I am Julio Muñoz Becerril, Aerospace Engineer. I joined AIRBUS in 2022 through an internship in which I started working in mechanical design as well as thermal systems. After that, I had the opportunity to join as an intern to continue with the development of new technologies at the Research & Technology department.
What was your original motivation to become a researcher?
Curiosity has been a driver since my childhood and I have always wondered about how things work. That is why engineering has always been attractive to me and keeps me motivated. However, I feel that engineering is not complete without researching since there is always the possibility to find better, simpler and more intelligent solutions to daily life problems or just more convenient solutions that can improve everyone’s well-being, and as a young engineer I want to participate in that.
What is your (main) research area today?
Nowadays I am part of the Research and Technology department in Airbus. I participate in Design for Additive Manufacturing (AM) since nowadays AM is a technology with a lot of opportunities and applications. Inside the ZeroE development project Airbus is developing New technologies to achieve Zero Emission Engines and ALM heat exchanger (HX) is a major Brick due to high energy dissipation required on such engines. My activity deals with the development and validation by testing the performance of ALM HX and the integration into the future Aircraft product.
What is the main objective of your team in BRAVA?
The main objective of the team is the development of advanced testing capabilities of thermal performance to validate advanced heat exchangers as well as creating knowledge and models that support the design of thermal systems.
What expertise and facilities does your team have to meet those objectives?
Airbus background in terms of aircrafts design and manufacturing leads to a huge knowledge regarding design, testing, manufacturing and prototyping of aircraft certified parts and systems. We have the capability to completely develop a validation test mean from scratch up to certification in Ground and Flight. Also, we count with internal capabilities to create prototypes in an agile way thanks to additive manufacturing and also models allowing downscale and upscale to the final product including the integration with the rest of the A/C systems.
Which aspects of your research at BRAVA do you believe are the most innovative and what unique opportunities offer BRAVA to yourself and/or your organization?
It can help in better understanding the importance of thermal systems as well as its management, not only in terms of efficiency but also suitability. Aeronautical technologies have to face very challenging requirements, and the only way to achieve that is working with a diverse team composed of people compromised to give their best, such as this consortium.
BRAVA is allowing the development and maturation of a major critical enabler Brick for the future Zero emission aircraft. It is providing a unique opportunity for the Airbus multi-disciplinary team including myself to be able to consolidate the design, manufacturing and validation capabilities of such disruptive technology as the ALM Hx that enables high compactness and reduced drag mandatory to achieve efficient targets.
How do you see the future use of the BRAVA-results and the impact of the BRAVA-project in our daily lives?
The BRAVA results will be a major step in the validation of performance and reduction of risks towards full technology readiness level of ALM Hx and Zero emission Aircraft, paving the path to future commercialization of such aircraft that will be a significant step towards achieving net zero emission aviation.
