Syllabus

VON KARMAN INSTITUTE FOR FLUID DYNAMICS
RESEARCH MASTER IN FLUID DYNAMICS

Level master after master
COURSE SYLLABUS AND REGULATIONS
20162016- 2017
von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics
RESEARCH MASTER IN FLUID DYNAMICS

( Level
Level master after master )
COURSE SYLLABUS AND REGULATIONS
2016 - 2017
Table of contents
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. iii
REGULATIONS OF THE RESEARCH MASTER PROGRAM .................................................... v
FINANCIAL ASPECTS ........................................................................................................ xvii
1.
COURSE PROGRAM 2016-2017 .............................................................................. 1

1.1 LIST OF COURSES AND CREDITS PER DEPARTMENT ......................................... 2
1.2 OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM ........................................................................... 3
2.
GENERAL COURSES.................................................................................................. 4
3.
SPECIALIZATION IN AERONAUTICS/AEROSPACE.................................................. 12
3.1 GENERAL COURSES IN AERONAUTICS/AEROSPACE ........................................ 14
3.2 COURSES EXPERIMENTAL OPTION ................................................................... 18
3.3 COURSES NUMERICAL OPTION ........................................................................19
3.4 OPTIONAL COURSES IN AERONAUTICS/AEROSPACE ...................................... 20
4.
SPECIALIZATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND APPLIED FLUID DYNAMICS ............ 28

4.1 GENERAL COURSES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND APPLIED FLUID DYNAMICS . 29
4.2 COURSES EXPERIMENTAL OPTION ................................................................... 33
4.3 COURSES NUMERICAL OPTION ........................................................................33
5.
SPECIALIZATION IN TURBOMACHINERY AND PROPULSION................................ 36

5.1 GENERAL COURSES IN TURBOMACHINERY AND PROPULSION ...................... 37
5.2 SPECIALIZATION IN TURBINES ....................................................................... 43
5.3 SPECIALIZATION IN COMPRESSORS .............................................................. 45
5.4 OPTIONAL COURSES IN THE TURBOMACHINERY DEPARTMENT ................ 49
6.
OPTIONAL COURSES FOR ALL AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION .................................. 50
LECTURE SERIES 2016-2017 ............................................................................................. 67

VKI FACILITIES, INSTRUMENTATION AND COMPUTATIONAL AIDS ................................ 69
THE FACULTY OF THE VON KARMAN INSTITUTE .............................................................79
Research Master in Fluid Dynamics (level master after master) - Course syllabus 2016-2017
von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, 2016
ii
iii
INTRODUCTION
The von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI), founded by Professor Theodore
von Krmn in 1956, is an international association with the following aims:
-
To promote the training of scientists and engineers from the NATO countries in
the field of fluid dynamics,
To contribute to the dissemination of knowledge in the field of fluid dynamics,
To undertake, to instigate and to promote studies and research in the field of

theoretical, experimental and computational fluid dynamics.
The educational and research programs of the Institute are organised within the
following areas of specialisation:
-
Aeronautics and Aerospace,
Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics,
Turbomachinery and Propulsion.
The VKI operates a comprehensive range of experimental and computational

facilities covering virtually all aspects of the above fields. Necessary support is provided
by facility engineers, electronic and photographic laboratories, a computing centre, a
technical library, a computer-aided drawing/design office and well-equipped
workshops.
One of the main programs offered by the Institute is the one-year post-graduate
Research Master in Fluid Dynamics at the level Master after Master (former VKI
Diploma Course). Approximately thirty-five engineers and scientists drawn from ten or
more countries attend this program. They are offered a wide selection of specialized
courses on various aspects of fluid dynamics and are given the opportunity to perform
personal research projects under close guidance by members of the faculty. The
projects may be experimental, theoretical, or computational in nature. Thus, the VKI
Research Master in Fluid Dynamics Course complements, rather than duplicates, the
teaching programs of universities.
This syllabus presents pertinent information regarding the VKI Research Master
(RM) in Fluid Dynamics. Admission, diploma requirements and regulations are reviewed
first. Then the course syllabus for the current academic year is presented. A description
of research activities provides an indication of the diverse possibilities for the individual
research project. The major facilities available for the research project are described
and a list of the faculty members is included.
Further information on the VKI Research Master in Fluid Dynamics can be obtained
from our Secretariat: [email protected] or on our website: http://www.vki.ac.be.
iv
REGULATIONS OF THE RESEARCH MASTER PROGRAM

The following chapters describe the rules about the jury, admission conditions,
educational organization, evaluation processes, conditions to receive the diploma,
relation between staff and students and the way complaints and conflicts will be
handled. They also describe the organizations involved in Quality Assurance and the
Accreditation of the program according to the Bologna Process organizing the Higher
Education Area in Europe.
Any change/update of the regulations is the prerogative of the Educational
Committee and must be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval.
Chapter I Admission requirements
Admission to the VKI RM program is decided by the faculty of the department in
which the student wants to continue his/her studies on the basis of a file prepared by
the student. Admission requirements are:
-
A five-year engineering or science degree (3-year B.Sc. + 2-year M.Sc.) from a

European university or a M.Sc. from an American, Canadian or Turkish
University.
A working knowledge of the English language. Students who did not obtain their
degree from a university with lectures in English have to deliver proof of having
studied in English or an English language test-result from an international
organization. There is no test required for students from the European Union
(EU) or students who have successfully followed courses in English of minimum
15 ECTS equivalent. Derogations from these rules can be granted by the heads
of departments on the basis of a judgement of the application file.
Endorsement of the applicant by an STO National Delegate. Citizenship of one

of the NATO countries is imposed by the financing organization. Non-NATO
nationals residing in NATO countries will be considered for admission if they are
recommended by the STO National Delegate of their country of residence on
the ground that their attendance at VKI would be beneficial to that country.
Recommendations by 3 professors from a university where the candidate has

studied previously.
There is no tuition fee for students from the countries financing the VKI.
Chapter II Study program
The VKI Master after Master program comprises a balanced combination of
lectures and individual research. All teaching activities are in English.
Each student will select one of the following areas of specialization offered by VKI:
Aeronautics and Aerospace, Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics or
Turbomachinery and Propulsion.
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The study program and project are defined during a first meeting of the students
with the faculty of the department of his/her choice. A minimum total study load of
60.5 ECTS (30.5 ECTS course work and 30 ECTS project) is required. Selection is based
on the detailed description of the general and optional courses, defined and made
available before the start of each academic year. The student can add optional courses
as determined by his or her needs.
The outcome is the definition of the official study program of each student, written
in a document (one copy for the student, one for the supervisor and one for the VKI
secretariat). The study program of all students is submitted for approval to the faculty
at the first faculty meeting following its definition. Later changes are possible only in
function of the project evolution and with the agreement of the entire faculty of the
department.
Students who have a job can spread the program over two years. The yearly
program is defined in agreement with the Educational Committee taking into account
the other (professional) activities of the student. They have to satisfy all requirements
in terms of evaluation teams and public presentations.
Except on the days shown as holidays on the calendar, the Institute is open from
Monday to Friday. Normal working hours are from 8.10 to 12.15, and from 13.00 to
16.55. All students are requested to be present at VKI during these hours, unless prior
arrangements are made with their supervisor. A detailed schedule of courses and
laboratory sessions will be announced before the start of every trimester.
Students may also have access to their desk or to the computer center during
nights, weekends, or other holiday periods. For safety reasons, students are not
allowed to be alone in the laboratories outside normal working hours. The presence of
at least one other researcher or technician is required. Furthermore all safety
instructions, given by the VKI Safety Officer and the Laboratory Industrial Engineer must
be rigorously respected. Under no circumstances are students authorized to operate
large facilities or noise-producing facilities outside normal working hours.
Chapter III Master Thesis
Thesis
In addition to the courses, each student is required to carry out a Master Thesis
project. It consists of an independent research project. It must exhibit originality and
be more than a routine test or computation. Originality is understood to mean a
contribution to the field, e.g., the study of a new phenomenon, the interpretation of
the results of an experiment, modeling a complex flow, or a significant modification or
development of a new computational method or experimental technique. A list of
possible projects is published at the start of the academic year. A final selection by the
student must be made before 30 October.
A full-time faculty member will be designated as supervisor. In some cases, the
faculty supervisor will be assisted by a researcher (a post-doctoral researcher, a PhD
candidate or a research engineer) working in a field that is related to the students
Master Thesis project. They will assist the student in a more detailed definition of the
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project, identify problems to solve, define goals, and assist the students in defining the
approaches, tools and test cases.
The student should also report on progress or any unexpected problems at regular
intervals as defined by the supervisor. If the student is carrying out an experimental
project, the supervisor will organize the contacts with the departments Industrial
Engineer, responsible for the technical aspects of the work and for the technical
coordination with other VKI services (metal and wood workshops, electronic and photo
labs, etc.).
The supervisor is also responsible for the establishment of the Project Evaluation
Team (PET) within the first month of the year. In addition to the supervisor, the team
will have at least one faculty member from the other two departments. They are
selected for their interest in and knowledge of the research subject. The PET supervises
the evolution of the project and is the main evaluating body.
Chapter IV Exams
Examinations are organized for each course and will take place between two and
three weeks after the last lecture. The examination procedure (oral/written, open
book/closed book) must be announced to the students at the start of the course.
The detailed time schedule of examinations must be announced at least two weeks
before the exam takes place. Any changes must be announced sufficiently in advance
and take into account the other workload of students and professors.
If for a serious and exceptional reason a student does not participate in an exam,
he should contact the examiner who will set a new date in common agreement. If this
agreement cannot be reached, the Ombudsperson should be contacted to start
mediation.
An examiner who, for circumstances beyond his control, cannot give the exam, will
inform the Ombudsperson immediately and define a new timetable in common
agreement with the students involved or organize a written exam at the time scheduled
in the original timetable.
If an examiner does not appear within 30 minutes after the set time, the student
should immediately inform the Ombudsperson who will schedule a new time, giving
priority to the preferences of the student.
The examiner can split the evaluation between a formal exam and exercise. The
method of examination and the weight of the different components must be
communicated to the student at the start of the course.
Test exams may be organized to allow the student to become familiar with the VKI
examination techniques and criteria. The student has the right to repeat the test exam
if he wishes to do so or may request to consider the score as final. In the latter case he
will not be tested again on the same content. If partial evaluations of large courses are
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organized, the final grade will be the average of the partial results weighted by the
respective course hours.
Within 2 weeks after the exam, the grades must be communicated to the student
and to the secretariat, who will store them in a safe place. The secretariat will
acknowledge in writing having received the grades. The further handling of the grades
is under the supervision of the Dean of Faculty.
Grades of less than 50% are considered unsatisfactory and a repeat exam will be
organized within four weeks of the publication of the initial results. The student can sit
the exam maximum two times and this possibility to repeat an exam replaces the exams
that are traditionally organized in September. At this second exam, a maximum mark
of 60% can be awarded. If the exam consists of different parts with different examiners,
this 50% passing rule and the 60% rule apply to the global results of all exams and
exercises.
Oral exams are public. The public cannot intervene during the exam. The copies of
the written exam can be consulted after being corrected. In critical cases the student
or professor may request the presence of a second professor to be indicated by the
Dean of Faculty. A professor cannot participate in an exam of a relative up to the fourth
degree.
Chapter V Master Thesis
Thesis evaluation
A special evaluation procedure is put forward for the Master Thesis project and the
general course Presentation, Reporting and Management.
At the end of the first trimester, each student will present to the PET a progress
report. He/she will describe his/her understanding of the problem and proposed
solution method, together with a summary of the work already accomplished on the
project; i.e. the results of the literature search, time schedule and planning. A thorough
discussion with the PET members will help the student to ensure that the proposed
solution is realistic and that the pathway to a successful conclusion has been defined.
A second presentation will be made to the PET at the end of the second trimester.
trimester
Again, a thorough appraisal of the progress will be made including recommendations
for future work. A report relative to the literature survey associated with the research
project will also be presented. A PET bibliography grade will be assigned to this report
by the faculty members of the PET as part of the course Presenting, Reporting and
Research Management.
A first public presentation of 15 minutes duration and 5 minutes discussion is also
made towards the end of March to gain practice in the art of public speaking; no grade
is assigned.
The complete Master Project report (one paper and one electronic copy) must be
submitted on the date specified at the start of the academic year. The word complete
means that the text and figures will be as close as possible to a final report. All chapters
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must be included, but updates to incorporate last minute data or calculations can be
made before graduation day.
This report must describe completely the research, including definition of the
problem, methodology, results and their uncertainty, their analysis, conclusions and
recommendations for future work. It must contain all information necessary to repeat
the experiments and calculations in order to reproduce the same results. Therefore it
must include a full description of the hardware or software developed during the stay
at VKI, if any, and its use. In particular, mechanical drawings of hardware should be
included in appendix, or alternatively the VKI Design Office drawing number must be
indicated in the text, to fully specify the hardware. These requirements apply only if the
same information is not given in a previous VKI report, which has then to be referenced.
A detailed final presentation of the project to the PET will be made in midmid-June,
June
followed by a full and careful assessment of the work by the PET members. As a result
of the final evaluation session, the team members may propose optional or mandatory
changes to the report. The latter concern the language and organization of the report,
missing information or further explanations, and must be carried out before graduation
day. A second public presentation of 20 minutes duration followed by 10 minutes for
questions and discussions will be made in late June.
June A Faculty presentation grade will
be assigned by each member of the faculty together with a Faculty
Faculty project grade on
the basis of the results presented in the public presentation.
The PET grades and public presentation grades are given as follows:
1. Grades given by the Project Evaluation Team (PET) members:
Report grade: after reading the report, minimum 2 reviewers (they all have to
be members of the PET) and the supervisor will give an individual report grade.
The average of these grades (called report grade) counts for 1 ECTS in the PRM
course. All faculty members present in the PET have the right to be reviewer.
All reviewers have to be designated at the latest on the day of the delivery of
the reports.
PET project grade: at the end of the Evaluation Team (ET) meeting in which the
project was presented and discussed, the Project Evaluation Team will issue the
PET project grade, which counts for 23 ECTS. This grade is made according to a
well-defined scale available on VKI intranet. A consensus grade should be
privileged. If no consensus can be reached, the grade is obtained by averaging
the individual grades of the faculty members present at the PET meeting. A
dedicated form has to be signed by all PET members. It is the responsibility of
the faculty members to also take into account the opinions of the non-faculty
members of the PET.
2. Grades given during the final Public Presentation by all faculty:
Faculty presentation grade:
grade: During the final Public Presentation, each faculty
member will give an individual grade for the quality of the presentation. The
average of these grades counts for 2 ECTS in the PRM course.
Faculty project grade:

grade: During the final Public Presentation, each faculty member
will also give an individual grade for the quality of the project. The average of
these grades (called faculty project grade) counts for 7 ECTS in the project
grade.
Summary: PRM grade and Project grade
The final grade for the PRM course (5 ECTS) will be established from the
bibliography grade (1 ECTS) issued by the PET members at midterm, the planning grade
issued by Prof. Carbonaro in June (1 ECTS), the report grade issued by the PET reviewers
in June (1 ECTS) and the faculty presentation grade issued by the faculty members at
the June public presentation (2 ECTS).
The final project grade (30 ECTS) will be established from the PET project grade (23
ECTS) issued at the June ET and the faculty project grade (7 ECTS) issued at the June
Public presentation.
The overall grade for the Research Master will be the average of the course grades
and the final project grade.
Definition of PRM and Project grades
Summary table of grading Project and PRM course
PET Meeting Midterm
PET Meeting June (fac. Members of PET)
Public Presentation June (all Fac. Members)
Bibliographic Report (PET)

Project Report
Project Planning
Project Evaluation
Evaluation
Presentation Quality
Project Quality
TOTAL
PRM
(ECTS)
1
1
1
Project
(ECTS)
23
2
5
7
30
Deliberations of the PET are confidential. Only the results and conclusions are
communicated to the student. The supervisor is encouraged to communicate to the
students the arguments that have lead to the grading without revealing the secret of
the deliberation.
The dates of the evaluation meetings and public presentations of the Master Thesis
are fixed at the start of each trimester.
If because of circumstances beyond the students control (sickness, major
equipment failure or non availability of important equipment) the project cannot be
finished within the schedule, the jury may agree to postpone the deadlines for the
report and presentations.
Chapter VI Complaints
The student can within a period of five days after the exam took place or the
results have been communicated to the student, complain in writing to the
Ombudsperson(s) about any irregularity in the way the courses are given or the exam
has been organized. Only complaints relating to violation of the administrative rules
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(e.g. as described in the present syllabus) or to an erroneous transmission of

