Instituto Universitario de Microgravedad Ignacio Da Riva · Instituto Universitario de Microgravedad "Ignacio Da Riva" ... SWOT Analysis 3.1. Strengths ... The Instituto Universitario

Instituto Universitario de Microgravedad

"Ignacio Da Riva"

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Strategic Plan 2011-2014

September 2010

IDR/UPM. Strategic Plan 2010-2014 1

Strategic Plan 2011-2014

Instituto Universitario de Microgravedad "Ignacio Da Riva"

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Index

1. Introduction 2. Goals 3. SWOT Analysis 3.1. Strengths 3.2. Opportunities 3.3. Weaknesses 3.4. Threats 4. Areas and objectives of the strategic plan 5. Analysis of R&D activities 5.1. Aerospace Technology Small satellites program Spacecraft thermal control 5.2. Wind energy Characterization of winds over complex terrains Ultrasonic anemometry Cup anemometers calibration 5.3. Experimental aerodynamics 6. Human Resources 7. Dissemination activities 8. Strategy for the protection of research results (patents) 9. Internationalization 10. Testing facilities 11. Educational activities 12. Collaboration with industries 13. Institute structure and organization


1. Introduction

The Instituto Universitario de Microgravedad "Ignacio Da Riva" of the Universidad Politécnica

de Madrid (IDR/UPM) is one of the research and development institutes of this University,

whose main targets are the planning, promotion, implementation and dissemination of research,

development and innovation in the field aerospace science and technology. Besides, large efforts

are devoted at IDR/UPM to promote training activities of postgraduate students.

IDR/UPM was created by the Consejo de Gobierno de la Comunidad de Madrid (Decreto

46/1997, B.O.C.M. de 31 de Marzo de 1997). It is located in Madrid, in the Campus of Moncloa,

within one of the buildings of the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Aeronáuticos. The

Institute has also facilities at the Campus of Montegancedo. It must be pointed out that both

campuses have been declared of International Excellence by the Spanish Government.

Research and Development (R&D) activities within IDR/UPM are mainly focused to aerospace

technology, experimental aerodynamics and wind energy. Research lines under development

include the behaviour of fluids under microgravity conditions, civil aerodynamics, experimental

aerodynamics, aeroelasticity of civil structures, thermal control of space systems, flow speed

measuring techniques, and wind energy. IDR/UPM facilities in the aeronautical field consist of

several wind tunnels (more than ten) for measuring wind loads on buildings and for calibrating

anemometers, including all the instrumentation needed for their operation, plus computing

facilities.

Besides, IDR/UPM has reached an agreement with ADIF (Administrador de Infraestructuras

Ferroviarias) on study wind effects on railway infrastructures. Within this frame a 1.2 km long

bridge located at the NW of Spain is being instrumented. The aim of this project is to measure

the wind loads both on the bridge and on the railway overhead, and to the effect of wind barriers

to protect trains against lateral winds. A similar project is being prepared concerning

embankments.

IDR/UPM staff is around thirty people (doctors, engineers, graduates and technical personnel),


and a variable number of contributors whose number depends on the needs of different

programs.

In the field of wind loads and wind resources, IDR is the Spanish reference laboratory in wind

tunnel testing (in the last 10 years more than one hundred aerodynamic tests have been

performed), as well as one of the nine reference laboratories in the world for cup anemometer

calibration according to European MEASNET Standards (Measuring Network of Wind Energy

Institutes). In fact, the MEASNET secretariat in now located at IDR/UPM. The Institute

(formally the UPM) is one of the two Spanish institutions belonging to the European Academy

of Wind Energy. Besides, IDR/UPM is the head of the Spanish Wind Engineering Association

(ANIV), within the International Wind Engineering Association.

IDR/UPM is a centre of excellence oriented to the generation of basic and applied knowledge.

During the last six years IDR/UPM has implemented a strategic management policy based on a

periodic process of evaluation of their activities

2. Goals

IDR/UPM aims to be among the best research centres within its fields of expertise, both in Spain

and in Europe.

Concerning training tasks, the Institute has demonstrated to be a suitable professional framework

for young researchers, whether their vocation is science and teaching, or oriented to professional

work. As it happens now, it is expected that students trained in the future within the Institute

framework will continue with the same status, so that they will be accepted by in the aerospace

industry based on its recognized technical quality and management capacity.

