SAFER aircraft engines will be just one of the benefits of a new multi-million pound computer research system, developed by three Yorkshire universities.

Diagnosing engine faults in aeroplanes quicker and more efficiently is one of the advantages of a unique grid, to be launched in the summer.

The White Rose Computational Grid system - the first of its kind in Europe - aims to bring together the region's best brains providing computing services for researchers of the three White Rose universities - York, Leeds and Sheffield.

Developed at a cost of £2.8 million, and backed with £400,000 from regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, the "Super Internet" scheme aims to connect people working on the same projects who are based in different locations.

Chiefs hope the system will put the region at the forefront of scientific research.

The £3 million DAME Project, led by Professor Jim Austin of the University of York, is an example of how the grid can improve aircraft safety.

Standing for 'Distributed Aircraft Maintenance Environment', the project will allow maintenance engineers to access aero-engine data held in computers around the world. The information will make diagnosis of engine maintenance problems quicker, and engineers will be also able to predict faults before they occur.

Professor Austin said: "The computational grid will enable researchers to access information that is scattered around the world, to solve problems and analyse a given situation.

"For example, aircraft flight data will be downloaded and run through the computational grid's system.

"Subtle features about engine performance could be unearthed at this stage, enabling more accurate maintenance planning in the short term and in the longer term across an aircraft fleet.

"It's also intended to apply the sophisticated methods we use for the DAME system in other sectors, such as the automobile industry, and for medical applications. It really is a ground-breaking project," he added.

Martin Doxey, chief executive of the White Rose Consortium, said: "This pioneering project will certainly put the region in the spotlight. Grid computing is an area that's developing rapidly and I'm proud to say that the White Rose universities are at the forefront."

Updated: 11:15 Thursday, April 18, 2002