PROVIDA ("PROtection against Volcanic ash Induced Damage in Aeroengines")
The PROVIDA consortium was created in summer 2014, following initiation of a project jointly funded by EPSRC and DST (India). A presentation giving an outline of the proposal is available here, dating from early in 2013. There were 3 academic contributors and 5 industrial partners in the original proposal. The project is focussed on the performance of gas turbines, particularly aeroengines, with particular reference to the possibility of damage arising from ingested species ("CMAS") - including deleterious effects on (plasma sprayed) coatings inside the turbine. The project started in spring 2014, followed by a kick-off meeting in Cambridge on 18th June. By this time, individuals from several organisations that were not in the original partnership had expressed interest in participating in some way and an informal consortium was created, with the objective of promoting various types of collaboration - such as exchange of samples, sharing of results, participation in meetings etc. The consortium title reflects the particular interest of many of these partners in effects of ingested volcanic ash (both in terms of short term impairment of gas flow and in the form of slightly longer term damage to surfaces and coatings). Information is provided on this site about the partners, and their interests relevant to the consortium, and about associated publications, meetings, presentations etc.