IDR/UPM budget is based on the generation of resources through contracts with companies and

the development of research projects funded by public agencies.


3. SWOT Analysis

3.1. Strengths

● IDR/UPM is a R&D institute recognized both at national and European level in the fields of

-Civil and experimental aerodynamics: wind loads on buildings, bridges, vehicles, as well

as experimental studies of transient and non-stationary aeroelastic phenomena.

-Aerospace technology, mainly oriented to spacecraft thermal control.

-Wind energy: ultrasonic anemometry, cup anemometer calibration, modelization and

optimization of wind power resources.

● Experimental facilities for aerodynamic testing are available at IDR/UPM, there are also

workshops that support the research under development.

● IDR/UPM has financial capability enough to keep updated experimental facilities, and to

provide research fellowships to postgraduate students.

● IDR/UPM staff includes experts in various disciplines.

3.2. Opportunities

● The new frame for high education (Bolonia) opens up a wider field for masters and

postgraduate studies.

● The increasing activities of the wind power industry in South America, mainly in Brazil and in

Argentina.

● The ESA and NASA programs for space and Solar system explorayion.

3.3. Weaknesses

● There is a lack of available space for new experimental facilities. IDR/UPM offices are being

used at full capacity.


● Poor dissemination of the activities of the Institute in the university environment.

● Currently postgraduate teaching activities are a little limited.

3.4. Threats

● Because of the aerospace industry expansion, there can be some difficulties in attracting new

highly rated Spanish graduate students for postgraduate studies.

● National and regional budgets devoted to basic and applied research have been reduced.

● Because of the current economic crisis the funds spent by companies to finance research and

development activities are experiencing some reductions.

4. Areas and objectives of the strategic plan

The strategic plan of IDR/UPM for the period 2011-2014 is organized around three strategic

areas, where the different objectives are grouped. These are:

Strategic area Objectives

Research To reinforce and increase the activities of R&D of current research.

To increase the dissemination of R&D activities at both international level

(JCR journals and conferences) and national level (university, aerospace

journals, conferences).

Education Increase the number of postgraduate grants supported by the Institute.

Increase the number of postgraduate students.

Facilities Improvement of experimental facilities (new facilities related to spacecraft

testing are needed).

To increase and update available instrumentation.

5. Analysis of R&D activities

Currently, the R&D lines under development at IDR/UPM can be grouped into the three


following categories:

● Aerospace Technology

● Wind Energy

● Aerodynamics

5.1. Aerospace technology

Space technology means an important part of the effort devoted IDR/UPM to R&D tasks. The

work in this field is performed within the frame of the Plan Nacional de Investigación Científica,

Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica 2008-2011, of the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e

Innovación, which highlights aerospace as one of the priority R&D sectors, which requires the

intensive use of leading technologies and the involvement of highly qualified personnel. The

main goal is to improve the position of Spanish companies and research institutes involved in the

development of aerospace science and technology, satellite-based applications, aerospace

innovative systems, etc. Projects under development at IDR/UPM are:

Small satellites program

On July 7, 1995, the small Spanish university satellite UPM-LBSat (UPM-Sat 1) was launched

in French Guiana. UPM-Sat 1 follows a heliosynchronous polar orbit at an altitude of 670

kilometers; it travelled into space as a secondary payload on flight V75 of an Ariane IV-40

launcher, whose primary client was the military satellite Helios. Such a satellite was a scientific

and in-orbit technological demonstration satellite, although the project was essentially an

educational one, so that its first goal was to demonstrate that the UPM was capable of designing,

building, testing, integrating, and operating a satellite with modest technical characteristics, but

whose execution would involve all the complexity of a complete space system.

After the UPM-Sat 1 project other relevant tasks dealing with space research and development

have been undertaken. The payload CPLM (the acronym in Spanish of the experiment Liquid

Bridge Behaviour under Microgravity) was designed and manufactured for the Spanish satellite

MINISAT.

The UPMSat-2 UNION project is based on the previous experience of the IDR/UPM team,


acquired during the development and operation of the UPM-Sat 1, as well as during the

development of a second UPM satellite, whose conceptual design and preliminary design phases

were accomplished during the years 1996 and 1997 (although his second satellite project was

cancelled at the end of 1997 due to uncertainties in the budget timeliness).

