Stories of Aerospace Engineering

Read the stories of researchers and students at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, and discover the scientific questions they are working on and the solutions they come up with.

The ground truth: airport operations for hydrogen-powered aviation

It is not only aircraft that must be prepared for flying on hydrogen, ground operations at the airport need to run very smoothly too. Quite a challenge when considering the fuelling, space, and safety requirements. The models and simulations developed by Alexei Sharpanskykh, Assistant Professor Operations & Environment, help shape this future.

Mastering fuel flow in hydrogen-powered airplanes

Airplanes powered by liquid hydrogen are expected to play a key role in creating low-emission aviation. But once safely stored on board, an even greater challenge is to control the hydrogen flow and have it reach the engines at the required temperature and pressure. Chiara Falsetti, Assistant Professor in Heat Transfer and Thermal Management for Sustainable Aviation, wants to fully understand how hydrogen flows through airplane fuel pipes.

Cracking and tracking – ultrasonics for hydrogen-powered aviation

Monitoring and ensuring the safety of hydrogen storage tanks over tens of thousands of airplane refuellings presents a unique challenge on the road towards low-emission aviation. Nan Yue, Assistant Professor in the Aerospace Structures and Materials Department, develops ultrasonic technology for detecting the very early signs of cracks appearing in the tank hull.

Flame on for hydrogen-powered aircraft propulsion

Flying on hydrogen eliminates CO2 emissions but comes with challenges in flame stability, NOx emissions and reliability, especially given the strict aviation standards. Francesca De Domenico, Assistant Professor in Sustainable Aircraft Propulsion, sees this as an opportunity to radically re-think and innovate combustion systems for aviation. Her experimental research lays the groundwork for addressing these issues and advancing sustainable flight.

Flying on (liquid) hydrogen: Outstanding challenges and solutions

With zero CO2 emissions, flying on hydrogen offers the compelling prospect to help decarbonise aviation. But major technical, economical and practical challenges remain. Can hydrogen realistically power the future of air travel? Can we risk neglecting an innovation that could not only transform aviation but also drive advancements across energy and transport sectors? Arvind Gangoli Rao, Professor Sustainable Aircraft Propulsion, and Peter Lucas, Innovation Manager Hydrogen, share their insights.

TU Delft student team designs a self-supporting lunar village

Dream Team ‘Space Oasis Delft’ has designed a lunar village for 150+ residents. The dwellings have elements of biomimicry, contain a self-sustaining biosphere and simulate a day-night cycle as well as seasons. Smart design choices safeguard not only the occupants' safety but also their mental well-being.

Open data is taking off in aviation – thanks to BlueSky

Why would you buy or sell software commercially if you can get the data from public sources too and can make the tools available to the public? BlueSky, an open-source tool for creating air-traffic simulations, came about some ten years ago in answer to this question. Since then, BlueSky has grown into a community of users from around the world.

This clever slipper with holes in it makes wind turbines significantly quieter

Wind turbines provide one of the cleanest forms of energy in the world, but they have an annoying drawback: noise. Researchers and entrepreneurs at TU Delft have come up with a solution they’ve called MuteSkin®. It’s a clever add-on that can be slipped on a wind turbine blade like a flip-flop and that can dramatically reduce the noise it produces. Now the team is about to take this ‘crazy’ idea from the wind tunnels to the wind farms. Daniele Ragni, Bieke von den Hoff, and Friso Hartog explain how they and their colleagues are tackling this, together with industry partners.

Finding the path of least resistance

Reducing aerodynamic drag can unlock significant fuel savings in the aviation industry. To reduce the drag of an aircraft, it is important to maximise the extent of laminar air flow around it and minimise turbulent air flow. Thanks to a revolutionary, and unex-pected discovery, the research group of Professor of Flow Control Marios Kotsonis managed to extend laminar flow on swept wings. Will this unexpected research result lead to a breakthrough for climate neutral aviation?

How the aviation industry can leave behind fewer climatic trails

It is widely known that aircraft with their CO₂ emissions contribute to climate change, however less attention is paid to the effects of the condensation trails they leave behind. Those trails have a significant impact on the greenhouse effect. Assistant professor Feijia Yin is investigating how the formation of persistent condensation trails can be better predicted, so that aircraft can avoid areas in which they occur.