Somethings answer a question never asked. But if you were sitting around this weekend thinking long and hard about how do airlines wash engines, well I have the perfect video for you. It shows how Southwest Airlines goes about washing one of the engines.
Now, this isn’t your grandfather’s jet engine washer. This is an environmentally friendly engine washer that helps reduce waste and gas. The EcoPower equipment circulates the water to wash the engines minimizing the contaminant runoff, which is good for everyone.
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After the spray cycle, a tech is seen grabbing a sample of fluid which appears to be runoff from the spray cycle draining away. Why? What does he hope to learn? Checking for metal particles, etc? Very cool video!
Hi Andrew,
we asked our expert, and this is what Mark told us:
In general terms, the engine washing procedure removes environmental buildup from the blades and vanes of the compressor and turbine sections of the engine. This removal of contaminants increases the efficiency of the engine thereby reducing fuel burn. The sample taken does not contain any metal produced by the engine, and it is used to determine how clean the turbo machinery is, prior to and post cleaning
Thanks Brian for the help! It can be the little things that no one thinks about that become the most interseting!
David