The aim of the UPMSat-2 UNION project is the design, development, integration, testing,

launching, and in orbit operation of the satellite, performing these tasks as much as possible in a

university environment. Obviously, some external help from space industries will be needed, as

it happened in the UPM-Sat 1 project. Therefore, the goal of the project is to fulfill all the steps

in the development process, launching and operation of a small satellite, including

manufacturing and qualification and acceptance tests, and to meet these requirements it has been

agreed to keep the project between limited boundaries, assuming the minimum technological

risks, in order to get a space qualified, safe platform, which can be used as a general purpose

space platform oriented to educational, scientific and in-orbit technological demonstration, as

well as for other missions beyond the current one. UPMSat-2 UNION will be injected to a polar

orbit at some 600 km of altitude as a secondary payload of a Spanish governmental satellite;

scheduled launching date being 2014.

To define the general arrangement of the new satellite the architecture of the UPM-Sat 1 has

been used as the basis for the new development. This approach means some advantages in the

design process, first because UPM-Sat 1 structure is a space qualified platform approved as

suitable for flight in Ariane-IV launcher by Arianespace, and second because UPM-Sat 1

structure had successfully demonstrated its robustness during all the qualification and acceptance

tests (and even real launching and in orbit operation). The general features of the new platform

are:

Mass: 50 kg, Dimensions: 500 mm × 500 mm × 500 mm (antennae not included), Orbit: polar, at

600 km altitude, Life time: 2 years, Structure: 7075 T6 machined, Attitude control: magnetic

(magnetorques plus magnetometers), Thermal management: Passive (design plus multilayer

insulations), Data management: TBD, Communications: TBD, Energy management: 4 solar

arrays, 2 batteries Li-Ion, 28 V bus bar, Separation system: TBD,


The services allowed by the platform to the payloads are the following, Mass: 15 kg, Volume:

400 mm × 400 mm × 250 mm, Power: 15 W, Data rate: 1 Mbps.

Spacecraft thermal control

Since 1974 a group of IDR/UPM has been working in the preparation of a Handbook on

Spacecraft Thermal Control for the European Space Agency. The first version of the Handbook

was issued in 1975 as a result of a collaboration with Dornier System GmbH (Germany);

subsequent work followed at DR/UPM with the updating in several items and the amendment of

new ones.

After this long period of time this project maintains its activities at a low rate; at present the

handbook has more than 5000 pages bound in five volumes, and it is also available in electronic

version, however part of the technical information included in the Handbook is now obsolete.

Due to available information networks, the sources of technical information are currently almost

at the finger tips, so that it is envisaged to end this project in 2011. A team of IDR/UPM is now

involved in the publication of a book on Spacecraft Thermal Control, to be published by

Chandos Publishing (Oxford), and is responsible of the chapter devoted to Spacecraft Thermal

Control in an International Handbook of Space Technology (Space Systems Engineering) where

people belonging to European Space Agency, NASA, Russian Space Agency and Japanese

Space Agency, amongst other, are involved.

In the field of thermal control IDR/UPM has been involved in the Rosetta mission of the

European Space Agency devoted to the exploration of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Within such a frame IDR team has been responsible for the thermal control of the instrument

OSIRIS (Optical, Spectroscopic and Infrared Remote Imaging System), in which a fairly large

number of outstanding European scientific institutions are involved. OSIRIS is a dual infrared

camera system consisting in a high-resolution Narrow-Angle Camera (NAC) for the study of the

nucleus of the comet, and a Wide-Angle Camera (WAC) designed for recording dust and gas

emissions on the surface of the comet. The European institutions participating in the design,

fabrication and testing of the instrument OSIRIS for the ESA mission Rosetta were


SCIENTIFIC CONSORTIUM: Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (Germany),

Laboratoire d'Astronomie Spatiale (France), Università di Padova (Italia), Instituto de Astrofísica

de Andalucía (Spain), Uppsalaobservatoriets Nyhetstjänst (Sweden), ESA/ESTEC (Netherlands).

TECHNOLOGICAL PARTNERS: Technische Universität Braunschweig (Germany), INTA

(Spain), IDR/UPM (Spain).

