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This website is designed to showcase EnginAir, a Northern Arizona University Computer Science Capstone project. Our project spans the 2019-2020 school year and covers design and requirements acquisition as well an product implementaion.

Introduction

In 1903, the Wright Brothers made history by building and flying the first successful powered airplane. Since then, airplanes have become the most commonly used mode of transportation and helped spark the advancement of the Aerospace and Defense industry. The Aerospace and Defense industry is comprised of the manufacturing, sale, service of aircraft, aerospace parts, space vehicles, and military defense systems. The U.S. Aerospace and Defense industry is the largest in the world having a revenue of $838 billion in 2018 and providing over 2.5 million jobs, 20 percent which comes from manufacturing [1][4]. The top three Aerospace companies in the U.S. based on 2018 revenue are Boeing, Airbus, and United Technology Corporation [3].

Our project focuses on the manufacturing of engines, specifically turbofans. Turbofans are a type of jet engine also called a gas turbine which is primarily used for aircraft propulsion. These jet engines produce thrust through the burning of fuel which gets released as hot gas. This gas is forced through the turbine blades causing them to rotate. Gas turbines, however, require a sufficient amount of airflow between the blades before introducing fuel and starting combustion. If the turbine blades are not pushing enough airflow before this happens, a hot start occurs which causes the engine to overheat and results in damage. Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) are smaller turbine engines that generate high-pressure exhaust which is used to kickstart the turbine blades to prevent a hot start. APUs can also be used as an additional power source for aircraft electrics like lighting, cockpit avionics, and environmental packs that are used to heat and cool the cabin [2].

Honeywell

Our sponsor, Honeywell, is the largest producer of gas turbine APUs, with more than 100,000 produced and over 36,000 still in use today. Honeywell APUs are found on common commercial aircrafts such as the Boeing 747 and Boeing 777. Other Honeywell applications are found on helicopters, military jets, and on the U.S. Army Abrams Tank. Our sponsor contact is Harlan Mitchell and he is the Systems Technical Manager for the HTF7K Controls System Integration Unit. The HTF7K is a turbofan engine family primarily used on business jets like the Cessna Citation Longitude jet.

Connected Engine Data System Administrative Portal

The team is currently working to create a robust system that dynamically and visually represents WiFi signals everytime a Honeywell operated engines lands at an airport. This concept will, in theory, help Honeywell keep track of the locations that airplanes land to give pilots and engineers an idea as to where the plane can get the best WiFI signal to upload critical maintainence logs to ensure safe flights across the world.

EnginAir

Our team is comprised of five seniors majoring in Computer Science:

Our team also consists of a graduate school mentor:

For a more information on our team, visit our about us page.

References:

  1. Arbor, Ann. “Global Aerospace Industry Worth $838 Billion, According to AeroDynamic Advisory and Teal Group Corporation.” Home - Teal Group. Teal Group Corporation, July 12, 2018. https://www.tealgroup.com/index.php/pages/press-releases/53-global-aerospace-industry-worth-838-billion-according-to-aerodynamic-advisory-and-teal-group-corporation.
  2. Quora. “How Do Jet Airplanes Start Their Engines?” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, April 14, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/04/14/how-do-jet-airplanes-start-their-engines/#11309fa9ab4b.
  3. “Top Aerospace Companies: Top 50 Lists.” AviationOutlook. AviationOutlook.com, October 10, 2019. https://aviationoutlook.com/top-aerospace-companies/#kcmenu.
  4. “2019 STATE OF THE AMERICAN AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE INDUSTRY.” AIA Aerospace Industries Association. www.AIA-AEROSPACE.rg . Accessed November 10, 2019. https://www.aia-aerospace.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/AIA-2019-Facts-and-Figures.pdf.

Last update: 12/4/2019