The goal of ERICKA is to directly contribute to reductions in aircraft engine fuel consumption with a targeted contribution of 1% reduction in SFC relative to engines currently in service. The fuel efficiency of a jet engine used for aircraft propulsion is dependent on the performance of many key engine components. One of the most important is the turbine whose efficiency has a large influence on the engine fuel consumption and hence its CO2 emissions. The turbine must operate with high efficiency in the most hostile environment in the engine. The design of turbine cooling systems remains one of the most challenging processes in engine development. Modern high-pressure turbine cooling systems invariably combine internal convection cooling with external film cooling in complex flow systems whose individual features interact in complex ways. The heat transfer and cooling processes active are at the limit of current understanding and engine designers rely heavily on empirical tools and engineering judgement to produce new designs. ERICKA will provide a means of improving turbine blade cooling technology that will reduce turbine blade cooling mass-flow relative to that required using existing technology. A reduction in cooling mass-flow leads directly to improved component and engine efficiency. The improved technology for turbine cooling developed by ERICKA will also enable low NOx combustion chambers to be included in future engines. ERICKA will undertake research to furnish better understanding of the complex flows used to internally cool rotating turbine blades. This will be achieved by:

1) Acquisition of high quality experimental data using static and rotating test facilities

2) Development of cooling design capability by enhancement of computer codes that will exploit these experimental data ERICKA groups 18 partners representing the European aero engine industry, five SMEs and a set of leading academic institutions.