In the same way IDR/UPM has been the responsible of the thermal control of the balloon-borne

telescope SUNRISE, which has being flown on a balloon at stratospheric altitudes to analyse the

structure and the dynamics of the solar magnetic field. SUNRISE can be considered as a

precursor of the telescope VIM, one of the payloads of the Solar Orbiter mission of the European

Space Agency. The Institutions participating in the design, fabrication and testing of the balloon-

borne telescope were

SCIENTIFIC CONSORTIUM: Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (Germany),

Kiepenheuer-Institut für Sonnenphysik (Germany), High Altitude Observatory (Colorado, USA),

Lockheed-Martin Solar and Astrophysics Lab. (California, USA.), Instituto de Astrofísica de

Canarias (España).

TECHNOLOGICAL PARTNERS: INTA (Spain), IDR/UPM (Spain).

Within the frame of the Solar Orbiter mission of the European Space Agency IDR/UPM is

currently involved in two new instruments supported by two different international consortiums.

In these projects IDR/UPM is responsible for the thermal control of the instruments, as well as

for structural design.

5.2. Wind energy

In the field of wind energy it must be pointed out that, as already stated, the UPM is one of the

two Spanish institutions belonging to the European Academy of Wind Energy (represented by

IDR/UPM).


IDR/UPM collaborates with MEASNET since 1997 as technical support of the Spanish institute

CIEMAT (Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Mediambientales y Tecnológicas) which is the

Spanish Centre for Energy Research. IDR/UPM is an active MEASNET member since 2003, at

the same time that it obtained the accreditation as calibration laboratoy according to the ISO/IEC

17025 Standard issued by the Spanish accreditation Agency (ENAC). Since then, IDR/UPM

calibration lab has passed successfully all the internal and external audits performed to maintain

the accreditation. IDR/UPM anemometer calibration facilities have been completely designed,

built and commissioned by the IDR itself, at the stringent and rigorous standards established by

MEASNET.

The MEASNET organization has been supported and partially financed in the past by the

European Union, by means of the JOULE II projects “European Wind Turbine Standards

(EWTS)”. One of the main results of the MEASNET activities is that the harmonization obtained

across Europe in this field thanks to its coordination role has strongly facilitated and supported

the free trade of products related to the wind energy market. For instance, the mutual acceptance

of the wind measurements among the institutions of several countries is of the upmost

importance, in several applications, and it is crucial to establish the wind turbine efficiency and

the wind energy resource of potential sites for wind turbine farms. In addition to the wind energy

field, there is a general need of this kind of calibrations in the industry (industrial ventilation,

mining, food industry, noise control, etc.) although it’s in the wind energy field where the most

important demand comes from. In fact, in Europe the demand for calibration is experiencing an

explosive growth in the last years. To give an idea of the calibration activity along these last

years, IDR/UPM is performing nearly 2.000 calibrations a year.

IDR/UPM is also involved in international Round Robin inter-comparison exercises, to check the

quality of its calibrations both with MEASNET members and other calibration institutes. In

order to develop activities leading to increase the quality of the calibrations, and to introduce the

use of new anemometers (like ultrasonic anemometers), IDR/UPM has also collaborated with

other European institutes in the frame of the VI European Frame Program project

“ACCUWIND”. Currently IDR/UPM is also the headquarters of the technical secretariat of the


network MEASNET.

Besides the anemometer calibration activities, there are another two research lines under

development. These are:


Characterization of winds over complex terrains

In the field of wind energy IDR/UPM is working on the characterization of extreme winds over

complex terrains, wind turbine wakes, aeroelastic phenomena in wind turbines, modelling of

sonic anemometers for wind energy applications and on the behaviour of cup anemometers, both

static and dynamic.

The characterization of winds over complex terrains is being developed under the project

WAUDIT (Wind Resource Assessment and Audit Standardization) whose aim is the training of

researchers in the field of wind resource assessment. This project involves 13 European

institutions and 17 R&D centres, the budget being of 4 million euros for four years. Within this

project IDR/UPM is responsible of two of the 18 doctoral theses to be developed under the

project, one of these concerns the application of LIDAR technology to in situ measurements of

wind velocities in complex terrains, and the second is related to the atmospheric boundary layer

simulation in wind. For this work, the new IDR/UPM wind tunnel located at Montegancedo

campus, ACLA 16 is being used. The wind tunnel activities are carried out in cooperation with

the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (Brussels). The project WAUDIT is within the

frame of the MARIE CURIE actions of the 7th European Research Programme.