information to the secretariat are receivable. The quote that was given to the student
by the examiner or decision taken by the Project Evaluation Team cannot be the object
of a complaint. The examiner will be available during five days following the
announcement of the results for explanations about the grade and to discuss any
possible material errors in the communication or transmission of results.
One of the Ombudspersons (see Chapter XI-Ombudspersons) will examine the
complaint together with the official student representative and they will communicate
their decision in writing to the student within 5 days after receiving the complaint. In
conflicts of greater importance or when the student does not agree with the decision
of the Ombudsperson, the problem will be presented to the whole faculty at the next
faculty meeting. After gaining advice of an independent external expert in educational
matters and hearing of the student, the faculty will take a motivated decision and
communicate it to the student.
The same procedure applies for matters related to the Master Thesis (i.e
decisions of the PET).
Chapter VII Jury
The jury is composed of all the full time faculty members and is presided by the Dean
of Faculty. The Dean can be replaced by a faculty member for some specific matters.
The youngest faculty member present is the secretary of the jury. The jury meets in
June after completion of the final project presentations.
The jury can take valid decisions if a minimum of 60% of the faculty members are
present. Absent faculty members cannot be replaced. The decisions of the jury are
adopted by a majority of the votes cast. Each member of the jury has one vote. The jury
can define additional rules if it feels needed.
The jury verifies that the student satisfies all legal conditions and those defined by
the regulations, and that the study load is in agreement with the required number of
ECTS in the students study program. The diploma Master after Master will be
awarded on the basis of the results of the exams.
A professor cannot participate in the deliberation of a relative up to the fourth
degree.
Deliberations and votes of the jury are confidential. Only the results and conclusions
are made public.
Chapter VIII Diploma
The diploma will be awarded by decision of the Jury to the student who obtained
a grade of 50% or higher in each course of his/her study program and achieved an
average result of 60% or more in both the course work and the research project. The
overall course grade is the average of the individual course grades weighted by the
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corresponding ECTS. The overall grade for the year is a weighted average of the course
work and the research project in proportion to the respective ECTS.
Students who did not obtain a grade above 50% in all courses will be the object of
a deliberation and vote by the jury. A majority of 60% of the votes cast is required to
grant the diploma.
The secretariat provides the detailed results of all the exams and Master Thesis
evaluations and the averaged values to the members of the jury in a form that facilitates
the deliberation. The averages are weighted by the corresponding ECTS. Students not
satisfying the diploma requirements mentioned before are highlighted.
Students with results of 80% or more in each category (courses and project) will
receive the diploma with honors. The jury may in exceptional cases deviate from this
rule if a small shortcoming on courses is compensated by a high grade for the project.
Such a decision requires a more than two thirds majority of the votes and must be
motivated.
The decisions of the jury are final and announced ad valvas.
Each student receives a copy of a summary sheet listing all course and Master
Thesis project grades; this sheet is referred to as a transcript of grades. The results of
the deliberation are written in the official VKI register of diplomas and signed by all the
members of the jury.
Complaints related to erroneous transmission of results or erroneous calculations
can be considered if received before the official diploma ceremony. Any correction
requires a decision of the jury.
Complaints related to non-respect of the regulations must be submitted to the
Ombudsperson within a period of five days after the decision of the jury has been
communicated. In cases where the Ombudsperson considers the complaint justified
and of sufficient importance, he can call for a new meeting of the jury to reconsider the
decision. The latter will be officially communicated to the student.
Chapter IX Awards
In order to encourage excellence, the VKI has created the following special awards
for the RM students:
The Theodore von Karman Prize for the best overall performance in course
work and Master Thesis.
The Belgian Government Prize for second best overall performance in course
work and Master Thesis.
Prince Alexander of Belgium Award for the best project presentation.
Prize for Excellence in Experimental Work.
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Prize for Excellence in Numerical Work.
The Alumni Award for Best Collaboration which recognizes the importance
attached by the VKI to team spirit and collaboration.
All prizes are decided by the Jury during its deliberation meeting in June, except for
the Alumni Award for the best collaboration.
The Alumni Award for Best Collaboration is decided by the RM members during a
secret vote organized in collaboration with the Alumni Association during the period
May - June.
Chapter X Class Representative
The VKI encourages students to select a representative to facilitate the planning of
social activities (particularly those taking place at the VKI or under the sponsorship of
the VKI) as well as to provide a formal mechanism by which problems may be brought
to the attention of the Direction, the Faculty or the Ombudspersons, in order to
improve the quality of life at the VKI. This representative will be a member of the
Educational Committee and as such have the possibility to discuss policies which may
improve the educational the system of the Research Master.
It is also encouraged to have a representative of the RM members per department
who reports to the Heads of department or the Ombudspersons about any problem
related to the department.
All representatives should be selected by the middle of November at the latest.
Chapter XI
XI Ombudspersons
Ombudspersons
Two ombudspersons among VKI staff (one inside and one outside the Faculty) are
nominated at the start of the academic year for a period of one year by the educational
committee. The name, telephone number and email address of the ombudspersons are
announced ad valves and on the Intranet.
The ombudspersons can intervene in all educational matters to solve problems of
a more personal nature (see Chapter VI-Complaints). The non-faculty ombudsperson
can also be present at the deliberations but is not entitled to vote.
The ombudspersons have access to all information related to education and will be
consulted when modifying the present regulations. They must respect the confidential
character of the information they receive and are obliged to exercise discretion.
Chapter XII Fraud and Plagiarism
Fraud and plagiarism (related to exams or reports) must be reported together with
any available proof to the Dean of Faculty as soon as it is detected. The student will be
interrogated by the members of the Educational Committee in presence of the
Ombudsperson and the examiner or supervisor (in case of plagiarism). The student will
have the possibility to be assisted by a third person for his/her defense. The Educational
xiv
Committee will communicate its conclusions in a written report to the jury and to the
student. The student has the right to continue the exams during this period.
Based on this report the jury will take a decision. If detected before the deliberation
the jury may refuse the students further participation in the educational program. If
detected after the deliberation, the jury may take correcting measures on previous
decisions concerning the diploma.
Chapter XII
XIII Quality Assurance
Assurance
The VKI is officially recognized by the Belgian and NATO authorities (STO) as an
establishment for Higher Education. The Research Master in Fluid Dynamics has been
officially accredited according to Belgian law as a master after master program
following the European standard (Bologna Process), which implies a regular and
thorough screening of the program by an independent organization (see Chapter XIVAccreditation).
Furthermore, the quality of the RM program is continuously monitored both
internally and by external organizations.
Internal quality assurance
The education at VKI is subject to several systematic evaluations. Besides the
permanent concern of the faculty about educational quality, there are also
organizational measures for a more structured monitoring of the quality of the
education provided at VKI.
The Educational Committee
Committee is responsible for the active promotion of teaching
competences within the VKI and carries out a systematic evaluation of the quality of
the teaching activities. The purpose is an optimization of the education process by
measuring the students perception of the quality of the education. Participation in
these evaluations is mandatory for VKI students. Specific criteria are: quality of
lecturing, availability and quality of didactic materials, evaluation method, respect of
course and examination schedules, supervision of Master Thesis Project. The
committee ensures remediation when educational problems are detected.
External quality assurance
The following are independent organizations evaluating the VKI performance in
terms of education and research
The Scientific Advisory Committee (S
(SAC), composed of senior professors and heads
of large research centers is established by NATO-STO. It was formed at the invitation of
the NATO Council (C-R (83) 30 dated 25 July 1983) to make a yearly assessment of the
importance for NATO and NATO countries of the von Karman Institutes activities
conducted in accordance with its Charter. The SAC meets annually at the VKI and on
this occasion the VKI management and faculty members present the results of the past
activities, the new orientations in research, a five year development and investment
xv
plan and the expected impact on the VKI educational programs. The outcome is an
evaluation report to NATO.
The NATO Working Group on the Financing of the VKI,
VKI, composed of representatives
of the ambassadors at NATO, evaluates the VKI activities in terms of education,
research and service to the financing countries on the basis of an extensive report of
activities. The committee makes recommendations to the financing countries.
Chapter XIV Accreditation
The VKI Research Master follows the standard for master programs defined in the
Bologna Process organizing the Higher Education Area in Europe. According to this
framework it has been officially accredited by the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Agency
NVAO as a Master after Master with a duration of 1 academic year and a study load of
60 ECTS credits.
The accreditation started for the academic year 2010-2011 and is presently valid
until the academic year 2020-2021 included (prolongation approved in 2014). Before
2010 the program was called Diploma Course of the von Karman Institute. It has been
continuously in operation since 1956.
The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) level of the program is 7 (for more
details, see http://ec.europa.eu/ploteus/en/content/descriptors-page).
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FINANCIAL ASPECTS
TUITION FEES
Tuition is free for citizens of the following NATO countries which contribute to
the operating budget of the VKI:
Albania
Germany
Luxembourg
Belgium
Greece
Norway
Bulgaria
Hungary
Portugal
Czech Republic
Iceland
Romania
Croatia
Italy
Slovakia
Estonia
Latvia
Slovenia
France
Lithuania
Turkey
Information on tuition fees applicable to citizens of other countries may be

obtained by contacting the Secretariat of the Institute.
COSTCOST- OFOF- LIVING FELLOWSHIP
Grants are available to citizens of the above listed countries who have been
accepted into the Research Master in Fluid Dynamics and have demonstrated no other
means of support.
1. COURSE PROGRAM 20162016-2017

2017
Attendees of the VKI Research Master in Fluid Dynamics follow a series of lectures
entitled "Theoretical and Experimental Fluid Dynamics" described on the next pages
and then make a selection among the three areas of specialization (see chart on next
page). Further specialization in certain fields is also possible. The final program of
courses for each attendee is formulated following discussions with the department
members and the supervisor, for a total of minimum 30,5 ECTS.
An essential aspect of the VKI Research Master in Fluid Dynamics is the
independent research project counting for 30 ECTS.
The detailed program is presented on the pages that follow.
1.1 LIST OF COURSES AND CREDITS PER DEPARTMENT

Mandatory number of ECTS: MINIMUM 30
AR
Course Abbreviation and Title
Lecturer
EA
TU
Exper.
Option
Num.
Option
Exper.
Option
Num.
Option
Exper.
Option
Num.
Option
Nbr ECTS
Nbr ECTS
Nbr ECTS
Nbr ECTS
Nbr ECTS
Nbr ECTS
COMMON COURSES
DEFM
Differential equations of Fluid Dynamics
Buchlin
1,25
1,25
1,25
1,25
1,25
1,25
IMT
Introd. to Measurement Techniques in Fluid Dynamics LS
Faculty (T. Arts coordinator)
2,50
2,50
2,50
2,50
2,50
2,50
PRM
Presenting, Reporting and Research Management
Faculty
5,00
5,00
5,00
5,00
5,00
NMFD-1
Numerical methods in Fluid Dynamics, part 1
Deconinck
TOTAL
1,25
8,75
10,00
1,25
8,75
10,00
5,00
1,25
8,75
10,00
8,00
5,00
3,00
4,50
8,00
2,00
3,00
4,50
SPECIALIZED COURSES AR
GENERAL COURSES AR
APSC
Aircraft Performance, Stability and Control
Carbonaro
2,00
2,00
IAAI
Inviscid Aerodynamics in Aeronautics, Incompressible flow
Bottin
2,50
2,50
IAAC
Inviscid Aerodynamics in Aeronautics, Compressible flow
Magin
2,00
2,00
2DBL
Tw o-dimensional Boundary layers
Degrez
4,00
4,00
IGT
Introduction to Ground Testing facilities
Faculty (Chazot coordinator)
1,25
CFD Lab
Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
Deconinck
1,50
1.25
ICFD
Introd. to Computational Fluid Dynamics Lecture Series
Peric (Deconinck coordinator)
MT Labs
Advanced Measurement Techniques Laboratories
EA Faculty/Chazot (Van Beeck coordinator)6,00
1,50
NMFD-2
Numerical methods for Fluid Dynamics, part 2
Deconinck
3,00
CMCF-T
Computational Methods for Compressible Flow - Theory
Deconinck/Magin
1,50
CMCF-L
Computational Methods for Compressible Flow - Lab
Deconinck/Magin
TOTAL
2,50
19,25
19,00
OPTIONAL COURSES AR (m inim um 2 courses to be selected)

Magin
3,00
3,00
PCMAF (optional part)

Physico-chemical models for Athmospheric entry Flow (optional partl)
PCMAF
Physico-chemical models for Athmospheric entry Flow
Magin
1,00
1,00
3DBL
Boundary Layers and flow separation in 3 dimensions
Degrez
1,25
1,25
ACOUS
Introduction to Aeroacoustics
Schram
2,00
2,00
TRANS
Transonic Aerodynamics
Chazot
1,00
1,00
HYP
Hypersonic Aerodynamics
Chazot
2,00
2,00
PWT
Design and operation of plasma w ind tunnels
Chazot
1,00
WTAD
Low Speed Wind Tunnels Analysis and Design
Bottin
1,00
DAP
Data Acquisition and Processing
Schram
2,00
CMIF-T
Computational Methods for Incompressible Flow - Theory
Deconinck
CMIF-L
Computational Methods for Incompressible Flow - Lab
Deconinck
MINIMUM TOTAL
1,50
2,50
2,00
2,00
SPECIALIZED COURSES EA
MAFD
Methodology of Applied Fluid Dynamics
EA faculty
5,00
5,00
IDE
Industrial Design Exercise
EA faculty
3,50
3,50
TURB
Introduction to the Mechanics of Turbulence Modeling
Benocci / Van Beeck
2,50
2,50
DAP
Schram
2,00
2,00
NSIP1
Numerical Simulation of Industrial Problems 1
Benocci / Van Beeck
2,75
NSIP2
Numerical Simulation of Industrial Problems 2
Benocci / Van Beeck
MT Labs
2,75
3,50
EA Faculty/Chazot (Van Beeck coordinator)

TOTAL
6,00
1,50
21,75
20,75
SPECIALIZED COURSES TU
FTM
Flow in Turbomachines
Arts / Verstraete
DE
Design exercise
Arts / Breugelmans
TU Labs
Turbomachinery Laboratory Sessions
TU Faculty
ACT
ACC (*)
Advanced Course on Axial Turbine Aerodynamics

Advanced Course on Compressors
Lavagnoli / Arts / Sieverding

Fontaneto / Verstraete /
Van den Braembussche /
Breugelmans
ICFD
Peric
NMFD-2
Deconinck
4,50
1,25
TOTAL
(*)
4,50
21,75
3,00
20,50
30,50
30,50
One of ACT or ACC has to be selected.
GRAND TOTAL
30,00
31,00
30,50
30,75
1,25
1,25
1,25
OPTIONAL COURSES all dept

ICFD
Peric (Deconinck coordinator)
MT Labs
EA faculty / Chazot
ACOUS
Schram
TURB
Introduction to the Mechanics of Turbulence Modeling
Benocci / Van Beeck
DAP
PWT
NMFD-2
CMIF-T
1,25
1,50
1,50
1.50
2,00
2,00
2,00
0,00
2,50
2,50
2,50
Schram
2,00
2,00
2,00
2,00
Design and operation of plasma w ind tunnels
Chazot
1,00
Deconinck
Computational Methods for Incompressible Flow - Theory
Deconinck
2,00
0,00
1,00
1,00
1,00
3,00
1,50
1,50
CMIF-L
Computational Methods for Incompressible Flow - Lab
Deconinck
2,50
2,50
CMCF-T
Computational Methods for Compressible Flow - Theory
Deconinck/Magin
1,50
1,50
CMCF-L
Computational Methods for Compressible Flow - Lab
Deconinck/Magin
2,50
2,50
2DBL
Tw o-dimensional Boundary layers
Degrez
3,25
3,25
3DBL
Boundary Layers and flow separation in 3 dimensions
Degrez
1,25
1,25
WTAD
Low Speed Wind Tunnel Analysis and Design
Bottin
1,00
1,00
IGT
Faculty (O. Chazot coordinator)
1,25
1,25
1.2 OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM
2. GENERAL COURSES
Differential equations of fluid dynamics
DEFM - 1.25 ECTS
Introduction to measurement techniques in fluid dynamics

(LS)
IMT - 2.5 ECTS
Presenting, reporting and research management
PRM 5.0 ECTS
NUMERICAL OPTION
Numerical methods in fluid dynamics
NMFD 4.25 ECTS
NMFD1
1.25 ECTS
NMFD2
3.0 ECTS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS OF FLUID DYNAMICS
(DEFM - 1.25 ECTS)

J.J.-M. BUCHLIN
This is a formal course, organized as a refresher to ensure that all students have the
basic knowledge to follow the other courses.
Learning outcomes
Students should master the basic laws of fluid dynamics valid for all applications i.e. the
universal conservation equations, stress tensor and heat flux vector, the NewtonNavier viscous stresses, the Fourier law and their range of validity.
The relative importance of the different terms in the Navier-Stokes equations, their
mathematical properties and impact of boundary conditions should be understood.
The shortcomings of the limiting cases (incompressible, inviscid flows, Stokes flow,
flows with low viscosity, unsteady flows) should be known.
The student should also master the use of the similarity parameters (Strouhal, Mach,
Reynolds, Prandtl numbers, etc.) and understand their limitations.
Teaching forms
Formal lectures 90 %, summary exercise 10%
Course notes
A Review of the Differential Equations of Fluid Dynamics, J.M. Buchlin, VKI-CN 195
Literature
Bibliography in VKI-CN 195
Evaluation
The learning outcome is verified by a written (open book) exam. Criteria are the
understanding of the basic equations and the capacity to apply them in practical cases.
Memorization of the equations is not required and the VKI-CN-195 can be used to copy
complex equations if needed.
INTRODUCTION TO MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES IN FLUID DYNAMICS (IMT(IMT- 2.5 ECTS)

FACULTY
The course, mandatory for both numerical and experimental options, consists of
lectures (70%) and hands-on laboratory sessions (30%) and provides an insight into
different basic measurement techniques for fluid dynamics. Each technique is
presented by a VKI faculty member who is experienced in that technique.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course students should have a good knowledge of the different
experimental techniques available for fluid dynamic research. He/she should be able to
select the appropriate measurement technique (Pressure probes and transducers,
temperature measurements inclusive infrared thermography, Laser velocimetry and
optical density and spectroscopic measurement techniques, hot wire anemometry,
flow visualization) to solve a given experimental problem. He/she should be able to
implement the technique, understand its limitations, be able to estimate its accuracy
and make the necessary corrections.
Teaching approaches
Formal lectures 21h
Lab sessions 8 h
Lecturers
Profs. T. Arts, (course coordinator), J.M. Buchlin, M. Carbonaro, O. Chazot, F.
Fontaneto, C. Schram, V. Van der Haegen, M.R. Vetrano.
Course notes
Measurement Techniques in Fluid Dynamics An Introduction, Third revised edition,
VKI, 1991, 383 pgs.
Literature
Extended bibliography in Course notes
Evaluation
The objectives are verified by a single open book exam organized by the course
coordinator based upon the questions he receives from the other lecturers. The
student has to propose a solution for some practical measurement problems within a
limited amount of time. The open book evaluation technique is selected because it is
the closest to the real world application where the scientist has to select and apply the
most appropriate technique to solve a problem. Evaluation criteria are the students
ability to select the best technique, to define the measurement chain and
corresponding data processing procedure, to provide a critical evaluation of the
application limits and a correct estimation of the accuracy. The weighting of the
questions is proportional with the number of lecture hours for each part and indicated
on the questions.
PRESENTING, REPORTING AND RESEARCH MANAGEMENT
(PRM 5.0 ECTS)

FACULTY
This course intends to teach the skills that are needed for a successful completion of
research projects in the domain of fluid dynamics and is considered as one of the
specifics of the VKI teaching program. It covers all aspects from the conception of a
research project up to the delivery of the final report, taking into account risk
management and IP rights.
Learning outcomes
Students should be able to function as a member of an international team working on
a large project or on a complex facility.
They should be able to consult the scientific databases and capable of writing a
bibliographic report i.e. frame their own proposed approach in the relevant literature,
evaluate the different approaches, select the way to follow for the project, motivate
this choice and make conclusions. They must also be able to present and defend their
project as well for specialists as for a non-specialist audience.
In terms of project management, students should be able to define a research strategy.
They should master planning software (not simply excel) including the techniques for
project breakdown into major tasks and subtasks. They should be able to create the
critical tasks path of the project, define milestones and deadlines taking into account
the availability of resources (facilities, instrumentation and computers). They should be
able to specify the follow-up and updating of the planning, conduct project reviews,
evaluate the risks and manage documentation.
Students should be able to communicate verbally and in writing with colleagues and
non-specialist audiences, about the research strategy, solutions and results, in a multidisciplinary working environment. They should master the use of visual aids, the art of
presentation of scientific research and the techniques for a high quality scientific
report.
The students should also have insight into the functioning of large international
collaborative projects. They must understand the way the supranational research is
structured in Europe, especially with respect to Aeronautics, Space, Transportation and
Energy (EU framework programs) and ESA (European Space programs). The different
mechanisms such as ITN, CSA, Marie Curie, Erasmus Mundus for EU and TRP, GSTP,
mandatory programs for ESA will be understood.
Teaching forms
Formal lectures (35%), Seminars (15%), Home work (Literature reading and reporting)
(25%), Project work (proposal writing and planning (25%)).
Lecturers
Profs. H. Deconinck (coordinator), M. Carbonaro, C. Schram, J. Muylaert
Seminars can be given by experts from Industry and Organizations (for example the
European Patent Office or the European Commission).
Evaluation
The evaluation is based on the final bibliographic report (20%) graded by the PET
members, on the Master Thesis planning presented at the 3 PET meetings (20%) graded
by Prof. Carbonaro and PET, on the written project report (20%) graded by the PET
members and on the public oral presentation (40%) graded by the entire Faculty.
Course notes
PowerPoint slides by all teachers
Literature
-
Getting the Message Across, in SCIENTIAE, April/June 1979, pgs. 16-22
A Guide to Presenting Technical Information Effective Graphic

