NARL to help airlines save jet fuel

A 50-acre campus in a valley near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh is starting an experiment that can help airlines save fuel costs. The National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL) at Gadanki village is turning into a control room to assimilate data from a dozen ST (stratosphere-troposphere) radars nationwide, to provide real time weather data to user agencies like the Air Traffic Control (ATC). The troposphere is the lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere, and the stratosphere extends 10-50 km above it. Experts estimate there is a potential of a 10 per cent cut in fuel consumption for airlines and consequently cheaper air fares in India, if radar technology can provide real time and more precise weather forecasts than those available.

"Reliable information on the atmosphere will help us provide accurate forecasts for agricultural operations and for airlines, which will help them save fuel," said D Narayana Rao, Director of the NARL — an arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation. The NARL houses one of the world's largest weather system radars after Peru, and it collects wind data at heights up to 60 km. "Our information will be passed on to ATCs in real time to help pilots avoid air pockets or friendly tailwind," explained Rao. "The savings (in fuel) because of such details of conditions in the atmosphere about 10 to 13 km from the earth could run into a few hundred crore rupees a year." Airliners in the US and Japan regularly use such data that has helped them report a 10 per cent drop in fuel use over a three-year period.

Back home, the aviation sector relies on data from weather balloons that only measure wind velocity and are useful for short-range forecasts. But ground radars detect more atmospheric attributes and changes spread over a bigger range. Data from the NARL project will also help plan missile tests or satellite launches. The project team aims to join an international effort to unravel the structure and dynamics of the middle atmosphere by linking up with a global network of radars. The Department of Science and Technology will fund the project to the tune of Rs 100-crore (1 billion) during the 11th Plan period. But to solve the expected shortage of skilled staff, the NARL will partner with the University Grants Commission to introduce courses on atmospheric sciences in select universities. Their estimate of atmospheric scientists needed to operate the system and its network of radars is also sky high — 1,000 scientists.

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