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Fluent will work with the FAA CoE, providing CFD software which will be used to study cabin air quality and various contaminant dispersion scenarios related to postulated chemical and biological threats. In particular, Fluent will assist in evaluation and development of mathematical airflow models, evaluation and design of air distribution systems, and studies of contaminant transport and dispersion in cabins.
The FAA will supply approximately $1 million into the center the first year and $500,000 in each of the second and third years. Matching funds will be provided by the private sector. William Gale, Alumni Professor in Auburn University's materials engineering program and principal investigator in the consortium, noted that the consortium already has more than $20 million in external research support commitments from private industry. "We already have a number of high profile companies who have agreed to sponsor our research," he said. "Among them are such names as Boeing, Delta Airlines, Honeywell, General Electric Aircraft Engines and many others."
The research will provide the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) a rich opportunity to pursue complex research and technical development for protecting passengers, crew and equipment, revising regulations as well as advancing the next generation of environmental control systems. “We’ve brought together some of the brightest minds science has to offer to focus on cabin air quality and chemical and biological threats to protect passengers and crew members,” said FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey. “This research will be of great benefit to the flying public.”
For more information about the FAA’s Centers of Excellence program visit www.coe.faa.gov.
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