Communication, Matthews, Clifford, John Wiley & Sons, June 2000
Web sites indicated on the PowerPoint slides
NUMERICAL OPTION
Students following a numerical option also follow:
NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUID DYNAMICS
(NMFD 4.25 ECTS)

H. DECONINCK
This course consists of two parts: one at introductory level (NMFD1) and one at
advanced level (NMFD2). The reason for splitting the course into two parts is as follows:
the first part is mandatory for all students having selected the numerical option, while
the second part is mandatory for the students of the AR and TU department who follow
the numerical option, but not for the EA students. Indeed, the second part (NMFD2)
has a strong component oriented towards hyperbolic conservation laws (essential for
compressible flow) and is therefore less important for students of the EA department
because they are mostly interested in incompressible flows.
NMFD1
(NMFD1 1.25 ECTS)

H. DECONINCK
The first part (NMFD1) has similar objectives to the Introduction to Computational
Fluid Dynamics Lecture Series but is oriented towards students who will make a
numerical project, hence it is more oriented towards future development of CFD
methods rather than the application of CFD codes and using existing CFD tools. Hence,
this course aims to give the broad view that prepares for making the best choice of
algorithms and methods to accomplish a specific flow simulation and prepares the
student for a more specialized numerical study (either independently or in other CFD
courses, or by following NMFD2).
At the end of NMFD1 the student should have an understanding of the basic principles
of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), how the equations for incompressible and
compressible flows (introduced in previous mandatory course DEFM) are numerically
modeled and how the different formulations (implicit/explicit) influence accuracy and
stability. He/she should know the fundamental differences between
convection/propagation and diffusion with respect to their numerical treatment.
He/she will understand the principles of discretization methods based on functional
(Finite Elements, Spectral methods) and pointwise or cell-averaged (Finite Differences,
Finite Volumes) representation of the discrete solution. He/she will acquire a global
view on the formulations used to obtain the discrete system of equations like strong
differential form (for finite differences), weak formulation, integral conservation law,
method of weighted residuals (for finite elements) and the consequences for boundary
conditions (weak, strong).
He/she will understand the concepts of consistency, stability and convergence of
discrete solutions, linked by the Lax-Wendroff theorem and master the stability theory
for the Method of Lines (stability of Ordinary Differential Equations in time obtained
after semi-discretization in space). Finally he will learn the particularities of the
treatment of incompressible flow with respect to the solenoidal constraint for the
10
velocity and pressure stabilization (by staggered grid formulation or using different
finite element spaces for velocity and pressure).
NMFD2
(NMFD2 3.0 ECTS)

H. DECONINCK
The second part is a natural continuation of the first part, but goes much more in detail.
At the end of the course the student should be able to follow the global CFD literature,
choose an algorithm and develop independently a CFD method for a particular
application. The following objectives should be reached for a successful completion of
this course:
- master the theory of Partial Differential Equations, including the classification of PDEs
based on the theory of characteristics. Master the specific properties of hyperbolic,
elliptic and parabolic equations and the link with initial versus boundary value
problem and diffusion versus propagation. Understand the concept of well-posedness
with respect to boundary and initial conditions (Hadamard). Have a detailed
understanding of the theory of hyperbolic conservation laws including weak solutions,
jump relations, concept of mathematical entropy condition, boundary conditions,
- know the main discretization techniques based on finite difference, finite volume,
finite element and spectral methods, including a discussion of the relationship
between the various methods,
- have a deep understanding of the concepts of consistency, stability and convergence,
stability theory (von Neumann analysis), Lax-Wendroff theorem, equivalent
differential equation of a scheme, concepts of artificial dissipation and upwinding and
the relation between both,
- master the principles of monotone schemes for hyperbolic conservation laws based
of TVD and positivity (LED) conditions,
- be familiar with the classical finite difference and stabilized finite element schemes
(SUPG, GLS) for hyperbolic and parabolic problems. Be familiar with classical time
integration schemes (explicit and implicit) and their stability properties,
- have a good understanding of the boundary value problems, with emphasis on
iterative methods for solving linear systems, including relaxation methods (SOR,
Gauss-Seidel), conjugategradient like (Krylov subspace) methods and multigrid
methods.
Course notes
- Numerical Methods for Fluid Dynamics 1, H. Deconinck and T. Horvth, VKI-CN 226
- Numerical Techniques for Solving Partial Differential Equations, H. Deconinck, VKICN 142
- Numerical Methods in Fluid Dynamics 2, Exercises, H. Deconinck, VKI-CN 182
11
- Numerical Methods in Fluid Dynamics 2, Solutions to exercises, H. Deconinck, VKI-CN

183.
Literature
- Introduction to CFD, G. Degrez, VKI-CN 153
- Overview of Grid generation Methods, H. Deconinck, VKI-CN 146
- Numerical Solution of Time-Dependent Advection-.Diffusion-Reaction Equations, W.
Hundsdorf and J.G. Verwer, Springer Series in Computational Mathematics, 2003
- Fundamentals of Computational Fluid Dynamics, Springer Verlag, H. Lomax, Thomas
H. Pulliam, David W. Zingg
- Difference Methods for Initial-Value Problems, Robert D. Richtmyer, K. W. Morton
- Numerical Computation of Internal and External Flows, Ch. Hirsch, ButterworthHeinemann
- Numerical Methods for Conservation Laws (Paperback), Randall J. LeVeque,
Birkhauser
- Finite Element Methods for Flow Problems, J Donea, Antonio Huerta, John Wiley
Evaluation
Evaluation of the first part (NMFD1) is by a written exam in 2 parts: a closed book
exam with questions about theory (weight 50%) and an open book exam with
practical exercises (weight 50%) (4 hours in total).
The evaluation of the second part (NMFD2) is by a written open book exam consisting
of exercises which require both a good understanding of the theory and the capacity
to set up, analyze and solve a CFD problem.
12
3. SPECIALIZATION IN
AERONAUTICS/AEROSPACE
GENERAL COURSES IN AERONAUTICS/AEROSPACE
Aircraft performance, stability and control
APSC - 2.0 ECTS
Inviscid aerodynamics in aeronautics
IAAI 4.5 ECTS
A. Incompressible inviscid flows
IAAI 2.5 ECTS
B. Compressible inviscid flows
IAAC 2.0 ECTS
Two dimensional boundary layers
2DBL 4.0 ECTS
COURSES EXPERIMENTAL OPTION

IGT 1.25 ECTS
Computational fluid dynamics laboratory
CFD Lab - 1.5 ECTS
Introduction to computational fluid dynamics (LS)
ICFD - 1.25 ECTS
Advanced measurement techniques laboratories
MT Labs 6.0 ECTS
COURSES NUMERICAL OPTION

NMFD2 - 3 ECTS
Computational methods for compressible flows
CMCF 4.0 ECTS
MT Labs 1.5 ECTS
OPTIONAL COURSES IN AERONAUTICS/AEROSPACE

A. For all options
Physico-chemical models for atmospheric entry flow
PCMAF 3 + 1(opt.) ECTS
Boundary layers and flow separation in 3D
3DBL - 1.25 ECTS
Introduction to aeroacoustics
ACOUS - 2 ECTS
Transonic aerodynamics
TRANS - 1 ECTS
Hypersonic aerodynamics
HYP - 2 ECTS
B. For the experimental option

13
Design and operation of plasma wind tunnels
PWT 1.0 ECTS
Low speed wind tunnel analysis and design
WTAD 1.0 ECTS
Data acquisition and processing
DAP - 2 ECTS
C. For the numerical option

CMCF - 1.5 to 4 ECTS
14
The aim of this series of courses is to provide the student with an overall
appreciation of the role of aerodynamics in aeronautics/aerospace, as well as providing
the required background to study a particular topic in greater depth. The common part
of the program is designed to achieve the first objective. It comprises courses devoted
to some areas of flight dynamics as well as courses dealing with the theory of inviscid
and viscous flows for the different speed regimes. At the end of these courses, the
attendee should be aware of the problems and methods encountered in aeronautical
aerodynamics and re-entry aerothermodynamics. He should also understand the
compromises and trade-offs that are necessary for any aircraft, missile or spacecraft
design. After completion of this general program, the attendee can select more
specialized courses in either high speed or low speed aerodynamics within the
experimental or numerical approach.
Students with a good background in aeronautics may replace one or more of the
general courses by some optional courses.
3.1 GENERAL COURSES IN AERONAUTICS/AEROSPACE

AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE, STABILITY AND CONTROL
(APSC - 2.0 ECTS)

M. CARBONARO
The course consists of formal lectures on flight mechanics, but also includes
computerized demonstrations and exercises.
Learning objectives
At the end of this course students should have a good knowledge of the basic concepts
of flight mechanics such as: lift and drag characteristics of airborne vehicles, their
relation to the power required for flight and general performance for horizontal,
climbing, gliding or accelerated flight. The student should be able to predict the
velocity-flight envelope of a propeller-driven and of a jet-driven aircraft, as well as
ceilings, climb rate, range and endurance. The student should also be able to
understand and explain aspects of maneuvering performance and of aircraft stability
and control.
Teaching forms
18 hours formal lectures, during which about 1 hour is devoted to a demonstration of
performance prediction using an excel sheet. A 1 hour seminar on a commercial
software package for aircraft design and performance prediction is given by an external
lecturer.
An individual homework exercise is to be carried out by each student.
15
Course notes
- Introduction to Aircraft Performance, Stability and Control, M. Carbonaro,
(PowerPoint slides)
Literature
- Introduction to Flight, John Anderson, McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 6th
edition, October 25, 2007
- Theory of Wing Sections: Including a Summary of Airfoil Data, Ira H. Abbott and A. E.
von Doenhoff, Dover Publications, 31. December 1960.
Evaluation
The exam is based on an individual homework consisting in predicting the
performances of a given aircraft or in a generic aircraft design problem, followed by a
closed book written exam based on a list of 28 questions covering all the course
subjects (weight is 50% for each).
INVISCID AERODYNAMICS IN AERONAUTICS
(IAAI 4.5 ECTS)

B. BOTTIN,
BOTTIN, T. Magin
This course is oriented towards students without background in classical aerodynamics.

There are two parts, one covering incompressible and one covering compressible flow.
At the end of these courses the student should understand the physics of
incompressible and compressible flows and be capable of using these theories in the
interpretation of wind tunnel experiments or CFD simulations. Depending on the
students background he/she may be dispensed of following one or both parts of the
basic course. In that case he/she should select optional courses in agreement with the
faculty of the AR department.
A. INCOMPRESSIBLE INVISCID FLOWS
(IAAI - 2.5 ECTS)

B. BOTTIN
This tutorial course gives insight into the characteristics of lifting airfoils and wings in
two-dimensional and three-dimensional flows.
Learning objectives
The student should attain a firm physical understanding of the methodology used for
incompressible flow analyses (superposition principle, the relation between circulation
and lift).
The student should also understand the limitations and possibilities of linearized
theories for thin airfoils and three dimensional wings. He/she should be able to use
these methods to solve typical problems encountered during the design phase of
aerodynamic surfaces. A good understanding of the underlying principles of numerical
16
panel methods for wing sections (2D and 3D) and the ability to use state-of-the-art
software to analyze practical cases is also developed.
Course notes
- Inviscid Aerodynamics in Aeronautics / Incompressible Case (partial notes),
B. Bottin, VKI CN 173
Literature
- Theoretical aerodynamics. Milne-Thomson, L.M., Mc-Millan, 1948. Also Dover, New
York, 1973. {VKI reference number: 08.126}
- Hydrodynamics in theory and application. Robertson, J.M., Prentice-Hall, Englewood
Cliffs, 1965. {VKI reference number: 08.311}
- Fundamentals of aerodynamics. Anderson, J.D.Jr., 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill, New
York, 2001. {VKI reference number: 08.456}
- A. Low-speed aerodynamics from wing theory to panel methods. 2nd Edition. Katz, J.
& Plotkin, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001. {VKI reference number:
08.624}
Evaluation
The evaluation consists of two open book exercises and an oral interview. The former
allows to verify that the student is capable of applying the techniques, the latter allows
to verify that the student has understood the theoretical basis and its limitations.
The first exercise is a mid-course homework (weighting 5/20). The final evaluation is
based on the individual solution of a complete problem (open book) by the student and
an oral interview about the proposed solution (weighting 15/20).
The total weight of this first incompressible part is 62%.
17
B. COMPRESSIBLE INVISCID FLOWS
(IAAC 2.0 ECTS)

T. MAGIN
Learning objectives
At the end of the course the student should master the classical theory of compressible
gas dynamics including for steady and unsteady flow: oblique shock theory, PrandtlMeyer expansion theory, numerical method of characteristics (MOC), shock/expansion
method, small disturbance theory applied to supersonic wing and slender bodies, the
Riemann problem for unsteady flow (shock tube problem, piston problem). He/she
should be able to apply this understanding in the practice of external and internal
aerodynamical engineering: for example to interpret physical data (e.g. Schlieren
pictures from a supersonic wind tunnel or iso-plots from CFD), to carry out a simple
design of a supersonic nozzle, to estimate the lift and drag of a supersonic wing, to
model the functioning of short duration supersonic wind tunnels.
Course notes
- Inviscid Compressible Aerodynamics, G. Degrez, IVK-CN 145.
Literature
- Gas Dynamics, Maurice Joseph Zucrow, Joe D. Hoffman
- Compressible Fluid Dynamics, Philip A. Thompson
- Supersonic Flow and Shock Waves (Applied Mathematical Sciences)
Richard Courant, K.O. Friedrichs.
Evaluation
The exam consists of oral questions about the theory and a small exercise/project (e.g.
using the MOC to design a 2D nozzle or to solve a shock tube or piston problem). The
ratio is 2/3 for the theoretical questions (1.3 ECTS) and 1/3 for the exercise (0.7 ECTS)
giving in total 2.0 ECTS.
TWO DIMENSIONAL
DIMENSIONAL BOUNDARY LAYERS
(2DBL 4.0 ECTS)

G. DEGREZ
The detailed description is given in the section Optional Courses for all departments.
departments
The attendees of the Aeronautics/Aerospace program will specialize in one of the
following two subgroups:
-
Experimental option
Numerical option
18
3.2 COURSES EXPERIMENTAL OPTION

INTRODUCTION TO GROUND TESTING FACILITIES
(IGT 1.25 ECTS)

FACULTY, O. CHAZOT (coordinator)
COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS LABORATORY
(CFD LabLab-1.5 ECTS)

H. DECONINCK
DECONINCK
The purpose of this activity is to acquaint experimentalists with the basic use of CFD
tools for investigating fluid flow problems.
Learning outcomes
Students should be able to compute a simple flow (e.g. one of the flows investigated
experimentally in the measurement technique labs) using either by an in-house or a
commercial CFD package. Issues to become familiar with include amongst others: the
influence of the discretization scheme on the computational results, the iterative
convergence and grid sensitivity.
Teaching forms
Formal lectures (25%), exercises on computer (75%)
Course notes
Not applicable
Literature
- Computational fluid dynamics - An introduction, edited by Wendt, J.F., ed. Springer,
3rd edition, 2009, isbn-13 978-3-540-85055-7, A von Karman Institute Book
19
Evaluation
Evaluations are based on a written report, presenting/discussing the simulation results
of the ERCOFTAC database test cases. Criteria are the students capability: to define the
calculation domain and the quality of the grid, to generate the correct boundary
conditions based on available data, to evaluate the influence of the RANS one and two
equation turbulence models and wall treatments, to investigate the influence of the
order of numerical discretization and grid refinement (grid dependency) on
convergence and accuracy, to evaluate acceleration techniques and convergence
criteria.
INTRODUCTION TO
TO COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS
(ICFD - 1.25 ECTS)
The detailed description is given in the section Optional Courses for all departments
departments.
ADVANCED MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES LABORATORIES
(MT Labs 1.5 6.0 ECTS)
Students following the experimental option have to choose all four sections of this
course.
3.3 COURSES NUMERICAL OPTION

NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUID DYNAMICS, PART 2
(NMFD2 - 3 ECTS)
H. DECONINCK
The detailed description is given in the section General Courses.

COMPUTATIONAL
COMPUTATIONAL METHODS FOR COMPRESSIBLE FLOWS
(CMCF 4.0 ECTS)
Both parts of this course, theory and Lab sessions, are mandatory for the numerical
option in Aeronautics and Aerospace, and fully described in the Optional Courses for all
departments.
departments
20
ADVANCED MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES LABORATORIES (MT Labs 1.5

1.5 6.0 ECTS)
Students following the numerical option have to choose minimum one of the four
sections of this course.
3.4 OPTIONAL COURSES IN AERONAUTICS/AEROSPACE

Students should take an equivalent of minimum 2 ECTS of the following optional
courses, depending on the project.
A. FOR ALL OPTIONS
PHYSICOPHYSICO-CHEMICAL MODELS FOR ATMOSPHERIC ENTRY FLOW
(PCMAF 3+1(optional) ECTS)
T. MAGIN
Addressed primarily to engineers, this course is an introduction to the basic tools of
quantum mechanics, statistical physics, kinetic theory, and collisional and radiative
elementary processes, used to model and understand chemically reacting and plasma
flows encountered in hypersonic and combustion applications. A series of practical
problems encountered in aerospace missions is also discussed, focusing on the
simulation of atmospheric entry flows and ground testing. An optional laboratory
session is proposed to the student to apply some of the theoretical concepts to
interpret experimental data.
Learning objectives
The learning objective is to make the student aware of the specificities of aerospace
flow modeling from the continuum to the rarefied regime. They should master the
techniques to derive conservation equations from kinetic theory. They should
understand the role of thermo-chemical non-equilibrium effects in compressed and
expanding flows. They should assimilate the concept of coupling the radiation field to
the flow field in atmospheric entry flows. They should know how and where to find
basic data for thermodynamic and transport properties, as well as reaction rate
coefficients. Students should also be able to use a library for high enthalpy and plasma
flows focusing on computational fluid dynamics applications such as the VKI
MUTATION++ library.
Teaching methods
-3 ECTS: Course: 26h theory + 4h exercises (take-home assignment)
-1 ECTS (optional): Optical Emission Spectroscopy laboratory: 4h demonstration +6h
data processing (laboratory report)
21
Lecturers
Prof. T. Magin
Course notes
-
Physical Gas Dynamics, T. Magin, VKI-CN 213.
Collection of slides: Introduction, Quantum theory, Statistical thermodynamics,