Ultrasonic anemometry

Another line of research of IDR/UPM is related to ultrasonic anemometry (research in this field

began in 1996). Currently, there is a project under development, funded by Spanish

administration, Anemometría Ultrasónica Móvil (AUM) whose two main objectives are:

● Extending the already developed theoretical model of the measurement process of an

ultrasonic anemometer mounted on a mobile platform to the general situation in which both wind

speed, and translation and rotation speeds of the sonic path are time-dependent.

● To validate the existing theoretical model through wind tunnel tests under controlled

conditions.

The main significance of the results of this project is that the generated model will incorporate


new features of the kinematic of the mobile platform where the anemometer is mounted (linear

and angular speeds), which can be used to correct instantaneous speed measurements, averaged

parameters and spectral characteristics. In this way it will be possible to correct the spectral

density functions of the atmospheric flow measurements, taking into account the effects of the

spectral characteristics of the platform motion. This project started in early 2010 and will finish

by the end of 2012.

Cup anemometers calibration

As already said, IDR/UPM is one of the nine reference laboratories for cup anemometer

calibration according to MEASNET Standards. Because of that, more than 2000 anemometers

per year are calibrated at IDR/UPM facilities. Available experimental facilities are the S4 wind

tunnel, located at Moncloa campus, plus other two new calibration wind tunnels, similar to the

S4 one, which are located at Montegancedo campus (the development of these new wind tunnels

is now in the commissioning phase).

5.3. Experimental aerodynamics

As a consequence of the use of new technologies both in architecture and in civil engineering,

modern buildings are now more prone to suffer from to wind actions than those designed in the

past. The use of light materials in roofs and the use of large glazed façades are examples where

the inclusion of new elements in the building process has produced new final products which are

more sensitive to wind damage. The same happens in the case of light and flexible structures, tall

buildings included, which can be subjected to aeroelastic instabilities that could affect their

structural integrity.

Within this frame of wind related problems, it is of paramount importance to have the skills to

prevent wind damage. If the body under consideration is of relatively simple shape, the rules,

methods and recommendations included in the wind codes of practice will be enough to estimate

the wind loads over the body. If due to its aeroelastic properties or to its non-standard shape the

body is far from the ones that can be found in the codes of practice, then the only way to safely

estimate the wind loads is by testing appropriated scale models in wind tunnel facilities. No

streamlined bodies are characterized by detached boundary layers and wide wakes behind them,


so that nor analytical neither numerical approaches are valid to obtain an accurate estimation of

the wind loads.

Eventually, IDR/UPM is in fact the wind tunnel test laboratory of reference in Spain, since

IDR/UPM wind tunnel facilities practically cover all the needs of national companies.

There are ten wind tunnel facilities at IDR/UPM covering a wide spectrum of sizes and wind

flow conditions, the largest wind tunnel, ACLA 16, has a test chamber 20 m long, its cross-

section being 2.2 m wide and 2.2 m height (this large wind tunnel is used to simulate

atmospheric boundary layer). Besides, IDR/UPM has developed other wind tunnel for other

universities either in Spain and Latin-America.

Most of the wind tests performed at IDR/UPM can be classified in the categories listed in the

following table.

Experience of IDR/UPM concerning wind tunnel tests in the last four years

Test type Number Model

Static & aeroelastic 6 Bridge sectional model (Spain)

Static 5 Bridge sectional model (Spain, Rumania, Mexico)

Pressure measurements 12 Tall buildings (Spain, Rumania, Alger)

Pressure measurements 12 Low buildings (Spain, U.K.)

Pressure measurements 2 Solar collectors

Pressure and net force

measurements

3 Trains, airships and other bluff bodies (Spain)

Pressure measurements 3 Wind Farms

Pedestrian comfort 3 Buildings

Concerning high-speed trains and railway infrastructures, IDR/UPM is working under contracts

for Talgo and ADIF, the activities being developed or under development are: wind tunnel tests

of high-speed trains and the effects of high-speed trains on infrastructures, mainly on ballast (a

special wind tunnel for this project has been developed).


