Pioneering Pakistani CEO Shatters Glass Ceilings With Landmark Invention: Eco-Friendly Aero-Engines
19:46 07.08.2023 (Updated: 16:29 08.08.2023)
© Photo : Pakistani Engineer and Pilot Sarah Qureshi
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Aero Engine Craft Private Limited is Pakistan’s first commercial engine and aircraft R&D company that is developing environmentally safe contrail-free aircraft engines for the global aviation industry.
Dr. Sarah Qureshi is the CEO and co-founder of Aero Engine Craft Private Limited. Her company is the first of its kind in the world developing a contrail mitigation hardware technology to bring about a revolution in air travel. Sputnik India sat down with her to learn about her incredible journey, which at times had not been easy.
Why Are Contrails Bad?
Contrails are a type of ice cloud formed by airplanes as water vapor condenses around small dust particles, which provide the vapor with sufficient energy to freeze.
They are surprisingly bad for the environment as a recent study has shown. The aviation's contribution to climate change between 2000 and 2018 was studied and it was concluded that contrails create 57% of the sector's warming impact, significantly more than the CO2 emissions from burning fuel.
Scientists like Dr. Qureshi dedicate their life to finding a solution to this rising issue which is so detrimental to our environment.
With a PhD degree in Aerospace Engineering from Cranfield University, UK, she and her father, Masood Latif Qureshi, set up Aero Engine Craft Private Limited to convert a patented technology into a full-scale application ready to be used by modern civil transport aircraft.
Potential for Environmental Revolution
Dr. Qureshi's specialization is Aerospace Propulsion and during her PhD she worked on the development of a contrail-free aero-engine that was derived from Masood's patented technology. The invention has been granted two international patents and has tremendous potential in bringing about an environmental revolution in the context of aviation.
In a conversation with Sputnik India, Dr. Qureshi explained that after receiving a PhD degree she returned to Pakistan to launch her own company and become a prominent voice on sustainable aviation.
Since then she has been listed among the Top 15 global aerospace professionals to follow on LinkedIn for her pioneering work and has been ranked among the top 10 most inspiring women of her country. For her academic and professional achievements in the aerospace industry, Dr. Qureshi has received a total of 22 awards both by national and international organizations.
"During my time at the university I had also trained for acrobatic flying as a private licensed pilot and mastered several acrobatic maneuvers including spin, spin recovery, loop, barrel roll, and hammerhead," she told Sputnik.
Moreover, her thesis has been kept confidential by the university for five years because of the commercial promise and the global societal impact it holds.
Pakistani Engineer and Pilot Sarah Qureshi Invents an Eco-Friendly Jet Engine
© Photo : Pakistani Engineer and Pilot Sarah Qureshi
Breaking Stereotypes
Talking about her earlier college days, the entrepreneur shared that her flight to success wasn't always easy.
The mechanical engineering field in Pakistan is male-dominated and Qureshi was the only female student in her class among 60 boys. At that time, women were not given admissions into mechanical engineering.
"I had to work very hard to convince the university that I am truly passionate about this field. They were of the impression that this field is not very suitable for women," she said.
Although the college faculty was apprehensive Dr. Qureshi was determined to succeed because growing up she had a very supportive environment at home thanks to her parents.
"Our parents were always encouraging and would bring us mechanical tool sets and science toys. The dinner table discussions and general environment in the house was also encouraging," the CEO told Sputnik.
From getting admission to mechanical engineering to being the only girl in her class, she never gave up on her dreams and eventually landed herself in an automobile factory.
Dr. Qureshi recalled that during her college years she did a required internship at Honda motorbike plant in Pakistan, where she took a day to build an entire engine with her own hands. The next day she assembled a whole motorbike and then said, "I want to drive it."
"When I drove it around the whole factory and came back to the front gate, I saw that all the assembly line workers had come outside the factory and were standing there clapping for me," Dr. Qureshi recalled fondly.
She added that experience was very important for her as her colleague's supportive and encouraging attitude further motivated her to pursue her passion.
Pakistani Engineer and Pilot Sarah Qureshi Invents an Eco-Friendly Jet Engine
© Photo : Pakistani Engineer and Pilot Sarah Qureshi
Reducing Negative Impact of Aerospace on Environment
An environmentalist at heart, Dr. Qureshi turned her academic research into a save-the-planet endeavor by embarking on a mission to build the world’s first pollution-free jet engine. Her company aims to induce artificial rain during aircraft flight through on-board water recovery from fuel emissions.
In her opinion, this will create a vision of the future for the aviation industry whereby it can not only reduce aviation induced global warming, but also adopt an approach to treat fuel emissions as a resource.
The CEO explained that water vapor exists in the exhaust emissions as a combustion by-product and through her technology, a revolutionary intervention is employed that eliminates contrails at source and recovers water from fuel exhaust emissions as a net positive product.
"This is a true definition of a disruptive technology; a global first attempt to create water within the aero-engine from the exhaust plume during flight, carry it aboard and release it as rainfall prior to landing. The product is a low-cost alternative to aero engine redesign, and offers revenue potential to the aviation industry while solving a crucial environmental challenge," she explained.
Pakistani Engineer and Pilot Sarah Qureshi Invents an Eco-Friendly Jet Engine
© Photo : Pakistani Engineer and Pilot Sarah Qureshi
Dr. Qureshi's company aims to mark the beginning of the first generation contrail-free aircraft flight in the world!
But that is not all, as she has also co-invented and patented “A supersonic Turbofan Engine”. The invention is a novel supersonic jet engine that is applicable to the new generation of environment-friendly aircraft-engine configurations that aim to reduce aviation induced noise pollution and optimize fast travel. This patent would be offered for sale in the near future to help fund Dr. Qureshi's primary field of research.
At present, her core work is running the Aero Engine Craft Ltd., but she also holds a visiting academic position at Propulsion Center, SATM Cranfield University, where she is involved with ongoing research related to the future directions of her PhD work. The center is seeking a grant to promote the domain of her PhD research to the next level of technology. The entrepreneur also educates engineering students around Pakistan as a visiting faculty from time to time.
"When you see someone doing important work please support them, as by doing so, you are actually supporting your country and its future," Dr. Qureshi concluded.