Radiation, Kinetic theory, T. Magin
Literature
Basic level
J. D. Anderson, Hypersonic and high-temperature gas dynamics, American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2006
G. Vincenti, C. H. Kruger, Introduction to physical gas dynamics, Wiley, 1965
D. A. McQuarrie, J. D. Simon, Physical chemistry: a molecular approach, University
Science Books, 1997
Intermediate level
Mayer and Mayer, Statistical mechanics, Wiley, 1977
J. H. Ferziger and H. G. Kaper, Mathematical theory of transport processes in
gases, North-Holland, 1972
M. Mitchner, C. H. Kruger, Partially ionized gases, Wiley, 1973
Park, Nonequilibrium hypersonic aerothermodynamics, Wiley, 1989
G. A. Bird, Molecular Gas Dynamics and the Direct Simulation of Gas Flows, Oxford
University Press, 1994
Advanced level
V. Giovangigli, Multicomponent Flow Modeling, Springer, 1999
L. C. Woods, The Thermodynamics of Fluid Systems, Oxford University Press, 1975
Evaluation
Evaluation (3 ECTS) is based on the correction of one take-home assignment (50%), as
well as on one oral exam (50%) including the explanation of an original paper selected
from the literature. Evaluation of the laboratory (1 ECTS) is based on the correction of
the laboratory report.
22
The take-home assignment allows the student to apply some of the theoretical
concepts learned in class in order to solve practical problems encountered by
aerospace engineers. For example, previous homework assignments focused on a
recent aerospace mission: predicting nonequilibrium radiative heat fluxes during the
entry of the Huygens probe into Titans atmosphere, and on ground testing in the VKI
facilities: studying a Pitot measurement in the Plasmatron facility, rebuilding from
experimental measurements the free stream conditions at the exit of a nozzle in the
VKI free piston high speed Longshot wind tunnel, studying the ablation phenomenon
of a carbon phenolic ablators tested in the Plasmatron facility.
The laboratory session is an introduction to optical emission spectroscopy allowing
students to directly apply theoretical aspects of quantum mechanics introduced in
class. Experimental measurements are carried out in a lab demonstration by teaching
assistants who operate the VKI small inductively coupled plasma wind-tunnel. Students
are requested to process the experimental data by means of two software: Mutation++,
in-house library for high enthalpy and plasma flow properties, and Specair, online
spectroscopic database.
A typical oral examination lasts approximately one hour. A few days before the exam,
the students helped by the teacher select a paper among legacy and state-of-the-art
literature. The main ideas of the paper are reviewed by the student during the exam,
and are compared to the state-of-the-art concepts explained in class. This starts as a
basis for discussion about this part of the course. A series of short questions about the
other parts of the course allow for a more complete evaluation of the students.
BOUNDARY LAYERS AND FLOW SEPARATION IN THREE DIMENSIONS (3DBL - 1.25 ECTS)
G. DEGREZ
INTRODUCTION TO AEROACOUSTICS
(ACOUS - 2 ECTS)
C. SCHRAM
departments.
23
TRANSONIC AERODYNAMICS
(TRANS - 1 ECTS)
O.CHAZOT
This is a basic course on the typical features of transonic flows. It is organized in three
main parts: Transonic phenomenology where the specific aspects of transonic flows
are presented with a focus on shock structure and shock-boundary layer interactions.
Transonic theory which presents how this particular flow regime could be modeled
and its essential differences with the subsonic and supersonic regimes. Transonic
testing that describes the main issue for the design of transonic wind tunnels.
Learning outcome
After successful completion of this course, students should be aware of the specific
problems of transonic flows over airfoils and bodies and master the transonic similarity
rules, as well as the solution techniques for the transonic full potential and small
disturbance equations. They should also understand the conditions for shock-free
supercritical flows, law of stabilization around M = 1 and specificities of the drag at
transonic speeds. Students should also have a detailed understanding of the flow
physics in transonic regime with its particular features. They should gain basic
knowledge on transonic testing.
Teaching forms
Formal courses (8.0 h) and guided exercise (2.0 h)
Evaluation
Evaluation consists of two parts:
- a common exercise in the class guided by the professor and
- a written exam, closed book, at the end of the course period, focussing on typical
transonic flow problems. The evaluation criteria are based on the understanding of
basic transonic phenomenology, by reading Schlieren pictures, and theoretical results
together with classical applications.
Course notes
- Elements of Transonic Aerodynamics G. Degrez, VKI-CN 194
- Handwritten notes by O. Chazot
Literature
- Elements of Gasdynamics, H.W. Liepmann and A. Roshko, GALCIT Aeronautical series,
John Wiley, 1957.
- Bibliography of VKI-CN 194
24
HYPERSONIC AERODYNAMICS
(HYP - 2 ECTS)
O. CHAZOT
This course describes the main features of hypersonic flows and aerothermodynamics.
It is organized in coordination with PWT course dedicated to Plasma wind tunnels for
aerothermodynamics studies.
Learning objectives
The objective of this course is to ensure that the student has a good understanding of
the specificities of inviscid and viscous hypersonic flows such as: Newtonian flow, shock
expansion, tangent wedge and cone, similarity rules, small disturbance theory, strong
and weak viscous interactions. The student must have a good insight into the physics
of the hypersonic boundary layers and the consequences of high temperature (i.e.
dissociation, non-equilibrium, etc.). He/she should become familiar with the classical
hypersonic literature and also be able to select the appropriate experimental
techniques and interpretation of high enthalpy experiments.
Teaching forms
Formal Courses (10h), Seminars (6h), Reading and reporting on specialized literature
(4h).
Course notes
- Hypersonic Aerodynamics, R. Korkegi VKI-CN 9
- Fundamentals of Hypersonic Flow Aerothermodynamics, D. Fletcher, VKI CN 190
- Handwritten notes, O. Chazot
Literature
- Hypersonic and High temperature gasdynamics, Anderson J.D., MCGraw-Hill, 1989
- Introduction to physical Gasdynamics, W.G. Vincenti & C.H. Kruger, John Wiley and
sons, 1965
Evaluation
A closed book oral exam evaluating the understanding of the basic hypersonic theory.
The second part of the evaluation is based on a three-page synthesis report including
comments about a reference publication in hypersonic aerothermodynamics selected
from a list provided at the end of the course period. Criteria are the understanding of
major features of hypersonic flows, the development of ground test facilities and the
extrapolation to real reentry flows.
25
B. FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL OPTION

DESIGN AND OPERATION OF PLASMA WIND TUNNELS
(PWT 1.0 ECTS)

O. CHAZOT
LOW SPEED WIND TUNNEL ANALYSIS and DESIGN
(WTAD 1.0 ECTS)

B. BOTTIN
DATA ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING
(DAP 2.0 ECTS)

C. SCHRAM
C. FOR THE NUMERICAL OPTION
(CMCF - 1.5 to 4 ECTS)

H. DECONINCK,
DECONINCK, T.MAGIN
A full description of this course is given in the Optional Courses for all departments.
PROFILES
The number of available optional courses, the individual preferences of the students
and their prior experience and knowledge in aerospace leads to a large number of
combinations. The faculty has thus defined specific profiles proposed to help students
in choosing a coherent package of courses.
26
1. ATD AeroAero-ThermoThermo-Dynamics Profile
Research Master Foundations

DEFM
Differential equations of fluid mechanics
PRM
EXP NUM
6.25 6.25
1.25 1.25
5.00 5.00
Profile Courses
PCMAF
Physico-chemical Models for Atmospheric Entry Flows
PCMAF-O Optional part of PCMAF
IAAC
Inviscid Aerodynamics in Aeronautics, Compressible flows
2DBL
Two-Dimensional Boundary Layers
HYP
8.00
3.00
1.00
2.00
4.00
2.00
8.00
3.00
1.00
2.00
4.00
2.00
AR Experimental Background
IGT
Introduction to ground testing facilities
IMT
Introduction to measurement techniques
MT Lab
Measurement Techniques (3 labs)
MT Lab
Measurement Techniques (1 lab only)
PWT
Design and operation of Plasma Wind Tunnels
12.75
1.25
2.50
6.00
1.00
5.25
1.25
2.50
1.50
AR Numerical Background
ICFD
Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics
CFD Lab Computational Fluid Mechanics Lab
NMFD 1 Numerical Methods in Fluid Dynamics, part 1
NMFD 2 Numerical Methods in Fluid Dynamics, part 2
CMCF-T
Computational Methods for Compressible Flows (theory)
CMCF-L
Computational Methods for Compressible Flows (lab)
2.75
1.25
1.50
8.25
1.25
3.00
1.50
2.50
Grand total
31.75
27
2. GAE General Aeronautical Engineering Profile
Research Master Foundations

DEFM
Differential equations of fluid mechanics
PRM
EXP
6.25
1.25
5.00
Profile Courses
APSC
Aircraft Performance, Stability and Control
IAAI
Inviscid Aerodynamics in Aeronautics, Incompressible flows
IAAC
Inviscid Aerodynamics in Aeronautics, Compressible flows
2DBL
Two-Dimensional Boundary Layers
ACOUS
HYP
TRANS
Transonic Aerodynamics
15.50
2.00
2.50
2.00
4.00
2.00
2.00
1.00
AR Experimental Background
IMT
Introduction to measurement techniques
MT Lab
Measurement Techniques (2 labs)
IGT
Introduction to ground testing facilities
WTAD
Wind Tunnel Analysis and Design
7.75
2.50
3.00
1.25
1.00
AR Numerical Background
ICFD
Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics
CFD Lab Computational Fluid Mechanics Lab
2.75
1.25
1.50
Grand total
32.25
28
ENVIRONMENTAL AND APPLIED
FLUID DYNAMICS
GENERAL COURSES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND
APPLIED FLUID DYNAMICS
Methodology of applied fluid dynamics
MAFD - 5 ECTS
Industrial design exercise
IDE - 3.5 ECTS
Introduction to the mechanics of turbulence
TURB - 2.50 ECTS
DAP - 2 ECTS
COURSES EXPERIMENTAL OPTION

MT Labs - 6.0 ECTS
COURSES NUMERICAL OPTION

NMFD1 1.25 ECTS
Numerical simulation of industrial problems 1
NSIP1 - 2.75 ECTS
Numerical simulation of industrial problems 2
NSIP2 - 3.5 ECTS
29
The objective of these lectures is to train attendees in handling and solving the
wide variety of problems that may occur in environmental and industrial fluid dynamics.
The main objective is to acquire a good insight into both fundamental and applied fluid
dynamics. The teaching is closely related to the research activities carried out by staff
members of the Department.
Each course member will make a selection with his/her supervisor among the
courses below in function of his/her project.
4.1 GENERAL COURSES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND

APPLIED FLUID DYNAMICS
DYNAMICS
METHODOLOGY OF APPLIED FLUID DYNAMICS
(MAFD - 5 ECTS)
EA FACULTY
The objective of this course is to train students in dealing with industrial fluid dynamics
problems. It is a combination of tutorials, courses and seminars, providing insight into
typical industrial fluid dynamic problems and solution techniques, and exercises in
learning the methodology. Sessions are organized for treating samples followed by four
exercises on real problems; each of them takes four successive sessions; one to
introduce the problem to the students, two for the students to work under supervision
of a professor and one for the debriefing and comments.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student should be able to analyze a problem and make
a complete research proposal. He/she must have the skills needed to perform a good
analysis and diagnosis on the types of engineering and research problems which he/she
may be faced with during his or her professional career, and devise ways to solve them.
To achieve this objective the student must be able to apply efficiently the methodology,
i.e.
-
to identify the fluid dynamic aspects of the industrial problem
to select the most convenient type of investigation
to estimate the resources in terms of required manpower and technical facilities
to establish a research program
to establish a time schedule and estimate a cost
to put together a contract proposal.
In addition to these competencies, the student must also have a good knowledge of
typical industrial fluid dynamic problems and have an insight into the possible solution
methods.
30
Teaching forms
Formal lectures on methodology in applied fluid dynamics illustrated by examples
(20%)
Exercises (40%)
Courses and seminars relevant for learning the methodology of applied fluid dynamics
on specific problems in Fluid Dynamics (MAFD-TCS) (40%) i.e.:
-
Fundamentals of Aeroacoustics;
Fundamentals of Boundary layer theory;
Fundamental and Applied Heat transfer;
External compressible flows;
Macroscopic Balances;
Dimensional Analysis and Model Theory;
Bluff-body Aerodynamics;
Internal Compressible flows;
Incompressible internal flows;
Pollutant dispersal in the atmosphere;
Introduction to Two-Phase Flows;
Optics & lasers;
Transport Phenomena in Liquid Sprays;
Flow induced oscillations;
Wind Tunnel Design;
Applied research in Coating Processes.
Lecturers
EA-Faculty Profs Buchlin, Benocci, van Beeck, Rambaud, Schram, Vetrano
Course notes
-
Syllabus of MAFD course,
Flow charts of systematic procedure,
31
Slides on examples and exercises,
MAFD-TCS slides.
Literature
Each MAFD-TCS course has a complete list of references.
Evaluation
The examination is based on the proposed investigation methodology to a typical
problem elaborated by small groups of 2 to 3 students supervised by a faculty member.
A first part is a written report prepared by each group, containing a complete industrial
proposal. Evaluation criteria are: clarity and conciseness of the report, completeness of
the technical description, time schedule and estimation of cost in terms of manpower,
adequacy of the proposed investigation.
A second part is based on an internal technical report, intended for the research
institute supervisor. Evaluation criteria are: the motivation for selecting a given
investigation methodology, its appropriateness, the demonstration that the technical
proposal is feasible and that timelines and cost are estimated realistically.
An oral presentation of the problem and research proposal is given by each group,
followed by questions from the faculty. An individual oral examination is then held with
all the faculty members of the department who agree on a common grade. Evaluation
criteria are relevance and sound founding of the proposed technical investigation
(correct measurement technique or adequate numerical solution) and capability of the
student to justify his/her choices and explain his/her approach to the problem.
The final grade for MAFD is a weighted average of the written reports (40%) and oral
examination (60%) grades.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN EXERCISE
(IDE - 3.5 ECTS)

EA FACULTY
The objective of the industrial design exercise is to solve, within a limited amount of
time, a realistic industrial problem related to fluid dynamics in a manner fitting the
purpose. It is the follow-up of the MAFD course. The subject of the exercise is selected
in relation to the options and the research project in which the students are already
involved.
Learning objectives
The main objective is to allow the student to get better acquainted with the
methodology techniques that he has been taught in the course of MAFD by putting
them into practice.
32
The student must be able to propose a complete solution for a typical research problem
of fluid dynamics taking into account the context of a complex industrial engineering
system. He/she must be able to select an adequate methodology and solve the problem
in the allocated time.
Course notes
- Same as MAFD course notes.
Literature
- Ad-hoc, depending on an assigned exercise, different for each student.
Evaluation
The first part of the evaluation is based on a written report describing the proposed
solution of the industrial problem assigned to an individual student. Evaluation is by the
supervising faculty member. Criteria are:
- the quality of the report (clarity, conciseness, structure, completeness)
- the appropriateness of the selected solution
- definition of the limits of application and estimation of uncertainty
- quality of proposal for future work that could be done if more time would be
available
- presentation and discussion of the results, and conclusions.
The second part is an oral presentation, given to all EA faculty members and EA
research engineers followed by questions from the EA faculty. Evaluation criteria are
the relevance and sound founding of the proposed technical solution (correct
measurement technique or adequate numerical solution).
The final grade for IDE is a weighted average of report (50%) and presentation (50%)
grades, the latter being an average of the grades given by each EA faculty member.
INTRODUCTION TO THE MECHANICS OF TURBULENCE
(TURB - 2.50 ECTS)

C. BENOCCI
J. VAN BEECK
departments
(DAP - 2 ECTS)
C. SCHRAM
33
4.2 COURSES EXPERIMENTAL

EXPERIMENTAL OPTION
ADVANCED MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES LABORATORIES
(MT Labs - 6.0 ECTS)
J. VAN BEECK,JBEECK,J-M. BUCHLIN,M.VETRANO, C. SCHRAM, O. CHAZOT
Students following the experimental option have to choose minimum one of the four
labs. The objective is to help them in the physical understanding of fluid mechanics.
4.3 COURSES NUMERICAL OPTION

NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUID DYNAMICS
(NMFD1 1.25 ECTS)

H. DECONINCK
The detailed description is given in the section General Courses.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF INDUSTRIAL PROBLEMS 1
(NSIP1 - 2.75 ECTS)

J. VAN BEECK
C. BENOCCI
Prof. Em. Ch HIRSCH
The objective of the course is to familiarize the student with the numerical solution of
industrial and environmental flow problems through the application of a commercial
flow solver and to lead him/her to acquire the critical sense and physical feeling
necessary to evaluate the relevant numerical results. The course is composed of
seminars, where the capabilities and the limitations of numerical simulation in
industrial environmental problems are discussed.
34
Learning outcomes
After the course the student should master the best practice rules for CFD predictions
and should be able:
- to understand the different CFD models and approximations, which are a necessary
part of this class of simulation,
- to perform a critical evaluation of the numerical results, assess their uncertainty and
to define the logical approach to improve them.
A large part of this course consists of a practical exercise whereby the student simulates
a simple turbulent shear layer and compares his/her numerical results to his/her own
corresponding experimental results, obtained during the MT labs prior to the NSIP1
course.
Teaching forms
Formal lectures 30%, Exercises 60%, Seminar 10%
Evaluation
The evaluation is based on the report of the common work of a group of students
(typically 2-3), and on an individual interview. The final mark is determined by 40% of
the report mark and 60% of the interview mark.
Course notes
- Numerical simulation of industrial flows slides, C. Benocci, VKI-CN 181.
- User manual for OpenFoam flow solver
- User Manual for FINE (NUMECA) Flow solver
Literature
- Model Evaluation guidance and protocol document, Editors: Rex Britter and Michael
Schatzmann, ISBN 3-00-018312-4, Copyright COST Office, 2007
- ERCOFTAC Special Interest Group on Quality and Trust in Industrial CFD, Best
Practice Guidelines, Editors: Michael Casey and Torsten Wintergeste, Fluid Dynamics
Laboratory Sulzer Innotec, Version 1.0, January 2000, Copyright European Research
Community On Flow, Turbulence And Combustion
-Quantification of uncertainty in computational fluid dynamics, Roache P.J., Ann.
Rev. Fluid Mech. Vol. 29, pp 123-160, 1997.
35
NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF INDUSTRIAL PROBLEMS 2
(NSIP2 - 3.5 ECTS)

J. VAN BEECK
C. BENOCCI
At the end of the project-oriented course NSIP2, the student should be familiar with
the simulation of complex industrial and environmental flow problems using a general
commercial flow solver, and have acquired the critical sense and physical feeling
necessary to evaluate the numerical results. This is achieved by a practical but complex
exercise, performed individually, in which the numerical results have to be compared
with experimental ones, LES or DNS data from the literature. The main objective is the
understanding of the models and the approximations, which are a necessary part of
this class of simulation.
Lecturer
Prof. Benocci, Prof. Van Beeck,
Assistants for the exercises: L. Koloszar, Ph. Planquart, K. Myrillas
Teaching Forms
Exercises 100%
Evaluation
Evaluation is based on a report which is prepared by each student individually. The
student is requested to simulate individually a bench-mark case selected from the
ERCOFTAC database, using a RANS or URANS approach. The student has to investigate
the influence of the computational domain, grid refinement, boundary conditions,
discretization order, CFL number, convergence criteria, and turbulence model. Critical
analysis of the simulated flow field quantities and assessment of the differences
between simulation and experimental data is required for all parameters that were
varied during the numerical modelling. The mark is 100% based on the report evaluated
by both lecturers.
Course notes
- Numerical simulation of industrial flows slides, C. Benocci, VKI-CN 181
- User manual for ANSYS and OpenFoam.
Literature
Same as Numerical Simulation of Industrial Problems 1 (NSIP1).
36
TUR
TURBOMACHINERY AND
PROPULSION
GENERAL COURSES IN TUR
TURBOMACHINERY AND PROPULSION
Flow in turbomachines
FTM - 8.0 ECTS
Design exercise
DE - 5.0 ECTS
Laboratory sessions
TU Labs - 3.0 ECTS
SPECIALIZATION IN TURBINES
Advanced course on axial turbine aerodynamics
ACT - 4.5 ECTS
SPECIALIZATION IN COMPRESSORS
Advanced course in compressors
ACC - 4.5 ECTS
OPTIONAL COURSES IN TUBOMACHINERY AND PROPULSION