There is another research line related to train protection systems against cross wind (supported

by Spanish administration, Cedex), whose aim is to characterize the impact of wind barriers on

trains and on the railway infrastructure. Aerodynamic loads on train vehicles under cross-winds

are driven by shapes of both the vehicles and of the surroundings; these loads due to cross-winds

are of paramount importance in the lateral equilibrium of the vehicle, in such a way that if the

cross-wind speed becomes larger than a threshold value overturning of the vehicle can take

place. The overturning risk increases when trains pass by exposed locations such as bridges or

embankments.

Winds, however, can cause other significant difficulties for the operation of a railway system, in

addition to those relating to vehicle stability. The system responsible for carrying the electric

supply required for train traction (railway overhead or catenary) has been particularly vulnerable

to wind-related problems. Under the effect of cross-winds, large amplitude oscillations due to

cable galloping of railway overheads have led to the delay and cancellation of train transits.

From this point of view, determination of turbulence intensity at the catenary contact wire plays

a crucial role in the evaluation of galloping phenomenon.

A way to decrease the wind loads acting on a vehicle under cross-winds is using fences (either

solid or porous). Windbreaks have been and still are extensively studied because of their use in

agriculture, wind-erosion control and in traffic safety and comfort, amongst other applications.

The effects of parapets on the aerodynamic loads (lateral force and rolling moment) acting on a

typical high-speed train vehicle on a double-track bridge deck equipped with different types of

parapets have been experimentally analyzed at IDR/UPM. Provided the parapet height is large

enough, experimental results show that a very drastic reduction of the wind load coefficients can

be obtained, and that the addition of eaves to the parapets improves the shielding effectiveness of

the wind barriers.

The flow around a bridge deck is driven by boundary layer separation, forming a wide wake

downstream the bridge. If there is a parapet on the bridge, the wake can reach the catenary,


therefore increasing the turbulence intensity at the catenary contact wires. One of the goals of the

project is to determine the increment of turbulence intensity level at both windward and leeward

catenary contact wires under the influence of several windbreak parapets.

Within this project, as already stated, an agreement has been reached with Adif to study the

effect of parapets on catenary wires under real conditions. In this frame Adif provides a 1.2 km

long bridge (the deck is 80 m high), a catenary line specially devoted to this project and two

reconfigurable wind barriers (designed by IDR/UPM personnel). IDR/UPM provides the

instrumentation needed for wind and atmospheric measurements, as well as the instrumentation

needed to measure the dynamic response of both catenary wires and the bridge deck itself.

Envisaged measurement period will be of at least 2 years, although it is also expected to extend

the period of measurements. Interestingly, a similar experimental facility to the one used in the

bridge is currently being designed for embankments.

6. Human resources

The IDR/UPM team involves more than thirty people (doctors, engineers, graduates and

technical staff), and a variable number of collaborators whose number depends on the needs of

different programs. It is noteworthy that in the last two years the number of granted postgraduate

students has increased substantially. The current members of IDR/UPM are listed in the

following table:

IDR/UPM staff (September 2010)

Catedráticos de Universidad Personal de administración y servicios

José Meseguer Ruiz Patricia Pérez Troyano

Ángel Sanz Andrés Personal técnico contratado

Pablo García Fogeda Encarnación Meseguer Ruiz

Isidoro Martínez Herranz Alejandro Borja Martínez Muelas

José Luis Montañés García Enrique Vega Ramiro

Ignacio Parra Fabián Fermín Navarro Medina

Pablo Rodríguez de Francisco Personal laboral contratado


Rafael Sanjurjo Navarro Luis García Díez

Pascual Tarín Remohí Carlos Pascual Alonso

Profesores Titulares de Universidad Lucía Poza Aláez

Álvaro Cuerva Tejero Personal en formación

Oscar López García Tee Seong Yeow

Santiago Pindado Carrión María Andrea Routolo

Isabel Pérez-Grande Fatheme Aminzadeh

Gustavo Alonso Rodrígo Assal Farrahi

Sebastián Franchini Sergio Ávila Sánchez

Antonio Barrero Gil Ali Ravanbakhsh

Nikolai Bezdenejnykh Felix Sorribes Palmer

Profesor Contratado (I3) Shakil Ahmed

José Gaite Cuesta Germán Fernández Rico

Profesor Titular de Escuela Universitaria

Javier Pérez

Concerning personnel, it is expected that in the period 2011-2014 at least three of the current

PhD students become full members of IDR/UPM as teachers of the UPM. It is also foreseen to

keep the number of postgraduate students, or even increase the number of them (currently the

main limitation is that there is not enough room for more people at IDR/UPM office in Moncloa

campus).

