The Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre – NLR
The Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) is the leading aerospace research organization in the Netherlands. Founded in 1919, NLR makes aerospace more sustainable, safer, more efficient and more effective. The innovative solutions and practical advice strengthen the competitiveness of the business community and contribute to solutions for social issues. NLR is the connecting link between science, the (inter) national business community and government agencies.
Website: www.nlr.nl
Role in COCOLIH2T
NLR is leading work packages 4, 5, and 7, and will be contributing to all remaining work packages. NLR will leverage its expertise in composites to carry out the tank conceptual, and integrated designs as well as testing. As leader of WP4 and WP5, NLR will coordinate the pressure and thermal modelling efforts, as well as the subsystem development. In these work packages NLR will develop the thermal model of the tank, the refueling procedure, the gas leak detection system, and the fuel control system. In WP6 NLR will lead the development of the tank’s structural health monitoring and the health management system architecture. In WP7, NLR will develop a LH2 test rig in Marknesse; this will involve the integration and testing of two separate demonstrators.
Participating members in the project
Rens Ubels
Principal Project Engineer
Rens Ubels studied Mechanical Engineering and started at NLR in 1991 as a test engineer.
He has over 30 years of experience in testing composite materials and structures. From executing material qualification test programmes up to testing full-scale aircraft components for certification purposes for national and international customers.
He also participated in several EU research programmes on crashworthiness like CRASURV, CRAHVI and CAST.
The last couple of years he is mainly involved in test campaigns for the energy sector, focussing on testing at cryogenic temperatures.
Jorge de Francisco
Avionic systems engineer – Work package 5 lead
Arne te Nijenhuis
R&D Engineer Aerospace Thermal Management - Work package 4 lead
Arne te Nijenhuis is in charge of the thermal activities performed in the COCOLIH2T project. With a background in fluid physics and thermodynamics, he has built experience at NLR on the topics of active cooling systems, fluid and thermal modelling, and liquid hydrogen & cryogenic engineering. Over the past years, Arne has been collaborating extensively with the European aerospace industry in European projects like H2020 ADENEAS, H2020 EASIER and currently in Clean Aviation’s HYPOTRADE project. Additional to his work on thermal and pressure management in WP4, Arne is also involved in the development of subsystems (WP5) and demonstrator testing with Liquid Hydrogen (WP7), which marks the final achievement of the COCOLIH2T project.
Gerben van der Vrie
R&D Engineer – Task 5.3 lead
Working in the aerospace vehicle integrity and life cycle support department specifically in structural health monitoring.
Roel van Benthem
R&D Engineer
Ralf Creemers
Senior Scientist
Senior Scientist at the Structures Technology Department of the Netherlands Aerospace Centre NLR since 1999. Involved in national and international research and development projects on composites design and analysis, including (amongst others) conceptual and detailed design of composite structures, development of design methodologies, damage resistance/tolerance and repair of composite structures.