Introduction to computational fluid dynamics
Numerical option students making the reduced design
exercise follow also:
ICFD - 1.25 ECTS
Numerical methods in fluid dynamics, part 2

NMFD2 3.0 ECTS
37
The main objective of these specialized courses is to familiarize the students with
the main theories and tools for the interpretation of numerical and experimental
results and the design techniques for advanced turbomachinery components. The first
part provides the basis for the more specialized studies in turbines or compressors in
the second part of this course program. The formal lectures are completed with the
aero-design of advanced turbomachinery components to put the learned lessons into
practice. The targeted courses prepare the student for a position in a turbomachinery
research center or the R&D department of a turbomachinery manufacturer.
5.1 GENERAL COURSES IN TURBOMACHINERY AND PROPULSION

FLOW IN TURBOMACHINES
(FTM - 8.0 ECTS)

T. ARTS
T. VERSTRAETE
This basic course is mandatory for all Turbomachinery students (compressor and
turbine specialization). The course starts with a detailed cycle analysis, a description of
the component overall characteristics and a one dimensional flow analysis. It further
provides a general description of the flow in Turbomachines using the S1/S2 model,
based on the superposition of two 2D flows. It is the first step towards the
understanding of the more complex 3D flows and the basis for the traditional
turbomachinery design. Boundary layer issues and heat transfer are finally addressed
at the end of this course.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course the student should have acquired the necessary knowledge
and competences for the design of gasturbines and their turbomachinery components.
He/she should have a good understanding of the thermodynamic principles governing
the flow and master the analysis and design methods, specific for the turbomachinery
components.
In particular he/she should have a good understanding of the thermodynamic cycles
and the fundamentals of propulsion in addition to a good knowledge of
turbopropulsion elements, the laws of similitude and the prediction correlations.
He/she should have an insight into the influence of the cycle characteristics on the
performance of the individual turbomachinery components, the thermal efficiency of
jet engines, gas turbines and steam turbine.
Starting from the engine specifications the student should be able to make a onedimensional layout of a jet engine, specify the cycle characteristics, and predict the
performance and its changes with operating conditions. The student should also be
able to implement these design requirements into an optimization strategy. By this the
student should have a good insight into the different propulsion systems for subsonic
to hypersonic flow speed.
38
The S1-S2 model is the basis of turbomachinery analysis and design. Its correct use for
a more detailed layout of a multistage compressor or turbine (i.e. the prediction of the
performance and the specification of blade shapes) and the understanding of its
limitations, are the objectives of the next and major part of the course. This results in
2 main and parallel courses related to respectively the meridional and blade to blade
flow.
The main objective of the meridional flow study is to get a physical understanding of
the theoretical relations on which the axi-symmetric flow model is based and to be able
to apply them. The student must understand the influence of the design strategy
(vortex law) on velocity triangles, degree of reaction, pressure, temperature and
density gradients, efficiency and some basic aspects of manufacturing. The following
more detailed aspects should also be understood: influence of radial enthalpy and
entropy gradients, impact of streamwise curvature, relative motion and blade forces.
The main objective of the blade to blade flow study is a good understanding of the
limitations of the experimental and numerical data for the turbomachinery blade
design and a mastering of the analysis and design techniques. Students should be aware
of the main differences between external flows and turbomachinery flows as there are:
the impact of rotation, periodicity of the flow and unsteady blade row interaction. They
should understand the limitations when using simplified numerical predictions or
experimental data obtained in non rotating cascades. Students should also master the
performance and loss prediction correlations in compressors and turbines, understand
the physical phenomena occurring in turbomachines on which they are based
(secondary flows, impact of Reynolds- and Mach number on operating range, etc.) and
be available to implement them in a design strategy.
Students should also have a good knowledge of the numerical techniques that are at
their disposal and of the modern design methods (inverse design and optimization
methods) that presently are the subject of intensive research.
At the end of the courses FTR and FTC the student should be able to make a first layout of a multistage compressor or turbine and predict the performance based on the
S1-S2 model, the analytical relations and performance correlations.
The objective of a last part is to make students familiar with the specificities of the
boundary layers in turbines and compressors, as there are: basic transition and
turbulence modeling and their relation to stage interaction, heat transfer in turbines,
film cooling and internal convection cooling.
Teaching forms
Formal lectures (98%), computerized demo (2%)
The practical application of the course is in the Design Exercise (DE 5. ECTS)
Seminars on more advanced cycles High Speed Propulsion by Hon. Prof. F.
Breugelmans (6 h)
39
Course notes
- Turbomachinery Cycles and Components, R. Denos, VKI-CN 163
- Thermodynamic Cycles in Turbomachinery, PowerPoint slides by G. Paniagua
- Turbomachinery Components, PowerPoint slides by G. Paniagua
- Meridional Flow in Axial Turbomachines, J. Chauvin, VKI-CN 99
- Flow in turbomachines and turbomachinery component characteristics,
F. Breugelmans, VKI-CN 83
- Aerodynamic design of a gas turbine, McDonald, P.W., VKI-CN 95
- Radial equilibrium in Turbomachines, T. Arts, (handwritten notes)
- Boundary layers, R. Kiock, VKI-CN 118
- Introduction to heat transfer phenomena in gas Turbines, T Arts, M. Lambert & ,
Rutherford, VKI-CN 127
- Blade to Blade flow in Turbomachinery, R.A. Van den Braembussche, VKI CN 172
- Compressor Cascade Flow and Losses, R.A. Van den Braembussche, PowerPoint
slides
- Inverse Design Methods for Axial and Radial Turbomachines,
R.A. Van den Braembussche, VKI Preprint 1994-35
- Fast Multidisciplinary Optimization of Turbomachinery Components,
R.A. Van den Braembussche, VKI LS 2004-07 (part of)
- Handwritten notes on introduction to numerical methods in Turbomachines,
R.A. Van den Braembussche.
Literature
- Convective Heat and Mass Transfer, Kays & Crawford (Book)
- Boundary-Layer Theory, H. Schlichting, Springer, 8th edition, 2000, Corr. 2nd printing
edition, 1 Oct 1999
- Viscous Fluid Flow, Frank White, McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math, 3rd
Revised edition, 1 April 2005
- Optimization and Computational Fluid Dynamics, Ed. D. Thevenin and G. Janiga,
Springer Verlag, ISBN: 978-3-540-72152-9
40
- Aerothermodynamics and Flow in Turbomachines, M.H. Vavra, R.E. Krieger

Publishing Co.
- Aerodynamic Design of Axial compressors, NASA SP 36, Compressor and Turbine
Research Division, NACA Lewis Research Center.
Evaluation
The evaluation is done by an oral exam for each of the three large parts of the course
(open and closed book including exercises). The evaluation of the fourth part (boundary
layers) is incorporated into the second part. The weighting (3/20 for cycles, 10/20 for
meridional flow and boundary layers, 7/20 for blade to blade flow) is proportional to
the number of lecture hours and communicated to the students in advance. A test
exam is planned early in the year for FTR and FTC, to familiarize the students with the
VKI evaluation criteria and techniques. Students can decide to keep the points for the
final grade or to repeat the exam at the end of the course.
The evaluation aims to measure the students knowledge of the flow phenomena,
his/her capacity to apply the techniques and understanding of the consequences of the
approximations that are involved. The ultimate test will be by a separate Design
Exercise (2 or 5 ECTS depending if the student is following the numerical or
experimental option).
More detailed evaluation criteria related to each part of the course are:
- the students understanding of the Joule cycle, his/her ability to explain the
differences between the ideal cycle and the real one and to propose and justify possible
improvements to the gasturbine lay-out and components.
- the students understanding of the different meridional flow concepts addressed
during the teaching, his/her ability to select the appropriate design options, to propose
solutions to the different problems and restriction of the design space. The
understanding of the impact of boundary layers and heat transfer on the flow pattern
and performance are also evaluated.
- the students understanding of the limitations of applicability of experimental and
numerical data, its use in the design of compressors and turbines are the main
evaluation criteria of the blade to blade part of the course.
The final evaluation will be the design exercise (see DE 3.5 ECTS).
41
DESIGN EXERCISE
(DE - 5. ECTS)
T. ARTS
S. LAVAGNOLI
F. BREUGELMANS
F. FONTANETO
The objective of this individual exercise is to further familiarize students with the
turbomachinery design and analysis methods by applying them for the design of a
complete turbomachinery component. It is the final hands-on illustration/evaluation of
the different basic and advanced turbomachinery lectures (FTM, ACC or ACT). The
component (compressor or turbine) to be designed depends on the option chosen for
specialization.
Students making a numerical project may decide to limit the design exercise the first
part (2.0 ECTS) and complement their curriculum with the course Numerical Methods
for Fluid Dynamics, part2 described in the section Optional Courses for all departments.
Learning outcomes
The student must be capable of defining the aerodynamic path and of specifying the
blading in function of the design point, by means of the techniques specified in the
courses. Only the overall boundary conditions (total inlet conditions, total pressure
ratio, mass flow or power) of a turbine or (inlet conditions, mass flow and pressure
ratio) for a compressor, are specified. Any other required input and design choice has
to be defined and justified by the student.
The student should be able to address following successive steps of the design:
-
global cycle analysis (compressor-turbine matching)
1D mean radius analysis of the turbine (selection/optimization of exit static

conditions, degree of reaction, exit flow angles of vane and blade, rotational
speed). Definition of the number of stages and cross sections (passage
convergence or divergence)
ISRE analysis. Selection of an exit vortex law for both vane and blade complying
with the requirements on exit swirl, rotational speed, blade turning and cross
section divergence
NISRE analysis. Selection of a loss model. Definition of profile, secondary and

leakage losses. Effect of Mach and Reynolds number. Calculation of radial
profiles of kinematic and thermodynamic radial gradients. Need to comply with
requirements on exit swirl, rotational speed, blade turning and cross section
divergence
Presentation, analysis and justification of final velocity triangles.
42
There is no pre-established software available for this part of the exercise. The main
emphasis is put on a correct physical understanding of the implications of the choices
made.
The design has to be complemented by an off-design performance prediction. The
student must be able to design/select the blades and analyze them by Navier-Stokes
solvers to confirm the local energy exchange and verify the optimality of the blade
velocity distribution.
Teaching forms
Exercise 100%
Course notes
-All Turbomachinery course notes used in FTM
Literature
Not applicable
LABORATORY SESSIONS
(TU Labs - 3.0 ECTS)

F. FONTANETO
S. LAVAGNOLI
This course comprises a series of lab sessions that are defined to provide a better
understanding of the flow physics and theories presented in the courses FTM, ACC and
ACT.
Learning outcomes
The student should demonstrate mastery of the following measurement techniques:
-
measurement of the steady flow in a cascade by pressure probes
unsteady flow measurements during surge and stall by hot wire
calibration of instrumentation
data acquisition techniques
For each technique, he/she should:

- understand the limitations and field of application,
- be able to select the appropriate data acquisition systems
- show the capability to develop data reduction techniques
- be able to estimate the accuracy
43
- show the capability to link the results to the physics of the problems.
Teaching forms
Practical exercises on existing facilities
Course notes
- Handouts for TU-labs, PowerPoint slides by F. Fontaneto and S. Lavagnoli
Evaluation
The evaluation is based on the test report. The main criteria, specified in the handouts,
are:
- completeness of the report
- quality of uncertainty analysis
- validation of the experimental results by link with physical flow models
- depth of interpretation of the flow data
- recognition of the design options in the measurement results.
5.2
SPECIALIZATION IN TURBINES
ADVANCED COURSE ON AXIAL TURBINE AERODYNAMICS
(ACT(ACT- 4.5 ECTS)

S. LAVAGNOLI, T. ARTS
C.H. SIEVERDING
This advanced course is the follow-up of the turbomachinery course FTM and followed
only by students who have selected the turbine option. It provides a detailed overview
of the advanced design and analysis methods for the different types of turbines.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course the student should
-
have a good knowledge of the evolution of the different architectures of

turbomachines as prime mover in conversion and propulsion systems from
1900 to today as driven by a combination of the inventive spirit of gifted
engineers, the gradual evolution of more and more complex experimental and
analytical models and finally the irresistible progress of advanced numerical
methods,
master in much more detail than taught in the FTM course the design practice
for turbine blades and stages; have a feeling of the hierarchy of importance of
44
different design aspects and be able to judge what appears right or wrong in a
turbine design,
-
have a sound understanding of the basic physics of the complex flow through
turbine bladings including aspects of transonic and supersonic flow, boundary
layer transition and separation and three dimensional flows. The students
should know how to improve the turbine design by using this knowledge for an
improved flow control,
be able to evaluate the impact of the aerodynamics on the thermal aspects in

the last stages of steam turbines and the need of cooling in the first stages of
gas engine turbines; appreciate the effect of cooling systems and blade
materials on turbine lifetime,
understand the underlying physics and make use of 3D blade design to gain
improved flow control, in particular in the endwall regions,
understand unsteady flows in turbomachines through combination of advanced

time resolved experimental and numerical methods and how flow unsteadiness
impact on both performance and life time of the components,
understand how short and long term research efforts are of particular
importance to the future development of more efficient and greener
turbomachines; have a feeling of top priorities in current research areas in a
competitive environment.
Teaching forms
Formal lectures.
The practical application of the course is in the Design Exercise (DE 5. ECTS).
Course notes
- Advanced course on Axial Turbine Aerodynamics, C. Sieverding, VKI-CN221. The
course will touch the following major subjects:
Development of steam and gas Turbines
One-dimensional turbine design
Subsonic blade design
Transonic turbine design
Turbine blade trailing edge flows
Transonic and supersonic gas turbine stages
LP stages in steam turbines
45
Secondary flows in turbines
3D turbine blade design
Turbine performance prediction methods
- Contra-rotating Turbines, PowerPoint slides by S. Lavagnoli

- Turbine Blade Tip Flows, PowerPoint slides by T. Arts
- Unsteady Blade Row Interactions in Turbines, PowerPoint slides by S. Lavagnoli
Evaluation
The evaluation consists of an individual oral (one hour) closed book exam covering 3
selected chapters of the course (two imposed by the evaluator, one freely chosen by
the student). The chapters imposed are communicated to the students at the end of
the course. The choice of the freely selected chapter is announced by the student at
the beginning of the exam.
The evaluation criteria are the degree in which the student:
-
masters the design methodology and his/her discernment of selecting the most
appropriate solution, his/her knowledge of the most appropriate stage
performance evaluation methods,
understands the basic physics of the flows in turbine bladings and their
consequence on optimal blade designs,
understands and is able to apply the various means for reducing the impact of
secondary and tip clearance flows on turbine performance,
is able to estimate the impact of the selected solutions on the overall aerothermal performance of the turbine stage(s),
has a comprehension of the unsteady flow phenomena caused by blade row

interaction and his/her appreciation of the importance of unsteady effects with
respect to steady state stage performance data.
5.3
SPECIALIZATION IN COMPRESSORS
ADVANCED COURSE IN COMPRESSORS
(ACC - 4.5 ECTS)

F. FONTANETO, T. VERSTRAETE
F. BREUGELMANS
R. VAN DEN BRAEMBUSSCHE
This advanced course is the follow-up of the basic turbomachinery course FTM and is
followed only by students who have selected the compressor option. Presented are the
46
theory and models that have been established for the detailed design and analysis of
the different components of radial and axial compressors and an overview of the
computer-based optimization methods for radial compressors. Emphasis is on the
physics of the flow in relation to the equations that govern them and on the way
geometrical changes influence the performance. The course intends to give a good
basis for people interested in designing different types of compressors.
This course is composed of two parts corresponding to the main types of compressors.
The first part provides the theory and models that have been established for radial
compressors. This second one is similar to the first one but aims for an up-to-date
understanding of the flow mechanisms governing advanced axial compressors
(subsonic, transonic and supersonic).
Learning outcomes
The learning objective of the first part is to make the student aware of the specificities
of radial compressors. They should understand the role of radius change and flow
separation on the transformation of energy and pressure rise, the mechanisms
governing the flow in radial vaneless and vaned diffusers, return channels and volutes.
The student should also understand the mutual interaction of these components.
He/she should master the specific performance prediction models with special
attention to range, understand the specificities of the secondary flow in radial
turbomachines and its impact on stability (surge and stall). He/she should know the
specific problems related to the different fields of application (industry, power
generation or aeronautics), and understand the impact of Reynolds number or gas
composition on performance.
This first part of the course is also offered to external participants from industry and
research centers and PhD students preparing a thesis related to radial compressors.
At the end of the second part of the course student should have a clear idea of the
specificities of multistage, low speed, transonic and supersonic axial compressors and
understand how the different operating conditions influence the design. The impact of
flow unsteadiness, secondary flows and casing treatment, inlet distortion and erosion,
on the stability (surge and stall) and advantages of variable geometry and bleeding
should be understood. Students should master the design methodologies that are
specific for high speed applications including the stage matching techniques. They
should be aware of the differences between the aero and industrial applications and
the impact of gas composition.
The students should also understand the problems that are specific for supersonic
compressors such as: 3D shock losses and unique incidence and their impact on blade
shape and range. They should also understand the different design philosophies. The
second part of the course makes extensive use of conference articles and journal
papers to illustrate the topics that are discussed.
Teaching methods
Part 1 (ARCC): tutorials 30h, exercises 4h
47
Part 2 (AACC): tutorials 20h, seminars 6h

The practical application of the course is in the Design Exercise (DE 5. ECTS)
Course notes
- Centrifugal Compressors, Analysis & Design, R.A. Van den Braembussche, VKI CN 192
- Multidisciplinary Optimization of Turbomachinery Components using Differential
Evolution, T. Verstraete, VKI CN 218
- Centrifugal Compressors, R.A. Van den Braembussche, PowerPoint Slides
- Collection of PowerPoint slides J.F. Brouckaert
- Mechanical Factors affecting Surge line, F. Breugelmans VKI-CN 96
- Off-design Performance of Axial Compressors, J. Chauvin VKI-CN 100
- Transonic Compressor Cascades, H. Griepentrog, VKI-CN 73.
Literature
- Extensive bibliography in CN 192 and CN218
- Effect of Mach number on the Flow and Application of Compressibility Corrections in
a Two-Dimensional Subsonic-Transonic Compressor Cascade having Varied Porouswall Suction at the Trailing Edge, W.B. Briggs, NACA TN 2649
- Performance of Controlled Diffusion Blades, H. Starken, VKI-LS 1992-02 (part of)
- Loss Development in Transonic Compressor Cascades, H. Starken, VKI-LS 1998-03
(part of)
- Investigation of the Axial Velocity Density Ratio in a High Turning Cascade,
H. Starken, F. Breugelmans, P. Schimming, ASME 75-GT-25
- Design of Compressor Blades Suitable for Transonic Axial-Flow Compressors,
M.P. Boyce ASME 67-GT-47
- A shock Loss Model for Supercritical Subsonic Flows in Transonic Axial Compressors,
R.J. Dunker, AGARD paper 27
- The Cascade and Stator Section Performance of a 48o Cambered DCA Airfoil
Comparison with 2D Flow Calculations in the Compressible Flow Regime,
F. Breugelmans, VLI-LS 59
- Single Stage Experimental Evaluation of High Mach Number Compressible Rotor
Blading, Part I Design of Rotor Blading, D.R. Steyler & L.H. Smith. NACA RM
48
- Design Methodology for Advance HP Compressor First Stages, M. Goutines, VKI LS