7. Dissemination activities

IDR/UPM is strongly involved in the dissemination of the activities preformed in the Institute,

and it is the policy of the Institute to transfer to society the knowledge by publishing in open

literature. As an example, in the next table the publications produced in the past four years are

summarized (classified as papers in scientific journals included in JCR, conference papers,

papers in other scientific journals and books).

To quantify the dissemination activity two indexes have been defined, one is defined as IJCR =


NJCR/N where NJCR is the number of publications in indexed JCR journals and N is the number of

all teachers belonging to IDR/UPM. The second index is defined as ID = ND / N, where ND is the

total number of publications in scientific journals, JCR indexed or not, plus conference papers.

Numbers of papers of IDR/UPM (2006-2009)

Year JCR journals IJCR Other journals Congress ID Books

2006 10 0.56 0 5 0.83 0

2007 7 0.39 13 15 2.06 2

2008 5 0.28 4 5 0.83 1

2009 9 0.50 5 6 1.17 1

One of IDR/UPM strategic objectives for the next period is to increase the dissemination of

scientific activities at both international and national levels. To achieve this objective, several

actions have been undertaken, the main one being to increase the number of doctoral grants, thus

increasing the capacity to face new projects within the research lines of the Institute. For the

period 2011-2014 a rate of at least two thesis dissertations per year is foreseen, and each of them

will give rise to several publications in JCR journal. Additionally, a large effort is made to

publish the results of the different research projects in the open literature. As a result of these

actions, it is foreseen that by the end of the period 2011-2014 both indexes, IJCR and ID, will

increase significantly.

8. Strategy for the protection of research results (patents)

It is the policy of IDR/UPM to publish, whenever possible, the research results in the open

literature. Therefore, there is not within the strategic plan any provision to implement procedures

to protect results through patents in a systematic way. However, several patents related to wind

tunnel measuring techniques and procedures are envisaged.


9. Internationalization

Currently IDR/UPM has a strong international presence, mainly through its relations with the

European Space Agency and related consortia, European Academy of Wind Energy (EAWE) or

MEASNET European network. As above stated IDR/UPM is integrated into different consortia,

either in projects funded by the European Union, as ACCUWIND (Accurate Wind

Measurements in Wind Energy) and MARIE CURIE (WAUDIT project), or space exploration

projects under the ESA umbrella.

In addition, IDR/UPM collaborates with scientific institutions of Brazil, Argentina (Universidad

Nacional de La Plata), and Denmark (Denmark Technical University, Risø). It must be

underlined that there is a close collaboration with the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics

in Belgium under WAUDIT project. In space activities, IDR/UPM is part of the European

consortia responsible for two new spacecraft borne instrument devoted to Sun exploration.

With regard to internationalization it is important to point out that also in educational aspects

IDR/UPM has a strong international presence; six of the postgraduate students currently

developing doctoral thesis at IDR/UPM are foreigners: three Iranians, one Malay, one Indian and

one Argentinian.

For the next future, it is envisaged to improve the existing international relationships, and the

offer of postgraduate grants for foreigners as well.

10. Testing facilities

IDR/UPM has ten wind tunnels of different sizes and characteristics, two of them, the A9 and the

ACLA 16, are mainly used for wind tunnel testing under contracts with companies.

A9 wind tunnel is a low velocity wind tunnel. The test section of the A9 wind tunnel is 1.5 m

wide and 1.8 m high. The maximum wind velocity of the stream at the test section of the wind

tunnel is about 25 m/s. Atmospheric boundary layers cannot be simulated in this wind tunnel.


The ACLA16 wind tunnel is also an open fluid circuit (type Eiffel), the test chamber is 20 m in

length (in order to allow the simulation of atmospheric boundary layers ) and the working section

is 2.2 m by 2.2 m. In this tunnel the maximum speed in the test chamber is about 30 m/s.

