DLR Institute of Test and Simulation for Gas Turbines: New home at the Augsburg Technology Center

The DLR Institute of Test and Simulation for Gas Turbines, founded in July 2017, has found a home: The new institute can now really take off at the Augsburg Technology Center (TZA). The research focus is on the development of new engine technologies.

"By moving in, the institute has finally been given a physical existence. We now have an address and people can visit us. What's more, we can now really start setting up - we're already looking forward to that," says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Reh, founding director of the DLR Institute of Test and Simulation of Gas Turbines, and explains: "The TZA's outstanding flexible facilities with offices, laboratories and pilot plant areas that can be used variably, which we need for the set-up, as well as the excellent network of partner companies that complement the institute's specialist topics - that was the reason for us to choose the TZA as our home."

The new tenants were welcomed by Anja Riehr from Customer Relationship Management and Wolfgang Hehl, Managing Director of Augsburg Innovationspark GmbH. "We are really delighted that this future-oriented new DLR institute will be established in our Augsburg Innovation Park. The topic is an excellent fit and we see many networking opportunities with the other building blocks in the park and the Augsburg Technology Center," says Hehl.

Research work of the institute

The technical challenges in researching new engine technologies are manifold: high speeds, high temperatures, high pressure ratios - and the associated complex load spectra of the engine components - combined with increased service life requirements. Engines that can cope with these higher loads and requirements can be built lighter and designed and operated in a more fuel-efficient manner. These are important contributions to reducing the CO2 footprint of aviation and thus making air traffic more environmentally friendly.

The digital models for new compressor and turbine components are validated experimentally. The tests can be carried out in the engine-relevant performance and scale range. For the first time, it will be possible to simultaneously superimpose mechanical, thermal and chemical loads on turbine components in various test benches - each of which is unique in its own right. This will test whether new materials or manufacturing processes can meet the increased service life requirements. In addition, new scale-resolving, numerical methods will also be validated experimentally. These are necessary in order to calculate and optimize the service life and reliability of demanding, highly stressed components and materials, such as fibre-reinforced ceramics.

"The integral combination of experimental work and numerical methods, which is also expressed in the name of the institute, is an important competence of the institute. Especially at the limits of what is physically possible, it is not yet possible to rely on simulation methods alone. If safety is as important as it is in aircraft and engine construction, then both areas must be efficiently linked in order to be able to draw reliable conclusions from simulation results," says founding director Reh. With its extensive research and material testing services, the institute is also available to companies from other sectors.

The move to the institute's own building is then planned for 2021. This is to be built not far from the TZA on the site of the Augsburg Innovation Park. The construction of the DLR Institute of Test and Simulation for Gas Turbines, including the buildings and scientific infrastructure, is being funded by the Free State of Bavaria to the tune of 20 million euros. The federal government is funding the staffing and operating costs of the research facility with around eight million euros per year. Together with the third-party funds it will raise, the DLR Institute for Test and Simulation of Gas Turbines is expected to grow to a staff of 50 to 60 employees in the long term.

About the TZA