1988-03, (part of)
- Analysis of 3D Viscous Flow in Transonic Compressors, W.N. Dawes, VKI-LS February
1988) (part of)
- Fan and LP Compressor Design: General; Considerations, (slides), J. Lepine, VKI-LS
2003-06, (part of)
- LP Compressor Design, (slides), J. Lepine, VKI-LS 2003-06, (part of)
- Shock Structure Measured in a Transonic Fan Using Laser Anemometry, J. Wood et
al. AGARD CP-401, paper 2
- Transonic Investigation of an Axial-Flow Compressor Rotor with a Hub-tip ratio of
0.75 and Blades having NACA A2I8b mean lines, NACA RM L57H08, P.T. Bernot & M.
Savage
- Single Stage Experimental Evaluation of High Mach Number Compressible Rotor
Blading, Part 4 Performance of Rotor 2D, K.W. Krabacher & J.P. Gostelow
- Axial Compressor Performance Predictions, AGARD (part of).
49
5.4
OPTIONAL
OPTIONAL COURSES IN THE TURBOMACHINERY DEPARTMENT
Students following the experimental option have to take following course:

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS
(ICFD - 1.25 ECTS)

M. PERIC
Students selecting the Numerical option and making the reduced Design Exercise (1.5
ECTS) have to take following course:
(NMFD2 - 3 ECTS)
H. DECONINCK
50
6. OPTIONAL COURSES FOR ALL

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
Introduction to computational fluid dynamics (lecture series)
ICFD - 1.25 ECTS
MT Labs 1,5 - 6.0 ECTS
Introduction to aeroacoustics
ACOUS - 2 ECTS
Introduction to the mechanics of turbulence modelling
TURB - 2.50 ECTS
DAP - 2 ECTS
Design and operation of plasma wind tunnels
PWT 1.0 ECTS
Numerical methods in fluid dynamics, part 2
NMFD2 - 3 ECTS
Computational methods for incompressible flows
CMIF - 1.5 to 4.0 ECTS
A. Lectures
1.5 ECTS
B. Exercises
2.5 ECTS
CMCF - 1.5 to 4.0 ECTS
A. Lectures
1.5 ECTS
B. Exercises - Project
2.5 ECTS
Two-dimensional boundary layers
2DBL 4.0 ECTS
Boundary layers and flow separation in three dimensions
3DBL - 1.25 ECTS
Low speed wind tunnel analysis and design
WTAD - 1 ECTS
Introduction to Ground testing facilities
IGT 1.25 ECTS
51
The following courses are optional and in function of their projects, students may
select, in agreement with their supervisor, one or more optional courses available to
all areas of specialization.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS LS
(ICFD - 1.25 ECTS)

ECTS)
M. PRIC
(VKI coordinator H. DECONINCK)
This three-day course has the same objectives as the course on Numerical Methods in
Fluid Dynamics, part 1: Introduction but is oriented to students who will follow the
experimental option and hence will not continue with a more advanced CFD course.
Emphasis is also put on the relation between the flow physics and the modeling.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course the student should have an understanding of the basic
philosophy of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). He/she should know how the
equations for incompressible and compressible flows, explained in the theoretical
courses, are numerically modeled and how the different formulations (implicit/explicit)
influence accuracy and stability. He/she should understand the CFD vocabulary.
This course is included in the VKI lectures series program and attracts every year
between 30 and 40 external participants from industry and research centers.
Teaching forms
Formal lectures 15 hours
Course notes
- Computational fluid dynamics - An introduction, Edited by Wendt, J.F., ed. Springer,
3rd edition, 2009, isbn-13 978-3-540-85055-7, A von Karman Institute Book
Literature
References in the course notes
Evaluation
The evaluation is done by an oral closed book exam.
52
ADVANCED MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES LABORATORIES (MT Labs 1,5 - 6.0 ECTS)

J. VAN BEECK,JBEECK,J-M. BUCHLIN,M. VETRANO, C. SCHRAM, O. CHAZOT
This course intends to provide the in-depth knowledge of typical measurement
techniques to students who plan to use them in their project.
Learning objectives
After conducting these laboratory experiments the student should have an in-depth
knowledge of and the skills required to apply following modern measurement
techniques with application to fluid dynamics:
-
Calibration of a three-component internal strain gauge balance and its use for
force measurements on a typical aircraft/missile configuration,
Laser Doppler velocimetry and its use to measure mean velocities and
turbulence levels in a boundary layer flow,
Hot wire anemometry and pressure probes to measure mean velocities and
turbulence levels in a boundary layer flow,
Infrared radiometry applied to heat transfer on a body in hypersonic flow.
In particular he/she should understand the limits of application, master the calibration,
be able to perform the data reduction and be capable of estimating the accuracy.
Course notes
- Guidelines for the Measurement Techniques laboratories, J. Anthoine & O. Chazot,
VKI-CN 191
Literature
- Measurement Techniques in Fluid Dynamics An Introduction, Third revised edition,
VKI, 1991, 383 pgs
Evaluation
Each group of students is asked to prepare a report about each lab and the evaluation
is based on the grade given by the supervisor to this report. Emphasis is put on critical
analysis of the results including uncertainty.
A second evaluation is by an individual oral examination of each student by a college of
faculty members. Criteria are the understanding of the techniques, calibration and
error estimation and their application to specific problems. The final grade is based on
a weighted average of these grades (60% for oral examination and 40% for reports).
53
INTRODUCTION TO AEROACOUSTICS
(ACOUS - 2 ECTS)
C. SCHRAM
The purpose of this course is to provide students with some basic knowledge of physical
acoustics and aero-acoustics. The main fields of application encompass low-Mach
number flows in ground and air transportation, such as cooling fan noise, airframe
noise, and ducted systems amongst others. This course is continuously updated
following the research activities at the VKI.
Learning objectives
The students should understand the fundamentals of acoustics such as: units and
assessment of noise, aerodynamic noise generation. They should understand 2D and
3D wave propagation and dissipation, Lighthills formulation and vorticity formulation
applied to jet noise, resonators and flow-acoustic coupling.
Course notes
- An Introduction to Linear Acoustics and Flow Noise at Low Mach Numbers,
C. Schram, VKI-CN 222
Literature
Bibliography in VKI-CN 222
Evaluation
The evaluation consists of a written exam focusing on practical questions and exercises
involving the implementation of the theoretical aspects covered by the course.
INTRODUCTION TO THE MECHANICS OF TURBULENCE MODELING (TURB - 2.50 ECTS)
C. BENOCCI/
BENOCCI/J. VAN BEECK
This is a formal course organized to ensure that all students of the EA department have
a basic understanding of the physics of turbulence and its simulation by computational
means. It is an optional course for students of the other departments.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this series of tutorials the student should have an insight into the
mathematical tools for the statistical description of turbulence, including transition,
turbulent stresses, kinetic energy equation, vortex dynamics in turbulent flows,
correlations, spectral analysis, notions of homogeneous and isotropic turbulence.
He/she should have an understanding of the basics of turbulence modeling and be able
to select the appropriate model for each application and assess the capabilities and
limitations of the chosen model.
54
Teaching forms
Formal courses 100%
Lecturer
Prof. C. Benocci (course responsible), J.P.A.J. van Beeck
Course notes
-
Concepts of Turbulence modeling, C. Benocci and D. Olivari, VKI-CN 158
An Introduction to Mechanics of Turbulence, D. Olivari and C. Benocci,

VKI-CN 157
Introduction to mechanics of turbulence: Spectral analysis of turbulent flows,

C. Benocci and J. Van Beeck, VKI-CN 168
Introduction to the Physics and Simulation of Turbulence, J.H. Ferziger,

VKI-CN 156.
Literature
Turbulent Flows, S.B Pope (2000) Cambridge University Press
Large Eddy Simulation and related techniques, Theory and Application, VKI Lecture
Series 2012-03, C. Benocci & J. Van Beeck editors
Introduction to the modeling of turbulence, VKI Lecture Series 2004-06, C. Benocci & J.
Van Beeck editors.
Evaluation
Evaluation is by a written closed book exam measuring the objectives are reached i.e.
a theoretical knowledge about the mechanics of turbulence and its modeling.
(DAP - 2 ECTS)
C. SCHRAM
This course teaches the basic techniques for acquiring experimental data under a
digitized form and the numerical techniques for processing them.
Learning outcomes
After successful completion of this course the student should understand the
consequences of the measurement chain and numerical data processing techniques
(digital filtering, numerical modeling of probe transfer function and digital
compensation of signals ). In particular he/she should be aware of the restrictions and
errors due to the discretization. He/she should also understand the advanced
techniques for unsteady flow measurements (wavelets, POD decomposition, etc.).
55
The final outcome is the students capability to define and set up the appropriate
measurement chain for a specific problem and the knowledge and competence needed
to correctly perform the analysis of the results collected in the research project (TU
students) or obtained in the laboratory sessions of the Advanced Experimental
Techniques course (MT labs 1.5 ECTS).
Teaching forms
Formal lectures (85%) and computerized exercises (15%)
Lecturer
Prof. C. Schram, faculty
Course notes
- Data acquisition and processing, PowerPoint slides by G. Paniagua
- Measurement Techniques in Fluid Dynamics An Introduction, Third revised edition,
VKI, 1991, 383 pgs. (last chapter)
- Fundamentals of Data Acquisition and processing, R. Denos, VKI-CN 171.
- Introduction to Advanced Data Processing, Mike Bilka, VKI-CN 197.
Literature
Bibliography in VKI-CN 171, VKI-CN 197
Evaluation
The evaluation is based on a written closed book exam measuring the understanding
of the concepts explained during the courses (weight 16/20) and by a multiple choice
test evaluating the understanding of the advanced data processing techniques for
unsteady flows (4/20).
DESIGN AND OPERATION OF PLASMA WIND TUNNELS
(PWT 1.0 ECTS)

O. CHAZOT
This course describes the basic features of Plasma wind tunnels and related ground
testing.
Learning objectives
At the end of this course the student should have a general knowledge of what is
specific for plasma facilities and plasma reactors used for aerothermodynamics
research. It includes:
- basic operations of high frequency generators,
56
- Inductively Coupled Plasma torches design,

- characteristics of plasma flows,
- operation of plasma wind tunnels,
- application of aerothermodynamics testing in Plasmatron facilities.
Teaching forms
Formal lectures (6h), seminar (2h), Lab demonstration (2h)
Course notes
- PowerPoint Slides Plasma Windtunnel - Design Operation and Application
Literature
No good reference available (except in Russian)
Evaluation
Evaluation consists of a written exam with theoretical questions on the course contents
and the preliminary design and performance evaluation of a plasma wind tunnel. The
evaluation criteria are along the understanding of plasma wind tunnel operation,
thermal plasma flow features and typical measurements techniques applicable.
(NMFD2 - 3 ECTS)
H. DECONINCK
Learning objectives
This second part is a natural continuation of the first part, but goes much more in detail.
At the end of the course the student should be able to follow the global CFD literature,
choose an algorithm and develop independently a CFD method for a particular
application. The following objectives should be reached for a successful completion of
this course:
- master the theory of Partial Differential Equations, including the classification of PDEs
based on the theory of characteristics. Master the specific properties of hyperbolic,
elliptic and parabolic equations and the link with initial versus boundary value
problem and diffusion versus propagation. Understand the concept of well-posedness
with respect to boundary and initial conditions (Hadamard). Have a detailed
understanding of the theory of hyperbolic conservation laws including weak solutions,
jump relations, concept of mathematical entropy condition, boundary conditions,
57
- know the main discretization techniques based on finite difference, finite volume,
finite element and spectral methods, including a discussion of the relationship
between the various methods,
- have a deep understanding of the concepts of consistency, stability and convergence,
stability theory (von Neumann analysis), Lax-Wendroff theorem, equivalent
differential equation of a scheme, concepts of artificial dissipation and upwinding and
the relation between both,
- master the principles of monotone schemes for hyperbolic conservation laws based
of TVD and positivity (LED) conditions,
- be familiar with the classical finite difference and stabilized finite element schemes
(SUPG, GLS) for hyperbolic and parabolic problems. Be familiar with classical time
integration schemes (explicit and implicit) and their stability properties,
- have a good understanding of the boundary value problems, with emphasis on
iterative methods for solving linear systems, including relaxation methods (SOR,
Gauss-Seidel), conjugategradient like (Krylov subspace) methods and multigrid
methods.
Course notes
- Numerical Techniques for Solving Partial Differential Equations, H. Deconinck, VKICN 142
- Numerical Methods in Fluid Dynamics 2, Exercises, H. Deconinck, VKI-CN 182
- Numerical Methods in Fluid Dynamics 2, Solutions to exercises, H. Deconinck, VKI-CN
183
Literature
- Numerical Solution of Time-Dependent Advection-.Diffusion-Reaction Equations, W.
Hundsdorf and J.G. Verwer, Springer Series in Computational Mathematics, 2003
- Fundamentals of Computational Fluid Dynamics, H. Lomax Thomas H. Pulliam David
W. Zingg, Springer Verlag
- Difference Methods for Initial-Value Problems, Robert D. Richtmyer, K. W. Morton
Birkhauser, - Finite Element Methods for Flow Problems, J Donea, Antonio Huerta,
John Wiley.
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Evaluation
The evaluation of NMFD2 is made by a written open book exam consisting of
exercises which require both a good understanding of the theory and the capacity to
set up, analyze and solve a CFD problem.
COMPUTATIONAL METHODS FOR INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOWS
(CMIF - 1.5 to 4.0 ECTS)

H. DECONINCK
This course consists of lectures (1.5 ECTS) and exercises (2.5 ECTS). Students may
choose to attend only the lectures.
A. LECTURES
(1.5 ECTS)
Learning outcomes
The student must master the different discretization methods applied to the steady
convection diffusion equation, with emphasis on monotonicity and accuracy. This
includes finite difference, upwind finite volume schemes (including monotone schemes
such as MUSCL TVD) and SUPG finite element schemes.
They should understand the incompressibility condition and the role of the pressure in
incompressible flows. They should also be able to solve problems governed by the full
incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and master:
- the projection method, including the different ways of coupling the velocity and
pressure field (SIMPLE, SIMPLEC, SIMPLER, PISO),
- the different ways to stabilize the pressure (Brezzi-Babuska condition),
- staggered grid approaches for finite differences and non-collocated finite element
methods in u-v-p formulation,
- finite volume methods based on the artificial compressibility method and Lagrangian
Augmented.
They should have a basic knowledge of:
- turbulence models for incompressible solvers (with focus on k-epsilon and Large
Eddy Simulation),
- multiphase models for incompressible solver (with focus on VOF).
Teaching forms
Formal lectures (100%)
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Course notes
- Computational Methods for Incompressible Flows, PowerPoint slides by P. Rambaud
Literature
Computational methods for fluid dynamics, Ferziger, J.H.; Peric, M., 3rd Edition
Springer, 2002,
Evaluation
Evaluation is done through a written exam trying to measure the theoretical
understanding of the different techniques.
B. EXERCISES
(2.5 ECTS)
The exercises consist of short problems to illustrate the theory.

Learning outcomes
The student should be able to use a commercial code and an open source code to solve
a specific problem by means of the different techniques presented in the lecture part.
Modifications of the open source code written in Matlab will be required.
Teaching forms
Exercises (100%)
Course notes
- MatLab program to be modified
Literature
- Computational methods for fluid dynamics, Ferziger, J.H.; Peric, M., 3rd Edition
Springer, 2002.
Evaluation
Evaluation is based on a report showing the sensibilities of the solutions and potential
benefits from modifications implemented in the solvers.
(CMCF - 1.5 to 4.0 ECTS)

H. DECONINCK
T. MAGIN
This course consists of lectures (1.5 ECTS) and exercises (2.5 ECTS). Students may
choose to attend only the lectures. This is a specialized course oriented towards the
development of new advanced algorithms and software for compressible flow with
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application to both aeronautics and turbomachines. The student is supposed to have

completed the NMFD1 and NMFD2 courses before starting this one.
A. LECTURES
1.5 ECTS
Learning outcomes
A successful completion of this course requests that the student has an in-depth
knowledge of the modern explicit and implicit Finite-Difference, Finite Volume and
Finite Element techniques for the solution of compressible Euler and Navier-Stokes
equations, including:
- Finite Volume methods on structured and unstructured grids,
- the mixed fourth/second order artificial diffusion scheme of Jameson, Schmidt and
Turkel,
- upwind schemes based on Godunovs method (Riemann solvers), including Flux
Difference (Roe, Liu) and Flux Vector Splitting (Steger-Warming, van Leer) schemes,
- second order high resolution TVD and LED schemes combined with central and
upwind discretization based on MUSCL reconstruction, flux limiting using classical
limiters,
- multidimensional upwind Residual Distribution methods on unstructured grids,
- stabilized (continuous) Least Squares Galerkin Finite Element methods, SUPG
stabilization, shock capturing stabilization,
- basics of Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element methods for compressible flow and
the link with Finite Volume Methods,
- explicit time integration based on multi-stage schemes,
- implicit time integration methods, Newton and quasi-Newton methods combined
with iterative solvers including relaxation methods (SGS), multigrid methods, Krylov
subspace methods.
Specificities of external flows (airfoils) and internal flows (nozzles, turbo-machinery
cascades) should be understood.
Teaching forms
Tutorials 100%
Course notes
- Computational Methods for Compressible Flow, H. Deconinck, VKI-CN 147
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Literature
- Finite Volume Methods for Hyperbolic Problems, Randall J LeVeque, Cambridge
University press
Birkhauser
- Riemann Solvers and Numerical Methods for Fluid Dynamics: A Practical
Introduction, Eleuterio F. Toro, Springer
Evaluation
The evaluation is based on an oral exam with questions verifying the theoretical
knowledge, and the explanation of an original paper from literature (given to the
students a few days before the exam). Weight is 2/3 for the oral questions and 1/3 for
the literature paper.
B. EXERCISE - PROJECT
2.5 ECTS
For a CFD course at this advanced level it is essential to be able to convert the theory
into a working computer code. Students with a good background (e.g. programming
experience in a previous master thesis) can be allowed to skip this part. This is evaluated
at the beginning of the year when the course program is defined.
Learning outcomes
Completing the programming exercise serves two purposes: first, it completes the
process of mastering the theory because understanding a CFD algorithm in all its facets
can only be obtained by programming and testing the method in a working program.
For example, use of memory, speed of the algorithms, complexity of programming (e.g.
implicit versus explicit) are important elements which the student will acquire through
the programming exercise. Second, the principles of incremental programming and
debugging will be acquired by students who are inexperienced in programming. This
experience is then further developed in the master project.
Teaching forms
Exercises 100%
Course notes
Not applicable
Literature
See theory
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TWOTWO-DIMENSIONAL BOUNDARY LAYERS
(2DBL 4.0 ECTS)

