The Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics An International Excellence Center for Education and Research in Fluid Dynamics

Aero-thermodynamics of space vehicle re-entry, safety of nuclear reactors, green technologies such as noise reduction, mitigation of pollution (NOX releases) as well as global warming (CO2 releases) and design of advanced and efficient aircraft engines are some of the important drivers for revolutionary changes in century old industries like aerospace, car industry or energy conversion. 

These are some of the topics that bring young engineers and scientists from all over the world to the von Karman Institute (VKI) to study, improve their skills and perform their research. Located in Sint-Genesius-Rode near Brussels, this non-profit international educational and scientific organization is specialized in fluid dynamics (single or multi-phase flows) in the area of Aeronautics and Aerospace, Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics, and Turbomachinery and Propulsion. The von Karman Institute prides itself in providing “advanced training in research through research”.

VKI has a permanent staff of about 100 persons, among them over 20 research engineers, 10 full-time professors and 5 part-time or invited professors. Besides the permanent staff, about 190 students and temporary researchers are involved in the different academic programs. Students involved in these programs have been recently awarded numerous prestigious grants such as those provided by the Belgian agencies FNRS, FRIA, FWO, IWT and the European Union ERC and Marie-Curie.

Furthermore, this Center of Excellence operates about fifty different wind tunnels, turbomachinery and other specialized test facilities. Some of them are unique. The facilities of the Institute are renowned and VKI is recognized as a world-class research center of excellence by its peers. 

For more than 20 years, the Aeronautics and Aerospace Department is developing a research program on planetary entry and Earth re-entry phenomena related to the aerospace missions driven by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Space Industry. It mainly concerns investigations on aerothermodynamics (ATD) for the design and qualification of the Thermal Protection System (TPS) for aerospace vehicles. Unique facilities such as the Long shot (hypersonic wind tunnel, Mach 14) and the Plasmatron (plasma wind tunnel, 1.2 MW) (Figs 1-2) are dedicated to the studies of laminar to turbulent transition in hypersonic regime and gas-surface Interaction in high enthalpy flows. Fundamental and numerical activities are intimately linked to this research program with the development of specific numerical simulation (CFD) platforms and physical modeling to compute non-equilibrium flow phenomena in shock layers.

Beside its traditional fields of expertise, the VKI has been involved since quite a few decades in a challenging field of research that deals with multiphase flows. Initially, this activity had been mainly driven by the demand from the industrial sector as there was a need for R&D support to solve issues encountered in the fabrication processes. The resulting expertise has not only been incorporated in the program of education and research but also made available to projects from other sectors. Over more than a decade, most of these projects may be grouped in the thematic of solid and liquid propulsion. Just to cite few examples, the VKI has studied the flow inside the Ariane 5 solid boosters, the phenomena occurring during the priming of liquid propulsion lines, the monitoring of sloshing events in satellite propellant management devices or the characterization of cryogenic valves.

For several years, the Turbomachinery and Propulsion Department has been broadly specialized in activities related to aero-propulsion and energy conversion by means of rotating machinery. At the present time, the department teams up with the major European engine manufacturers, either in European Commission co-funded projects, or in bilateral focused programs. The department has been recognized as one of the main research partners of Snecma, the French aero-engine manufacturer. Advanced aero-thermal research is carried out on the colder fan and compressor side, as well as on the hotter turbine extremity (Figs 3-4-5). On the energy side, the department recently completed the aero-mechanical design of the primary cooling pump of the Myrrha reactor for SCK•CEN in Mol, and contributed to product development in several sectors of the energy conversion industry (steam turbines, turbochargers, etc.).

Over the past 10 years, the VKI has also dedicated important efforts to the field of aero-acoustics. This field deals with the aerodynamic noise generation and propagation, which has very important implications in sectors such as surface and air transportation, domestic applications, renewable energies and industrial processes. Through national or EU-funded research projects, the VKI has built a strong expertise in modeling and measuring noise emitted by low-speed cooling fans for the automotive and locomotive industries. 

The Institute pursues two goals: education and research both fundamental and applied to problems in industry. The main educational program offered by the von Karman Institute is the annual Research Master at the “Master-after-Master” level. Approximately 35 engineers and scientists from thirteen countries from NATO members attend this course of study taking place in a unique international environment. The students are offered a wide selection of specialized courses on various aspects of fluid dynamics and are given the opportunity to perform a personal, original research project under close guidance of Faculty members. The projects may be experimental, theoretical, or numerical in nature. The VKI Research Master in fluid dynamics, focusing on teaching research by doing research, is accredited by the NVAO (Accreditation Organization of The Netherlands and Flanders) until 2021. After completing the Research Master, the best candidates are enrolled in the doctoral program. Presently VKI hosts more than 50 PhD’s taking advantage of the unique experimental infrastructure and/or using the numerical capabilities of the Institute. Other academic programs are available such as: short trainings for qualified university students, a post-doc program to further valorize PhD research, an applied research program for Research Master graduates, a master thesis program for university students, the one-week Lecture Series for lifelong learning focusing on specialized topics for professionals and academia in the field of aeronautics, space, propulsion, energy conversion, turbomachinery components and propulsion. 

These academic programs are financed by a group of thirteen NATO countries among them, Turkey. The budget of the VKI is examined each year by the NATO Working Group on the financing of the von Karman Institute composed by financing countries and subsequently submitted to the NATO Budget Committee. The benefit of this financial support is that each member country citizen may apply to participate and to be supported in the VKI academic programs.

Message from Mr. Muzaffer Akyıldırım, NATO-VKI WG Member of Turkey

 I would like to Express my thanks to both VKI Director and DefenceTurkey to accept my proposal to introduce the VKI to Turkish defence industry community. VKI has been a well known scientific research institution of NATO and serves its member nations by providing academic training and research, as well as experimentarial laboratory support to interested industries in avionics and aerospace. Turkish academics have been collaborating with VKI through participating in a wide range of post-graduate and doctoral studies. Hope this article will pave the way to a wider cooperation, in a mutually beneficial manner.