Natural gas control system of the compressed air heater plant 3
The DLR Heating Facility in Cologne consists of three large fossil-fuel-fired compressed air heaters. These, in combination with other supply systems, feed the high-pressure combustion chamber test rigs operated by the DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology.
The DLR Heating Facility in Cologne consists of three large fossil-fuel-fired compressed air heaters. These, in combination with other supply systems, feed the high-pressure combustion chamber test rigs operated by the DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology.
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Heating Facility in Cologne consists of three large fossil-fuel-fired compressed air heaters. These, in combination with other supply systems, feed the high-pressure combustion chamber test rigs operated by DLR's Institute of Propulsion Technology. Their very high outlet temperature – up to 730 degrees Celsius – enables the simulation of realistic inlet temperatures for gas turbine combustion chambers.
Heated and compressed air for combustion chambers
The three compressed air heaters can be operated in parallel, allowing either for large air flow volumes to be heated or for several test facilities to be operated at once. The hot air lines that lead to the individual combustion chamber test rigs are specially designed to ensure low temperature losses and rapid changes in air temperatures during test operation.
For internal and external partners in aeronautics and energy technology, this is a unique research infrastructure for studying combustion chambers under realistic operating conditions regarding pressure and temperature across a range of performance classes.
Contact
Volker Speelmann
Head of Research Infrastructures
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Executive Board department for Innovation, Transfer and Research Infrastructure
