Ricardo graduates support HoverAid Project

Graduate engineers at Ricardo are working on a project to assess and modify a diesel engine as part of a collaboration with the charity HoverAid , making it more durable and able to cope with the extreme challenges of even the harshest of environments.

HoverAid is a humanitarian charity based in the UK and the Netherlands who build and operate hovercraft on aid missions in otherwise inaccessible areas in countries including Madagascar. The charity project is the first of its kind for Ricardo, whereby a group of graduates at the Shoreham-by-Sea Technical Centre and Midlands Technical Centre, were tasked with selecting and transforming a standard passenger-car diesel engine to become suitable as the main power-plant of the next Hoveraid hovercraft.

l-r: Omar Khan, Jamie MacAskill, Arwyn Munday, Nick Thomas, Josh Flack, Max Zimmer, Josh Doncaster

Together with the charity, a 3-litre inline six-cylinder BMW M57 engine, that had previously done approximately 100,000 miles was selected and purchased. To aid with the integration into the hovercraft, a 3D scan of the engine was created at the beginning of the project, locating mounting points and the defining the general engine envelope.

As part of the condition assessment, the graduates have conducted a leak down test and borescope inspection to gain an understanding of the state of the cylinders with minimal intrusion. To improve the longevity of the engine in its application on an off-highway hovercraft, various minor modifications were conducted such as deleting the intake swirl valves, HVAC and steering pumps and the EGR system.

Ricardo Graduate Engineer Max Zimmer is leading the project, He said: “Although we’re only making what some would say are minor modifications to an existing engine, they will have a significant impact on its durability and maintainability in the field, something that is absolutely critical to the charity and the people it supports.” HoverAid operates by being able to reach communities that other vehicles and boats cannot. A hovercraft can easily travel over mudflats, swamps, and crucially, along waterways, which are too shallow for ordinary boats.

“It’s been great to be involved in the project as it’s given us the opportunity to learn more about the hugely important role the charity plays in providing access to healthcare and other vital services to some of the most remote communities.

In addition to being able to give something back, it’s supported my own professional development, enabling us graduates to take full ownership of managing a project, coming up with engineering solutions and putting them into practice. It has also been great fun to come together, get hands-on and do something slightly outside our day-to-day job roles”

Jason O’Donnell, Senior Vice President, Engineering, is the lead sponsor for the project, he added: “I’m delighted to see this project come to fruition. The team have developed engineering solutions and worked hard to deliver the project based on the requirements of the charity. It’s been a pleasure for Ricardo to work with Chris and the rest of the team at HoverAid. The charity operates in some of the world’s most remote location, providing a vital service and it’s great that Ricardo has been able to support them using our expertise and experience, as well as our technological and engineering capabilities.”

Project Manager at HoverAid, Chris Evans said: “It has been hugely valuable to be able to tap into the range of skills and the depth of experience that the team at Ricardo bring. It's a great fit, and one of the few opportunities to do transformative good by doing "the day job". In particular, the specification of the engine and its cooling system; and the reconditioning of that engine, happening now at STC. The new "River Rover" that we've been working on together will be used to bring medical teams to remote communities who have no access to doctors. Engineering should be a constructive force for good in the world and it has also been a privilege to give the graduates a taste of this as they progress towards chartership.”