DLRmagazine 173 (October 2023)

Winds of change

This wind turbine on the cover of DLRmagazine 173 is far from conventional: it is equipped with numerous sensors right up to the blade tips, and it is part of the new DLR Wind Energy Research Park WiValdi. Here, experts from science and industry can conduct research with an unprecedented level of detail under real environmental conditions. The DLR camera HRSC on board ESA's Mars Express probe also achieves an extraordinary level of detail: It has been delivering high-resolution images of our neighbouring planet for 20 years. This issue shows the highlights of this special mission. DLRmagazine 173 also talks about less plastic in waters, a method for analysing synthetic fuels, and much more.

Editorial

In music, the term 'opus' is used to help identify the work of an artist. The wind turbine featured on the cover of issue 173 of DLRmagazine shares this name. It is more than a conventional wind turbine – from its foundations to the tips of its blades, it is equipped with numerous specialised sensors. DLR researchers will use the data acquired using these sensors to investigate how the noise generated by future wind turbines can be reduced or eliminated, among other things. That is why OPUS 1 is not alone. This facility is part of the new DLR Wind Energy Research Farm known as WiValdi, which is short for 'Wind Validation'. Here, experts from research and industry can conduct research at full scale with an unprecedented level of detail and under real environmental conditions. The goal is to better understand wind power as a whole, with all its influencing factors.

In addition to wind energy research, the latest 'opus' of the DLRmagazine contains many other interesting articles that, among other things, highlight the extensive topic of environmental compatibility from different perspectives. The article on prescreening describes a process that DLR experts use to analyse the components of synthetic kerosene alternatives. The article on the DLR Projektträger's 'Plastic Pirates' initiative discusses the protection of bodies of water from further pollution. Across Europe, schoolchildren are collecting litter from streams, lakes and rivers. The information they gather will expand the understanding of what types of waste enter the ecosystem and how they are distributed geographically. Doing more to protect the environment is also one of the core aspects of the sustainability concept that has become increasingly important within DLR in recent years. You can find out more about this in the interview with Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Chair of the DLR Executive Board, and her deputy, Klaus Hamacher.

For this issue, too, we have spared no effort – a literal meaning of the Latin word 'opus' – to ensure that the following pages are once again full of enjoyment and insight.

Cover Story

DLR's WiValdi Wind Energy Research Farm

Winds of change

DLR's WiValdi Wind Energy Research Farm enables full-scale scientific research

More articles

A small taste of the future

Prescreening speeds up the approval process of alternative fuels

What's up with 5G?

DLR tests new technologies to support emergency services based on the 5G mobile communications standard at its Living Lab

Sustainable research – Research for sustainability

Insights into an important balancing act

A fitness studio for space

Testing astronaut exercise equipment

Simply Marvellous!

DLR's High Resolution Stereo Camera has been in orbit around Mars for 20 years

The Martian

In conversation with a planetary scientist

High-speed nodes

DLR's CARA and CARO supercomputers support research projects with their exceptional computing power

The first of its kind

The DLR Quantum Computing Initiative is focusing on real-life applications for quantum computers

A solution to pollution

The Plastic Pirates initiative gets to the bottom of water pollution

Exploring the world of computer science

A visit to the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum in Paderborn

Getting the 'Göttingen Egg' rolling

The AVA experimental car, also referred to as the Schlörwagen, was the most streamlined car in history

More content

Research for the next generation of solar thermal parabolic trough power plants

Infographic

Forschung für die nächste Generation solarthermischer Parabolrinnen-Kraftwerke.

SUPPLE AS SNAKESKIN

Was in diesem Bildausschnitt wirkt wie eine Nahaufnahme aus dem Tierreich, ist in Wirklichkeit eine Triebwerkschaufel aus carbonfaserverstärktem Kunststoff. Sie ist Teil des vom DLR entwickelten CRISP-Triebwerkverdichters. CRISP steht für Counter Rotating Integrated Shrouded Propfan – also einen gegenläufigen, ummantelten Rotor. Er vereint die Vorzüge von offenen und geschlossenen Antrieben: reduzierter Kraftstoffverbrauch und gesteigerte Effizienz bei gleichem oder reduziertem Lärmniveau im Vergleich zu einem konventionellen Turbofan. Die jüngste CRISP-Messkampagne wurde Anfang 2023 erfolgreich abgeschlossen. In der Auswertung der strukturmechanischen Messergebnisse zeigte sich ein ruhiges Betriebsverhalten der Schaufeln. An dem Projekt waren neben dem DLR-Institut für Antriebstechnik das Institut für Bauweisen und Strukturtechnologie, das Institut für Aeroelastik, das Institut für Aerodynamik und Strömungstechnik sowie das Systemhaus Technik des DLR beteiligt.

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DLRmagazine 173 – Winds of change

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This wind turbine on the cover of DLRmagazine 173 is far from conventional: it is equipped with numerous sensors right up to the blade tips, and it is part of the new DLR Wind Energy Research Park WiValdi. Here, experts from science and industry can conduct research with an unprecedented level of detail under real environmental conditions. The DLR camera HRSC on board ESA's Mars Express probe also achieves an extraordinary level of detail: It has been delivering high-resolution images of our neighbouring planet for 20 years. This issue shows the highlights of this special mission. DLRmagazine 173 also talks about less plastic in waters, a method for analysing synthetic fuels, and much more.

Contact

Julia Heil

Editorial management DLRmagazine
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Communications and Media Relations
Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne