How can not just one flight or one aircraft, but the entire aviation system become more sustainable? That is what Royal NLR - Netherlands Aerospace Centre - and TU Delft are investigating in the newly established Dutch Aviation Systems Analysis Lab. The organisations demonstrated a coupling of their simulation models for the first time at the end of May. An important step towards formulating answers to tomorrow's questions.
Dutch Aviation Systems Analysis Lab, abbreviated as DASAL, is part of the larger Aviation in Transition programme, running until 2030. To gain a better understanding of how to make aviation more sustainable, NLR and TU Delft connected their own simulation models and made them work together. The demonstration aimed to show a proof of concept.
Collaboration
"At the moment, we are not so much concerned with the precise results of our calculations, but rather the focus is on the cooperation of models and researchers," he says. The coupling of a total of ten simulation models from NLR and TU Delft, intended to map differences between current aircraft and future hydrogen aircraft, worked exactly as intended during the demonstration," said NLR's Roalt Aalmoes and coordinator of the project.
Much change on the way
DASAL aims to further develop and connect different simulation models around future, more sustainable aviation. "In the transition to climate-neutral aviation in 2050, all kinds of things will change: it is essential not only to develop new aircraft that fly on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or even electricity or hydrogen, but to consider the aviation system as a whole," says Aalmoes. "How we fly, how we perform maintenance and what policies can best support that are also important. Researchers have been calculating all these separate elements for much longer; our project is precisely about linking this to get the overall picture sharper."
Valuable developments
Present at the demonstration were, among others, representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Deputy programme manager Martijn van Langen: "From the ministry, we see such developments as very valuable. Although the future always remains uncertain, models and tools like those of DASAL can make an important contribution to well-founded policy-making."
Climate-neutral aviation
Because of the ambition to develop the most complete picture possible, NLR and TU Delft are working closely together. "We already collaborate a lot in all kinds of specific areas. What is new is that within DASAL we are joining forces much more broadly, on the overall theme of climate-neutral aviation," says Gianfranco La Rocca, who is leading the DASAL project on behalf of TU Delft together with his colleague Joost Ellerbroek.
Simulation models
In addition to this demonstration, specialists in the project are working on the further development of various simulation models.La Rocca: "At TU Delft, we work a lot with PhD students, who throw themselves into one subject for four years. Nine PhD students are currently working within DASAL and three more are expected to be added before the end of the year."
Sustainable energy carriers
Most of the PhD students have now been on the road for more than six months, have had a good opportunity to read up and can now get to work on their own research. One of them is focusing on the design of aircraft using sustainable energy carriers, such as hydrogen, while another is investigating what is needed at airports to properly accommodate this kind of new aircraft. Other PhD students are working on models to predict the noise emissions and climate impact of future aviation technologies.
Responding to current developments
At NLR, priorities are set per year, to be able to respond faster to current developments. Aalmoes: "This year in particular we are looking at aero-economic aspects, the impact of policy, and the performance of new aircraft engines." Both NLR and TU Delft also pay attention in DASAL to issues such as air quality, nitrogen deposition and noise pollution.
Ready for the future
When selecting research topics, the project is assisted by a specially formed advisory board, consisting of Dutch and foreign parties. Aalmoes: "Thanks to their input, we get an even better picture of the questions that are on the minds of the various parties in the aviation ecosystem, and which DASAL should be able to answer in the future. Because in the end, that is what we are all about: building something now to be ready for the questions of tomorrow."
Source: NLR Photo: Overview of the DASAL project: an integrated approach to the aviation system by linking models on policy, economics, climate, noise, aircraft design, infrastructure and fuels.
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