Success Story: The NRC’s Aerospace Research Centre hosts a successful 2022 ISABE conference

From September 26 to 28, experts from the NRC’s Aerospace Research Centre hosted the 25th International Society for Air Breathing Engines (ISABE) conference at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa. This international event is held in a different country biennially, and as leads in the Canadian National Organizing Committee, the NRC was the hosting organization for Canada. The 3-day event brought together international propulsion experts from industry, academia and government to share their research, build new partnerships, and understand the needs of industry in view of the Canadian aviation sector’s net-zero-by-2050 goal. The week was filled with keynote speeches from global and Canadian industry leaders, technical paper sessions and facility tours, including several of the NRC’s aerospace test facilities in Ottawa and Montreal. Topics covered included sustainable aviation fuels, electrification, hydrogen propulsion and advanced aircraft and engine concepts.

NRC President, Iain Stewart, kicked off the event with opening remarks and discussed future partnership possibilities with industry. At the NRC’s technical tour, participants had the opportunity to talk to our aerospace experts and view our propulsion test cells, aerodynamic tunnels, the Flight Research Lab in Ottawa, and the Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies Centre in Montreal.

The Canadian National Organizing Committee included Dr. Ibrahim Yimer, NRC Vice-President of Transportation and Manufacturing and ISABE’s Vice President and Conference Chair and Shaji Manipurath, NRC Director of the Gas Turbine Lab and ISABE Conference Vice-Chair. Other NRC participants included Mouhab Meshreki, Acting Director General, Aerospace Research Centre, Kirk Shaw, Director of Research and Development of Flight Research Lab and Mike Benner, Director of Research and Development of the Aerodynamics Lab. Everyone appreciated the opportunity to speak face-to-face with participants. 

A unique addition to the conference was a Girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) outreach event that was held at Carleton Engineering and Design on September 29. Carleton University shared their event webpage with schools in the area with middle-school to high-school students asking for parents to sign their daughters up. The students were given the opportunity to explore aerospace engineering through an electronic propulsion-themed STEM activity in partnership with the university along with engineering facility tours and attendance at some of ISABE’s keynote lectures and technical sessions.

We were inspired by the connections they made this year and we look forward to the 26th ISABE Conference taking place in Toulouse, France in September 2024.

Meet some of our experts and hear what they had to say about their research and the importance of conferences like ISABE.

Dr. Hamza abo el Ella, Research Officer, Low Carbon Technology Team, Aerospace Research Centre, NRC

In addition to his research officer position, Dr. abo el Ella is also a technical lead within Aero’s Integrated Aerial Mobility program. Dr. abo el Ella’s research focuses on propulsion aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, aircraft systems design, as well as novel aircraft propulsion technologies including hybrid electric propulsion.

“ISABE 2022 was the first international in-person conference following the COVID-19 pandemic for many of the attendees, and the first time an ISABE conference was held in Ottawa. As part of the NRC AERO organizing team, I strived to ensure that the conference was a success, thus ensuring NRC’s and Canada’s standing in the field of aerospace was recognized.

The conference featured 17 keynote lectures, 110 technical presentations, and 200+ attendees, along with a STEM outreach event aimed at girls that I coordinated. From all the positive feedback the organizing team has received, and by all measures, it was a success! I am very proud of what the organizing team and I have achieved.”

Faezeh Rasimarzabadi, Research Officer, Gas Turbine Laboratory, Aerospace Research Centre, NRC

Faezeh leads a project on the development of a Boundary Layer Ingestion (BLI) rig to demonstrate the advantages of BLI in reducing the engine power required for a given thrust. She also works proactively towards the challenges of thermal management systems of hybrid-electric aircrafts.

“Conferences like ISABE enable collaboration, career enrichment, knowledge sharing, and skills development across all engineering disciplines, toward a goal of helping the global engineering community develop solutions to benefit lives and livelihoods. 

The last 2 years have shown us the benefits of both online and in-person events. However, the warmth and camaraderie of our face-to-face events was missed. I am very excited to return to in-person events. To me, this is an opportunity to reach and engage with R&D leaders from top companies, universities, and government labs – and spend the time catching up with them in the hallways.”

Dr. Lei-Yong Jiang, Senior Research Officer, Gas Turbine Laboratory, Aerospace Research Centre, NRC

Dr. Jiang presented 2 research papers at the 2022 ISABE conference, and both papers have been recommended and published in the Aeronautical Journal, UK: “Sand Erosion Modeling in Generic Compressor Rig Testing” and “An Alternative Approach to Evaluate Fuel/Air Mixing Quality”.

“ISABE is one of the most prestigious conferences in aerospace in the world – particularly in aeronautics. It is a great platform that allows researchers and engineers from all over the world to get together and exchange their ideas, progresses, and learn from each other.

The conference showcased the advances in science and technology, particularly in hydrogen combustion, numerical modeling, and environmental particle ingestion impact on engine hot-sections, which will help me advance my research projects.”

Dr. Zekai Hong, Senior Research Officer, Aero’s Gas Turbine Laboratory, Aerospace Research Centre, NRC

Dr. Hong knows that it’s an exciting time for research work focusing on aerospace propulsion. Ranging from gas-turbine based jet engines as the backbone of today’s aviation industry to proof-of-concept explorations of hybrid electrical propulsion systems, there is always plenty of technical challenges in dealing with thermal fluids, including aerodynamics, aerothermal, and combustion.

“As the world is focusing on de-carbonization, the aerospace industry faces technological uncertainties, which also present great opportunities for aerospace professionals. ISABE is an international platform for researchers, engineers, and stakeholders of aerospace industry to get together and brainstorm the future of aviation.

With years of research background from both world-renowned industrial R&D facilities and the NRC’s research labs, attending the ISABE conference is always an exciting experience personally, as industry involvement is deep-rooted in the culture of the forum. It is great to re-connect with industry to learn first-hand experience and expectations.”

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