G. DEGREZ
This is the basic boundary layer course for AR students.

Learning objectives
At the end of this course, the student should have a good knowledge of the different
boundary layer concepts together with the equations and master the solution
techniques for incompressible and compressible boundary layers. In particular he/she
should:
- know the Blasius solution for flat plate flow, Falkner-Skan self-similar flows,
- understand the influence of pressure gradient,
- know the criteria for instability and transition (Orr-Sommerfeld equation, initial
instability and growth of 3D perturbations, turbulent spots; by-pass mechanisms,
receptivity) for laminar boundary layers,
- have a physical understanding of the turbulent boundary layers, know the Reynoldsaveraged turbulent boundary layer equations and turbulence models,
- understand the concept of integral methods and the effect of boundary layers on
outer flowviscous/inviscid interaction.
Course notes
- Laminar Boundary Layers, G. Degrez, VKI-CN 143
- 2D Boundary layers Transition and turbulent Flows, G. Degrez, VKI-CN 143 Part II,
(Draft)
Literature
- Modeling & Computation of Boundary-Layer Flows: Laminar, Turbulent &
Transitional Boundary Layers in Incompressible Flows. Solutions Manual &
Computer Programs, Cebeci, T. & Cousteix, J., Springer, 1st edition, June 15, 2001.
Evaluation
Evaluation is based on 3 homework assignments and a written exam. The homework
(weight 9/20) intends to verify if the students are able to apply the knowledge
presented in the course. The written exam (weight 11/20) has 2 parts: closed book
(6/20) to verify the knowledge related aspects, and open book (5/20) is a further
evaluation of the students competence to apply that knowledge.
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BOUNDARY LAYERS AND FLOW SEPARATION IN THREE DIMENSIONS (3DBL - 1.25 ECTS)
G. DEGREZ
The aim of this optional course is to provide a deep insight into the specificities of threedimensional boundary layers, i.e. the impact of cross flows, how they occur on flat
plates with parabolic free stream and in flows over sheared wings (infinite swept
wings). It is complementary to the course on 2D boundary layers.
Learning objectives
At the end of this course the student should have a good understanding of the
boundary layer equations in surface-oriented coordinate systems, the nature of
integral equations and singular points. He should also have clear insight into flow
separation, the corresponding streamlines and skin friction lines, the critical points, the
topological rules and their evolution with parameters, the dynamical constraints of flow
patterns and vortical structures. He should be able to interpret results of 3D transonic
flow calculations and surface flow visualizations.
Course notes
- Three Dimensional Boundary Layers and Separation, G. Degrez, VKI-CN 154
Literature
Bibliography listed in VKI-CN 154
Evaluation
Evaluation is based on a written exam. A closed book part (weight 10/20) verifies the
knowledge-related topics; the open book part verifies the students capacity to apply
that knowledge to practical cases (weight 10/20).
LOW SPEED WIND TUNNELS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
(WTAD - 1 ECTS)
B. BOTTIN
This course expands on the different aspects of subsonic/transonic wind tunnel design.
It is a follow-up of the introduction to ground testing facilities lecture series. It focuses
on design issues, turbulence reduction and most notably methods to assess and reduce
wall interference effects in the test section.
Learning objectives
The objective for the student is to be able to perform a preliminary design analysis of a
new facility, from non-dimensional parameters selection and quantification, open vs
closed configurations, power requirements estimation and test section sizing with
respect to interference requirements. He/she should be able to specify/select
individual wind tunnel components, such as test section, diffusers, fan, corner vanes,
wide angle diffusers, settling chamber, screens and honeycombs, contraction and heat
exchangers. He/she should be capable of estimating the impact of design options on
power and turbulence reduction requirements.
64
Course notes
- From Subsonic to Supersonic Wind Tunnels: Similarity Laws, Tunnel Types and
Components, Design Considerations, B. Bottin, VKI CN 151.
- Assessment and correction of wind tunnel wall interference, and wall adaptation
techniques (mechanical/pneumatical), B. Bottin, VKI CN 161.
Literature
Bibliography in VKI-CN 151/161.
Evaluation
The evaluation consists of an individual design of a new wind tunnel (open book),
followed by an oral interview. Justification of the selected design options is the major
evaluation criterion.
INTRODUCTION TO GROUND TESTING FACILITIES LECTURE SERIES (IGT 1.25 ECTS)
FACULTY, O. CHAZOT (coordinator)
The course, dedicated for both numerical and experimental options, consists of
lectures (80%) and hands-on laboratory sessions (20%). It provides a general
understanding of the design, operation and application of ground testing facilities from
all speed regimes. Experimental methodology is exposed as well as the interpretation
of the data and their extrapolation to a real situation. The course includes an on-site
presentation of the VKI facilities during a lab visit.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course students should have a good knowledge of the different
ground testing facilities available for fluid dynamic research at all speed regimes.
He/she should be able to select the appropriate ground testing environment to study a
given experimental problem. He/she should be able to understand its operation and its
limitations, be able to carry out the data interpretation and the corresponding flight
extrapolation.
Teaching forms
Formal lectures 15 h
Lab sessions 3 h
Lecturers
Profs. O. Chazot, (course coordinator), T. Arts, B. Bottin, J.M. Buchlin, M. Carbonaro, C.
Schram, J. Van Beeck.
65
Course notes
Lecture series folder with courses notes and slides.
Literature
References in the course notes
Evaluation
The evaluation is done by an oral closed book exam.
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LECTURE SERIES 2016

2016-2017
2017
1. Introduction to Measurement Techniques
03-07 October 2016
2. Introduction to Ground Testing Facilities
07-09 November 2016
3. Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics
23-27 January 2017
4. Radial Compressor Design and Optimization
06-10 February 2017
5. Industrial Computational Fluid Dynamics
20-24 March 2017
6. CFD for Atmospheric Flows and Wind Engineering
27-31 March 2017
7. Thermohydraulics and Chemistry of Liquid Metal Cooled Reactors
10-14 April 2017
8. Turbulent Combustion
24-28 April 2017
9. Active Flow Control: Techniques and Applications
8-12 May 2017
10. Design and operation of aeroacoustic wind tunnel tests for ground and air transport
(STO AVT 287)
22-24 May 2017
11. Multiphysics phenomena analysis on boundary layer stability in hypersonic regime (STO
AVT 289)
12-16 June 2017
12. Liquid fragmentation in gas flows (STO AVT 288)
11-15 September 2017
NOTE: The dates and events mentioned above are subject to change; please consult the VKI
website for the most up-to-date information.
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69
VKI FACILITIES, INSTRUMENTATION AND COMPUTATIONAL AIDS

The information contained in the brochure entitled Von Karman Institute, Test
Facilities and Technical Support, 50TH anniversary edition 2006 is updated and
summarized below:
MAIN FACILITIES
Low Speed Wind Tunnel L-1A: An open-jet test facility for aeronautical and industrial
research and development. Test section diameter 3 m, length 4.5 m; velocity up to 60
m/s (Mach number 0.2).
Low Speed Wind Engineering Facility L-1B: A closed test section wind tunnel of 3 m x 2
m section. The length of the test section of 15m allows simulation of atmospheric
boundary layers, for studies of urban microclimates and pollutant dispersal, and wind
effects on buildings and structures. A special test section is available for model studies
of vehicle aerodynamics. Velocity from 1 to 50 m/sec.
Low Speed Wind Tunnel L-2A: A small size, open circuit, multipurpose facility for the
study of aircraft and capsule wakes, aerofoils, junction flows, jet interactions and
vortical flows; section 0.28 m x 0.28 m, velocity up to 45 m/s, turbulence level 0.2%.
Low Speed Wind Tunnel L-2B: A moderate size, open circuit, multipurpose facility for
the study of low speed flows: aeroelasticity, turbulence, unsteady flows, wind effects
on buildings and structures, urban microclimate and pollutant dispersal, car
aerodynamics. Velocity up to 30 m/s, section 0.38 m x 0.38 m equipped with moving
ground belt.
Low Speed Wind Tunnels L-7 and L7+: Two small, low cost, portable, low speed
facilities, specially designed for student training in lab. Section 0.16 m x 0.16 m, velocity
up to 20 m/s, turbulence level 0.2%; and 0.27 m x 0.36 m, 16 m/s, 0,5%.
Low Speed Wind Tunnels L-10 and L-12: Two small, low cost, portable, low speed
facilities, using L-7 design, especially devoted to student training. Section 0.2 m x 0.2
m, velocity up to 15 m/s, turbulence level 0.3%.
Low Speed Wind Tunnels L-11: A small, low cost, portable, low speed facility, similar to
L-10, recently rebuilt to allow injection of water droplets to study particles-turbulence
interactions, as well as slag entrapment in a 2D-cold flow model of a solid propellant
rocket engine with submerged nozzle. Section 0.2 m x 0.2 m, velocity up to 15 m/s.
Low Speed Wind Tunnel for study of impinging jets: A duplication of the L-10 wind
tunnel, adapted to accommodate an array of nozzles (perforated plate) to create air
jets impinging on a heated plate. Infrared Thermography measurements, flow rate
between 0.1 and 0.25 m3/s.
70
Myrrha Basic sEt-up for Liquid fLow Experiments - MyrrhaBelle : A water-scaled model
of the primary circuit allows high-resolution flow field and temperature
characterization for forced, mixed and natural convection regimes.
SHaking Apparatus for Kinetic Experiments of Sloshing Project with EArthquake
REproduction - ShakeSpeare: A 3D sloshing table allows the investigation on the
consequences of liquid sloshing due to seismic activity on the different internal
structures of the MYRRHA reactor.
Ultrasonic Imaging SystemTaupe: Due to the opaque nature of the liquid metal
coolant, ultrasonic imaging systems can be useful to help the fuel loading process in
the reactor pool and inspect the internal structures to ensure safe and proper
operation of the reactor. Within this objective, the VKI has started the development of
a method for the reconstruction of images based on the signal delivered by ultrasonic
transducers. An experimental investigation will also start on the effect of thermal and
velocity gradient on the propagation of ultrasonic waves.
Cryogenic Facilities: The laboratory is composed by two main facilities. A large
multipurpose facility, the CryoLine, which allows the characterization of cryogenic
valves and the study of cryogenic water hammer and chill-down phenomena. A fully
customized cryostat, certified for microgravity conditions,CryME for the
characterization of cryogenic sloshing, boiling and thermal stratification on earth and
in microgravity conditions.
Cold Wind Tunnel CWT-1: A thermally insulated low speed facility designed for the
study and aerodynamic certification of aircraft de/anti-icing fluids, and the impact of
ice crystals and droplets on aircrafts and wind turbine blades. Possible cooling down to
-40C by liquid nitrogen sprays. Presently used at ambient temperature for general
studies. Section 0.1 m x 0.3 m with 1.6 m length, optical access, maximum speed 75
m/s. The wind tunnel is equipped with injection points for water droplets that freeze
depending on operating conditions and droplet size.
Adaptive Wall Wind Tunnel T'3: A small, cryogenic, pressurizable, adaptive wall wind
tunnel, on loan from ONERA to VKI. Presently run in non-cryogenic mode, for wall
interference-free aerofoil testing, at Reynolds numbers from 2 x 105 to 1 x 106. Test
section 0.1 m x 0.12 m, speed up to 80 m/s.
Supersonic Wind Tunnel S-1: Continuous flow facility with low stagnation pressure for
fundamental and applied research on aircraft/missile/shell shapes in transonic and
supersonic regimes. Recently improved for transonic airfoil testing. Mach numbers
from 0.4 to 1.0 and 2.25 in a 0.36 m x 0.4 m test section. Reynolds number 1 x 106/m.
Equipped with a schlieren/shadowgraph imaging system, and a high accuracy Laser
Doppler Velocimetry traversing table. Incorporates as an option a turbine blade
cascade test section, located in the first corner, for low Reynolds number and high
subsonic Mach number testing.
Supersonic Wind Tunnel S-4: High stagnation pressure intermittent facility for basic and
applied research. Mach number 3.5 in an 80 mm x 100 mm test section, with a
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schlieren/shadowgraph imaging system, and PIV capability. Reynolds number to 1 x

108/m.
Hypersonic Tunnel H-3: High stagnation pressure blow-down facility for studies of
boundary layer heat transfer, separation and transition, shock wave boundary layer
interaction, simulation of ablation, aerodynamic loads. Mach number 6 in a 120mm
diameter free jet, with a schlieren/shadowgraph imaging system, and infrared
measurements capability. Reynolds number from 3 x 106/m to 30 x 106/m.
Hypersonic "Longshot" Tunnel: Very high stagnation pressure, short duration high
Mach number facility for studies of laminar and turbulent heat transfer, transition,
static and dynamic stability, flow fields around bodies and forces/moments
measurements. Mach number 14 to 20 in a 250 mm diameter free jet, with a
schlieren/shadowgraph imaging system. Reynolds number 3 x 107/m at Mach 15.
Operation with nitrogen ( = 1.41) or CO2 ( = 1.33), for Earth and Mars entry
simulation.
The "Minitorch": A small, 15 KW, inductively heated plasma jet facility for
instrumentation studies and training. Frequency of induction heating 27 MHz, jet
diameter 30 mm, discharging in a 300 mm diameter, 1.2 m long test section, where
pressure can be varied from 30 mbar to atmospheric. By addition of a Laval nozzle, a
supersonic plasma jet (Ma = 2.2) can be obtained. Argon, air or other gases (CO2) can
be used. Particles addition for simulation of dusty Mars atmosphere, and model precooling to simulate Mars entry initial conditions. Recently added capability of
simulation of Titan atmosphere radiation for the Huygens entry.
The "Plasmatron": A high enthalpy facility generating an argon, air or CO2 plasma jet in
a vacuum test section. The plasma is generated by electrical induction heating at 400
kHz, 2 kV, 8 kA to yield better purity than arcjets. Electrical supply power 1.2 MW (most
powerful ICP in the world). Jet diameter is 80 or 160 mm, plasma temperatures up to
8.000K, test chamber pressure from 1 to 200 mbar. Application to space re-entry
materials testing, as well as to fundamental studies on plasma flow dynamics.
Water Tunnel WT-1: Continuous closed loop facility using water for flow visualization
over small models. PIV and LDV measurements are also possible. Section 0.12 m x 0.24
m, length 0.9 m, full optical access, velocity up to 0.15 m/s.
Water Tables: Two free surface water tables (1.4 m x 0.9 m, and 3 m x 0.8 m) using the
hydraulic analogy for the visualization of 2-D internal and external sub-critical (Froude
number less than 1) and super-critical flows (Froude number from 1 to 4).
Water Spray Test Facility WS-1: A facility for tests of water nozzles and study of
interactions between single and multiple sprays and surrounding gas for pollutant
abatement. Equipped with a 1 l/s, 8 bar pump and a 3 m x 4 m water collecting pool.
Also used to study the infra-red radiation shielding properties of a water spray curtain.
72
Wind Gallery WG-1: A specially designed very low speed wind tunnel for the
investigation of dispersion of gases and absorption by water curtains: ejector driven,
equipped with liquid drainage, 1 m x 1,3 m test section, 11 m long, speed V < 4m/s.
Optional addition of rough floor for simulation of atmospheric flows.
Plate Galvanization Simulation Facility "Essor": Consists of a water bath through which
a 0.9m wide rubber belt is drawn, to simulate a steel strip coated with liquid zinc.
Equipped with an air knife to study control of residual film thickness. Belt velocity up to
4 m/s (presently disassembled).
Jet-Wiping Facility Ondule: Facility for the study of plane jet wiping of surfaces
covered with viscous liquids, using a rotating transparent cylinder dipping in liquid bath,
and wiped by a turbulent plane jet generated by a 2-D slot nozzle. Equipped to allow
optical non-intrusive measurements of liquid film characteristics.
Multi-Jet Cooling Facility Drever: Facility for the study of fast metal strips cooling in
galvanizing plants, using planar jets (more than 50 different nozzles), at velocities up to
100 m/s. Also used for metal strip vibrations studies.
Continuous Casting Simulation Facilities "Vulcain & Pluton": Water-based facilities for
the study of continuous casting of steel. Simulation of flow in the mould (1/2 scale) and
in the ladle and tundish above it (1/4 scale). Full optical access for flow visualization and
non-intrusive measurements.
High-Speed Train Simulation Facility: A crossbow launcher facility used to propel train
models at high speed on steel wires, to study pressure fluctuations at entrance of
tunnels and underground stations. Train tunnel at 1/87 scale, tunnel length 6m, train
velocity up to 150 km/h.
Aeroacoustics Facility Acous: For the study of coherent structures in shear layers, and
of noise generation, with application to aircraft turbojet engines. Consists of 40mm and
20mm diameter steel nozzles, supplied by air ejectors through acoustically damped
0.5m x 0.5m x 2m settling chambers, and mounted inside a 4m x 3m x 3m acoustically
insulated room. Fitted with loudspeakers for acoustic jets excitation. Jets velocity up to
75 m/s.
Solid Propulsion Facility "Booster": A cold flow model of a solid propellant rocket motor
combustion chamber, used to study the aeroacoustics instabilities, which lead to
pressure and thrust fluctuations. Axisymmetric 76 mm-diameter test section with
porous walls for radial injection of cold air, in turn feeding interchangeable nozzles
fitted with moveable needle to vary the throat area. Air flow rates up to 0.3 kg/s.
Biological Flows Facility "Bio": Transparent scaled-up model of human lung bifurcations,
using water-glycerol mixtures to simulate respiratory flows, specially designed for nonintrusive optical diagnostics.
Low Speed Cascade Tunnel C-1: Continuous facility for the study of flows in low speed
turbomachinery blading. Section 120 mm x 500 mm, velocity up to 100 m/s, blade
Reynolds number from 5x104 to 8x105.
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High Speed Cascade Tunnel C-3: Intermittent facility for the study of flows in subsonic,
transonic and supersonic blade cascades up to Mach 2.2. Test sections of 100 mm x
250 mm, or 200 mm x 400 mm for large subsonic model testing, inlet angle
continuously adjustable. Test durations up to 10 minutes.
Jet Calibration facility C-4: Vertical jet axis used to calibrate directional probes in the
transonic domain, benefiting from the same 40 bar air supply system as the C3 facility.
Calibration nozzle outlet diameter is 50 mm. The accuracy in the angle calibration is
better than +/- 0.5 deg. Test duration up to 10 minutes.
Shock Tube ST-2: small shock tube from Snecma (groupe Safran) installed at the VKI
for frequency response characterization of pressure transducers and lines. Length
8000 mm, diameter 100 mm, operating pressure 2 bar.
Compression Tube CT-2: Short duration hot compressible flow facility for studying heat
transfer and film cooling effectiveness on turbine blades. Stagnation pressure and
temperature ranging respectively between 0.1 to 5 bar and 300 to 600K; flow duration
0.1 to 1.0 sec; test section 100mm x 200mm.
Compression Tube Turbine Facility CT-3: Short duration facility for testing full scale
advanced high-pressure cooled nozzle guide vanes, blade rows and complete1 and
stages of transonic turbines. Full simulation of Mach and Re numbers and temperature
ratios; maximum outer diameter: 800 mm, maximum power: 2-3 MW. .Equipped with
opto-electronic data transmission system to allow unsteady measurements on the
rotating frame.
Internal Cooling Channels LC1, LC2, LC3: Steady state or short duration test sections
simulating a turbine cooling passage. Test section 50 mm x 50 mm and 100 mm x 100
mm; velocities up to 15 m/s; provision for wall surface (20 60C) or flow heating (20
60C).
Rotating Channel Facility RC-1: Facility to perform aero-thermal studies of low Reynolds
number flows in ducts in presence of strong Coriolis forces, wall roughness and heat
transfer. For application to micro gas turbines and HP turbines cooling channels.
Consists of a 2.5 m diameter rotating disk, up to 160 RPM, fitted with a transparent
channel and optical measurement technique (time-resolved PIV).
Low Speed Compressor Facility R-1: Open-loop continuous facility for the study of
rotating stall and flow distortions in axial compressors. 50 KW motor, rotor tip diameter
700mm, blade height 75mm.
High Speed Compressor Facility R-2: Open loop continuous facility for testing axial
flow compressor stages. 185 KW motor, 10000 rpm, rotor diameter up to 50mm.
High Speed Compressor Facility R-4: Closed loop continuous facility for testing axial and
radial compressor stages. 500 KW motor, 25000 max rpm, axial rotor diameter up to
400mm. It has been refurbished and is now being equipped with a booster test section.
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Low Speed Turbine Facility T-1: Open loop continuous facility for low speed flow studies
in turbine stators, single stage rotors, and 1 stages. Maximum air supply of 7 m3/s at
16 kPa.
QB50 Satellite Lab: Laboratory consists of a 25sqm satellite integration room used to
assemble and test nanosatellites and a satellite ground station allowing to control
satellites from VKI and operates the QB50 mission.
Bleve and Boilover ExperimentaL setup BABELs: This facility has been designed to
perform small scale hazardous experiments like fires or explosions in a secure
environment. The facility consists of a cylindrical chamber of 2m diameter, and 3m high,
with round-shaped flanges, and made out of steel with a rated pressure of 0.5MPa. The
setup has 3 series of 7 optical accesses of 0.15m in diameter separated by 90 degrees
and an elliptical door of 0.57m x 0.77m. The setup allows air venting through openings
in its bottom and upper parts, the last one being ended by an exhaust vent that can be
used after each test to remove smoke or gas from the chamber. The setup also includes
a ladder, and a circumferential walking area is located at mid-height for better
accessibility to the upper optical accesses.
NanoLab: The laboratory is composed of two main facilities: a cleanroom (2.5m and a
height of 2m designed to work either as an ISO Class 5 cleanroom or as an ISO Class 4
containment enclosure and a MBraun glovebox (internal dimensions
1950(W)x780(D)x900(H) (mm) and can be operated at over or under pressure: 15 to
+15 mbarg) and one instrument: Thermal Analyzer STA 449 F3 Jupiter from Netzsch.
INSTRUMENTATION
INSTRUMENTATION
Pulsed and CW Lasers: A number of He-Ne continuous lasers are available (power range
from 1 to 35 mW). Four continuous Argon lasers, with power up to 5 W, are also
available for visualizations, Laser Doppler Velocimetry, Rainbow Interferometry,
Particle Image Velocimetry and Doppler Global Velocimetry. Three mini-YAG, for
Particle Image Velocimetry, producing double pulses of 10 ns duration with spacing as
low as 200 ns, at repetition frequency of 10 Hz and output energy ranging between 150
and 180 mJoule. One of these lasers can emit in the UV range as well as in the visible
range. Two old Nd-YAG lasers with energy of 150 to 400 mJ are also available. A fourth
mini-YAG is part of a micro-PIV system.
Laser Doppler Velocimetry: Five complete optical systems for LDV measurements are
available: three modular multipurpose systems, a TSI two-component dual color
backscatter system, and two phase Doppler analysers (PDA) measuring particle size
(from 1m to 10mm) and velocity. Various accessories such as Bragg cells or beam
expanders may be added to the modular optics. Five period counters are available for
the Doppler signal processing. One of these accepts Doppler frequencies up to 200
MHz, and the four others operate in a range of 10 kHz to 20 MHz. The PDA have a range
of 1 kHz to 30 MHz. The TSI LDV is equipped with an IFA processor working in the
frequency domain.
75
Several traversing tables are available for use with these LDV systems. Four of them are
motorised and allow displacements along three axes. Among these, a traversing table
is fully computer-controlled. Airflow seeding systems include four oil-smoke generators
together with a pressurized Laskin's nozzle system and several atomizers for aerosol
generation.
Particle Image Velocimetry: Over the past twenty years a large number of
developments in this domain have been made at the VKI. Several home-made systems
are available. The three Nd-Yag pulsed lasers described above are available for PIV.
Three PCO cameras are used for PIV. They have a resolution of 1280X1024, a 12-bit
output and are capable of a time interval of 200 ns between the grabbing of the two
images. Each camera is associated with a frame grabber installed on a PC computer.
The PCO cameras can be combined for stereoscopic measurements. PIV processing is
mostly performed using the VKI-developed software WIDIM, but another processing
technique also developed at VKI, the Particle Tracking Velocimetry or PTV is also
available for multiphase flows. A micro-PIV system that includes a mini-YAG laser
connected to a microscope through a fiber optics and a PIV camera is also available. It
is used to measure single or two-phase flows in channels ranging from 25 micrometer
to 2 mm.
Hot Wire Anemometers: More than 20 VKI-designed and constructed systems are
available, some including a linearizer, and some without, but with a signal conditioning
filter/amplifier for data acquisition. A commercial state-of-the-art 4-channel hot wire
anemometry system was very recently purchased.
Microcomputers/Acquisition: More than 20 PC's equipped with multichannel analog
and digital interface boards, with 12 bit resolution and acquisition frequencies ranging
from 4 KHz to 1 MHz. A 96 channel, multiplexed, 100 KHz A/D 12 bit converter, PC based
data acquisition system is available for the Plasmatron. Four 8-channel, 1 MHz systems
are available in the TU department.
Transient Recorders: Two 32-channel non-multiplexed systems are available for the
Longshot facility which may be used individually or in tandem; controlled by a PC; 50
kHz sampling rate per channel. Three additional systems for the CT2/CT3 lab, also PCcontrolled, have respectively a channel capacity, max sampling frequency and memory
depth per channel of: 32 channels at 1 MHz/ch 16 bits, 64 channels at 300 kHz/ch and
64 k; 8 channels at 1 MHz/ch and 256 k; 48 channels at 50 kHz/ch and 128k.
Infrared radiometer system: 2 infrared cameras, operating in the 8 to 12 m and in the
8 to 9 m wavelength range, for remote, non-intrusive surface temperature mapping.
Optical pressure measurements: A UV light source, optical bench and calibration setup for pressure sensitive paints. Compact UV light sources are now available for
installation in facilities. Improved paints and a 12-bit video camera are also available.
Image Acquisition and Processing: A number of video cameras, recorders and PC video
acquistion/processing boards are available for use in optical/visualization experiments.
A high speed camera with variable framing rate up to 100 kHz is also available for
recording of transient phenomena.
76
Emission Spectrometer System: A spectrograph with a focal length of 1m equipped with