Besides, there are three almost identical wind tunnels for calibration of anemometers. One of

them at Moncloa campus, S4, and the other two at Montegancedo campus, with closed test 1.5 m

length, and a square cross section 0.9 m wide. The wind tunnel located at Moncloa campus is

included in the accreditation of IDR/UPM as calibration laboratory according to the ISO/IEC

17025 Standard issued by the Spanish Accreditation Agency (ENAC). As above mentioned, the

other two tunnels are new and are currently in the commissioning phase before use them for cup

anemometer calibration.

There is also a facility for dynamic stall studies; such facility is an open circuit wind tunnel, 12

m in length, with a closed test chamber, 3.6 m long, whose cross-section is 0.5 m wide and 2.5 m

height. The maximum air speed at the test chamber is close to 35 m/s. Turbulence intensity at the

test section can be modified by changing the grids placed at the contraction entrance, by

changing the grid porosity, or generation of gusts are possible by adding some specific devices

like turning vanes at the entrance of the test chamber.

Test concerning the effects of lateral winds on trains are performed in an open-circuit wind

tunnel with a working section 1.8 m high, 0.2 m wide and 1.8 m long.

A gust wind tunnel, under support of Talgo, has been developed to test the effect of wind

produced by passing high speed trains on the ballast lying on the tracks.

In addition, there are other three small wind tunnels that have been designed for specific

applications. No more wind testing facilities are foreseen (although some investment to improve

instrumentation is envisaged), mainly because the interest in new facilities is now focused on

spacecraft development, where a thermal and vacuum laboratory are under design.


11. Educational activities

As already mentioned, IDR/UPM is actively involved in postgraduate education. IDR/UPM

members participate in teaching activities within postgraduate program of the E.T.S.I.

Aeronáuticos, either in master studies or in doctorate (because of an internal agreement, all the

Departments of E.T.S.I.A., IDR/UPN included, participate in a unique postgraduate program).

Besides, in the second semester of 2010-2011 academic year, IDR/UPM will offer a 10 ECTS

postgraduate course in Aerospace Technology. This course will be developed through project-

based learning methodology, by using the parallel activities related to the design, manufacture,

integration and testing of the UPM-Sat 2 satellite. In addition, this course will be the seed of an

official program of Master in Aerospace Technology, that IDR/UPM aims to offer in a near

future, probably in 2012-2013. It is expected that such a Master course becomes a reference in

the space sector, both national and European level. This course, using the same project-based

learning methodology, is being supported by the Spanish space sector (both administration and

industries).

12. Collaboration with industries

IDR/UPM has a wide experience in providing technical services to industries. Amongst these

services it must be mentioned the calibration of cup anemometers and wind-tunnel tests.

Concerning cup anemometer calibration, the target for the period 2011-2014 is to continue this

activity, improving the capacity of calibration with the two new wind tunnels, and reducing

delivery time for calibrations. It is expected that these new wind tunnels become operational

during 2011.

As abovementioned, IDR/UPM is a reference laboratory in the field of wind tunnel testing,

having performed more than one hundred tests in the last ten years (a list of the tests performed

can be found in www.idr.upm.es). For the period 2011-2014 the new ACLA-16 wind tunnel will

be fully operative, which will allow for the testing of larger scale models embodied in simulated


atmospheric boundary layer.

It must be underlined that, because of its experience, IDR/UPM usually collaborates with

companies in engineering problems related to aerodynamics and aerospace technology. It is

assumed that this activity will continue in the future, under contacts with companies (architecture

and civil engineering, wind energy, space industry, etc.)..

13. Institute structure and organization

According to the regulations of application to all the Institutes of the UPM, IDR/UPM has a

director, a secretary and a steering board. Concerning the organization of research activities,

there is not a rigid structure, but a very elastic one which is continuously changed to adapt it to

the projects to be accomplished. It is the policy of the Institute to promote the exchange of

knowledge between different activities, and because of that, researchers are usually involved in

more than one project.

In order to disseminate the information within the IDR/UPM members, there is a weekly briefing

meeting where the status of the different projects is reported and the main issued are discussed.

Every two months a lunch is organized which all the IDR/UPM personnel are invited to. The aim

is to merge together in a relaxed frame people with different responsibilities and different

academic formation (team building).

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