German Hernandez Camacho
Spain

"Brilliantly covering the main thermodynamics, physics equation modeling, system dynamics and numerical methods concepts."

While working at Rolls Royce in Derby (UK) as a Propulsion System Development Engineer, German Hernandez Camacho participated in the online course Modelling, Simulation and Application of Propulsion and Power Systems. Read about his experience.

What was your motivation for enrolling in this course?
I have been working for over 9 years in aircraft propulsion system integration flight testing, doing development and certification activities for different aircraft manufactures in Spain, Japan and USA. The propulsion system of the aircraft is a key component and understanding its complexity and how it works is of paramount importance.

As part of my daily flight test activities, I used to run an important number of simulations using flight test data through a piece of software provided by the engine manufacturer that simulates the propulsion system. I have always been interested in knowing how the propulsion system is simulated, but this kind of software cannot be generally found for commercial uses. In addition, a solid and comprehensive explanation of the different simulation assumptions, simulation methods, and how the different engine components are modelled is rarely available.

When I went through the course content and learned more about the Lecturers, I immediately realized that this course was what I was looking for.

How would you describe your online learning experience?
I already knew about the TU Delft on-line courses since in 2017 I took the course “Aircraft Performance Physics and Simulation”. This first experience was simply exceptional!

First thing to say about the “Modelling, Simulation and Application of Propulsion and Power Systems” course is that it is highly technical and well organized, brilliantly covering the main thermodynamics, physics equation modeling, system dynamics and numerical methods concepts. It goes deep into different modeling techniques and how to model and validate results in a consistent way.

The assignments were totally aligned with the course content and helped me to consolidate the different concepts.

What did you think of the online learning environment?
The course notes and videos were of great quality and value (I still keep them as reference materials), and with the full support of lecturers and forum discussions I did not miss anything from a traditional onsite course.

As for the final project assignment, I found it more challenging due its on-line teamwork format. Here once again, the patience and help of the lecturers made it possible for me to complete the project with my team mate who was far away.

What is your advice to someone who would like to take a similar online course?
My advice for future on-line students would be to actively participate in the forum discussions, engage with other students and be proactive in approaching the lecturers with questions..