearables

With the rise of the IoT, we are also seeing a surge in the adoption of connected wearable technologies, particularly in aerospace and engine MRO. IDC recently announced that 102.4 million wearable devices were shipped in 2016, compared to 81.9 million in 2015. But, while there are examples of this technology already in use, there are huge future benefits to be realised through the aerospace supply chain.

So how would this work in practice? Smart glasses worn by engineers working on engines could be used to transmit to maintenance specialists for assessment, and immediate consultancy could be given. In turn, information could be fed straight back to the engineer on the ground in real-time. The capabilities of hands-free smart glasses also allow for all this data to be recorded to assess further issues down the line.

This technology could drive huge improvements in efficiencies and safety and reduce human error. For instance, Honeywell’s technicians have been using voice recognition software when stripping down turbine engines and APUs for overhaul – leaving them able to enter engine data hands-free. It has the potential to reduce the complexity and workload for operators and as a result, uptake of this very powerful tool is only going to increase.

Challenging the Status Quo

Technological advances can provide a solution to reducing maintenance cycles and cutting operational costs here. Soon, thousands of sensors will be embedded in each engine and across the aircraft, allowing data to be streamed down to the ground in real-time. And who knows, does this mean the famous black box could become a simple backup device in future?!

With advancements in the speed and capacity of data transfer from airborne aircraft to ground staff, and a continued progression in the analysis of this information; engines manufacturers, OEMs and operators hold the key to unlocking significant reductions in maintenance times. Organisations throughout the supply chain must engage with this new technological wave if they are to achieve this.

Bhoopathi Rapolu is the head of Analytics EMEA for Cyient. In this role, he is responsible for developing technology solutions, customer engagement, and business development. He has over 16 years of experience in business Intelligence and technology management, and has spent the last few years evangelising about the integration of Operational Real-Time technologies with IT.