2 gratings (1200 gr/mm with spectral range 400-1200 nm and 3600 gr/mm with
spectral range 150-450 nm) and with a LN2-cooled array of CCD detectors (800 x 2000
pixels) is available for the Plasma Facilities. Commercial software allows performing
data acquisition and part of the processing on line. A new compact, fast-sample
spectrometer that covers the spectral range from 200 to 900 nm provides
complementary capability for temporally resolved measurements at lower spectral
resolution. Two new compact, fast-sample spectrometers that cover the spectral range
from 200 to 900 nm provide complementary capability for temporally resolved
measurements at lower spectral resolution.
Laser Spectroscopy Optical Laboratory: A third Nd:YAG laser is used to pump a high
spectral resolution, tunable dye laser for spectroscopic experiments. This laser is also
equipped with frequency tripling to obtain UV radiation for single-photon excitation of
molecular species and multi-photon excitation of atomic species. Dedicated
instrumentation includes fast digital oscilloscopes and a multi-channel, gated integrator
detection system and a small flow reactor for calibration of fluorescence signals to
allow absolute species concentration measurements.
VKI COMPUTER CENTER
The IT infrastructure in VKI consists of a wired gigabit and a fast wireless network
(802.11 b/g/n) connecting four high performance clusters, desktop workstations, and
network resources like dedicated file servers, web servers, CAD hardware, printers,
scanners, security cameras, access control systems, environmental sensors and so on.
The VKI local area network is connected via optical fiber to its internet service provider,
Belnet, the high bandwidth Belgian national research network managed by the Federal
Office for Science Policy, via a leased line provided by the Proximus Company.
IT Infrastructure
The wired network has a backbone made of fully gigabit Ethernet-compliant HP
Procurve switches and CAT6 cabling between buildings and main network resources.
The switches are trunked (via LACP) together for increased bandwidth and link
resilience. LACP trunking insure bandwidth in excess of 2 Gbit/s between all the
important nodes (file servers, database servers, virtualization hosts), with a reduced
speed of 100 Mbit/s for non-essential edge network clients.
A wireless network consisting of two VLANS, one for the visitors (using a captive portal
for authentication), one for the authenticated users (using 802.1x) offers a complete
coverage in essential areas, thanks to seven access points directly connected to the
network backbone. 802.1x authentication is being deployed for ethernet connections
as well for increased security and manageability.
Important data is stored in central servers that are the object of incremental backups
every night, for a capacity of over 30 TBs. This data is protected in addition by physical
protections against hardware failure including RAID5/6 (depending from the server)
configurations with hot spares.
77
CAD resources consist of several Windows and GNU/Linux workstations with 19" or 21
monitors, digitizing tablets and two HP plotters (a B/W and a photo quality color) for
A0 paper format.
Licenses control and monitoring is provided to check licenses availability to users and
housekeeping.
Workstations and User PC's
Many workstations are publicly available for designated purposes: over 25 GNU/Linux
workstations offer ample development capacity for students and researchers to
prepare their simulations for the HPC clusters or to process their experimental data.
These machines are accessible as well from laptops via remote connection
(cli:ssh/graphicts:X2go). The hardware ranges from baseline P4s, to Dual Opterons and
Intel Octacores, all running a 64bit OS and with an average of 2GB RAM for core.
Dedicated workstations assigned to users (researchers and PhDs) are around fifty, and
range from P4s to Dual Intel Xeon Octacores with 196GB of RAM for heavy meshing
and simulations.
The total number of workstations located in offices, labs and public rooms is around
200. Normal productivity stations offer the Microsoft branded OS and office
productivity suite, and will be more and more based on a thinclient-server architecture
to reduce costs and reduce environmental footprint reducing electrical consumption.
Parallel Computer Platforms
The main High Performance Computing (HPC) platform for students and researchers,
often the first contact with the HPC world, is a BEOWULF, Ethernet-based parallel
computer. Commodity workstations, connected via gigabit Ethernet, run under a 64bit
GNU/Linux OS using the ROCKS software stack for node provisioning and the SGE Sun
Grid Engine queuing system for jobs management. Currently, it counts around 200
cores and 0.4 TB of RAM. The hardware is heterogeneous, it counts Intel dual and quad
cores for main parallel jobs.
A second, denser HPC rack mounted cluster from SGI with 48 processors (including
three rack-mounted units with four Intel Xeon quads each) connected via infiniband
has been bought, using a financing from LMSintl, to run aeroacoustic simulations.
The last generation HPC solution is provided by a 512-cores, 1TB RAM and 12TBs
storage infiniband blade cluster used for massively parallel jobs of great scientific
interest and scale. This cluster is reserved to advanced research and studies.
The state-of-the-art HPC solution is provided by a 1792-cores, 7.2TB RAM and 72TBs
storage infiniband (FDR) blade cluster used for massively parallel jobs of great scientific
interest and even bigger scale than the ones allowed by the last generation cluster. This
cluster is reserved for advanced research and studies.
78
Software
VKI researchers and students have access to dedicated commercial scientific computing
packages (e.g. Matlab, Mathcad, Tecplot, EcoSimPro, C/C++ and Fortran compilers) and
to a series of commercial and open source CFD solvers (such as Fluent, CFX, Fine,
OpenFOAM, CFD++). A number of in-house developed CFD codes are used for
dedicated applications in optimization, plasma flows, aeronautics, turbomachinery,
multiphase flow, turbulence modeling, large eddy simulation and aeroacoustics,
exploiting the parallel computing capacity without licenses restrictions. Access to
Computer Aided Design (CAD) is available in various services and in public rooms, by
means of Autodesk INVENTOR running under a network license for 30 concurrent users.
Internet
The VKI maintains a highly visible web site (http://www.vki.ac.be), which contains
detailed information about the VKIs educational programs (including Lecture Series),
laboratories, ongoing research and noteworthy events. An SSL/VPN-OpenVPN service
is installed to provide secure access to the VKI network for VKI personnel needing to
remotely connect through Internet.
79
THE FACULTY OF THE VON KARMAN INSTITUTE

The name, country of origin, most recent university degree, academic position, and
departmental affiliation of each member of the faculty are listed below.
ARTS T. (Belgium)
Docteur en Sciences Appliques, Universit Catholique de Louvain, Belgium,
1982
Head of Department, Professor, Turbomachinery and Propulsion
BENOCCI C. (Italy)
Docteur en Sciences Appliques, Universit Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, 1981
Professor, Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics
BUCHLIN J-M. (France)
Head of Department, Professor, Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics
CHAZOT O. (France)
Docteur en Gnie des Procds, Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble,
France, 1997
Head of Department, Professor, Aeronautics and Aerospace
DECONINCK H. (Belgium)
Dr. Toegepaste Wetenschappen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, 1983
Dean of Faculty, Professor, Aeronautics and Aerospace
FONTANETO, F. (Italy)
Dr. Sca., Universit degli Studi di Bergamo, Italy 2014
Assistant Professor, Turbomachinery and Propulsion
LAVAGNOLI S. (Italy)
Dr. Sca. U. Politecn. de Valencia, Spain, 2012
MAGIN Th. (Belgium)
Associate Professor, Aeronautics and Aerospace
80
SCHRAM C. (Belgium)
Docteur en Sciences Appliques, U. Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, 1997
Associate Professor, Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics and
Aeronautics and Aerospace
VAN BEECK J. (The Netherlands)
Dr. Toegepaste Natuurkunde, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, The
Netherlands, 1997
Professor, Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics
VERSTRAETE T. (Belgium)
Dr. Toegepaste Wetenschappen, U. Gent, Belgium, 2008
On temporary leave (2015-2017)
VETRANO M.R. (Italy)
Docteur en Sciences Appliques, U. Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, 2006
Associate Professor, Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics
HONORARY PROFESSORS IN ACTIVE TEACHING DUTY
BREUGELMANS F. (Belgium)
Burgerlijk Werktuigkundig Ingenieur, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium,
1962
Honorary Professor, Turbomachinery
CARBONARO M. (Italy)
Laurea in Ingegneria Aeronautica, Politecnico di Torino, Italy, 1967
Honorary Professor, Aeronautics and Aerospace, Honorary Director VKI
SIEVERDING C.H. (Germany)
Dipl.-Ing., Technische Hochschule Hannover, Germany, 1965
Honorary Professor, Turbomachinery.
81
VAN DEN BRAEMBUSSCHE R. (Belgium)

Burgerlijk Electro-Werktuigkundig Ingenieur, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven,
Belgium, 1968
Honorary Professor, Turbomachinery
ADJUNCT PROFESSORS
BOTTIN B. (Belgium), Institut Suprieur Industriel de Bruxelles (ISIB)

Dr. Sca., Universit de Lige, Belgium, 1999
Adjunct Professor, Aeronautics and Aerospace
DEGREZ G. (Belgium), U. Libre de Bruxelles
Dr.Sca. Universit Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, 1985
GORL C. (Belgium), Columbia U. (USA)
Dr. Sca. U. of Antwerp, Belgium, 2010
Adjunct professor, Aeronautics and Aerospace & Environmental and Applied
Fluid Dynamics.
PANIAGUA G. (Spain), Purdue U. (USA)
Dr. Sca. Universit Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, 2002
THEUNISSEN R. (Belgium), Bristol U. (UK)
Dr. Ir. Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Technical University Delft, Belgium and
The Netherlands, 2010
Adjunct Professor, Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics

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VON KARMAN INSTITUTE FOR FLUID DYNAMICS

RESEARCH MASTER IN FLUID DYNAMICS

COURSE SYLLABUS AND REGULATIONS

von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics

RESEARCH MASTER IN FLUID DYNAMICS

COURSE SYLLABUS AND REGULATIONS

COURSE PROGRAM 2016-2017 .............................................................................. 1

SPECIALIZATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND APPLIED FLUID DYNAMICS ............ 28

SPECIALIZATION IN TURBOMACHINERY AND PROPULSION................................ 36

OPTIONAL COURSES FOR ALL AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION .................................. 50

LECTURE SERIES 2016-2017 ............................................................................................. 67

To contribute to the dissemination of knowledge in the field of fluid dynamics,

To undertake, to instigate and to promote studies and research in the field of

Aeronautics and Aerospace,

Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics,

Turbomachinery and Propulsion.

The VKI operates a comprehensive range of experimental and computational

REGULATIONS OF THE RESEARCH MASTER PROGRAM

A five-year engineering or science degree (3-year B.Sc. + 2-year M.Sc.) from a

Endorsement of the applicant by an STO National Delegate. Citizenship of one

Recommendations by 3 professors from a university where the candidate has

Faculty project grade:

Bibliographic Report (PET)

(e.g. as described in the present syllabus) or to an erroneous transmission of

Prince Alexander of Belgium Award for the best project presentation.

Prize for Excellence in Experimental Work.

Prize for Excellence in Numerical Work.

Information on tuition fees applicable to citizens of other countries may be

1. COURSE PROGRAM 20162016-2017

1.1 LIST OF COURSES AND CREDITS PER DEPARTMENT

Differential equations of Fluid Dynamics

Introd. to Measurement Techniques in Fluid Dynamics LS

Faculty (T. Arts coordinator)

Presenting, Reporting and Research Management

Numerical methods in Fluid Dynamics, part 1

Aircraft Performance, Stability and Control

Inviscid Aerodynamics in Aeronautics, Incompressible flow

Inviscid Aerodynamics in Aeronautics, Compressible flow

Tw o-dimensional Boundary layers

Introduction to Ground Testing facilities

Faculty (Chazot coordinator)

Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

Introd. to Computational Fluid Dynamics Lecture Series

Peric (Deconinck coordinator)

Advanced Measurement Techniques Laboratories

EA Faculty/Chazot (Van Beeck coordinator)6,00

Numerical methods for Fluid Dynamics, part 2

Computational Methods for Compressible Flow - Theory

Computational Methods for Compressible Flow - Lab

OPTIONAL COURSES AR (m inim um 2 courses to be selected)

PCMAF (optional part)

Physico-chemical models for Athmospheric entry Flow

Boundary Layers and flow separation in 3 dimensions

Design and operation of plasma w ind tunnels

Low Speed Wind Tunnels Analysis and Design

Data Acquisition and Processing

Computational Methods for Incompressible Flow - Theory

Computational Methods for Incompressible Flow - Lab

Methodology of Applied Fluid Dynamics