News from ISAPS Heilbronn

Project launch for KEOPS – new technologies for the space propulsion systems of tomorrow!
The KEOPS research project marks the start of the development of innovative turbopumps for future rocket engines in the 35-kN thrust class. The focus is on two high-performance turbopumps for liquid oxygen (LOx) and liquid methane (LCH₄), which are being developed and tested in a back-to-back arrangement through to demonstrator maturity. The technological highlight: novel fibre-ceramic fluid bearings. They use the respective conveying medium simultaneously for lubrication and are based on micro-porous Ceramic Matrix Composites. This opens up the potential for longer service life, increased reliability and lower operating costs. Within the framework of KEOPS, the first high-performance turbopump for space propulsion systems using this innovative bearing technology is to be created.

Together with Black Engine Aerospace GmbH, Turbo Technik Innovation GmbH and the Institute for Space Propulsion at the University of Stuttgart, we are working on technologies that pave the way for the next generation of space propulsion systems.
Many thanks to the KSB Foundation for their funding!

At the Filtech Conference 2026 in Cologne, Prof. Dr. Jennifer Niessner delivered a keynote lecture entitled How can we bridge the gap between Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and energy efficiency?

Ventilation and air purification are indispensable for healthy indoor environments — but they consume energy for heating, cooling and air circulation. The lecture presented experimental and CFD-based approaches as well as a model that determines the optimal combination of both measures: minimal energy consumption while adhering to threshold values for air quality and thermal comfort.

The result: a healthy, comfortable indoor climate is achievable with significantly reduced energy use — a contribution that also impacts the CO₂ footprint of the building sector.

The contribution A Highly Efficient Flow-Based Surrogate for Modeling Particle Separation in Filter Structures by M. Eng. Natalie Jüngling focused on filtration at the level of individual fibres. She spoke about a flow-based surrogate model for particle separation in filter structures. The significantly reduced computational effort is a prerequisite for being able to systematically optimise filter geometries.

From 22 to 26 June 2026, WAVES 2026 took place at Concordia University in Montreal — the 17th edition of a conference series that has been bringing together the mathematics and physics of wave propagation for over three decades.

Prof. Dr. Scholle and doctoral candidate M.Eng. Meriem Al Ahmadi Hammou presented two talks:
Wave-Based Stability Analysis of Couette and Gravity-Driven Bilayer Film Flows
and
Nonlinear Acoustic Model Equations resulting from Non-Relativistic and Relativistic Lagrangian Pairing

In addition to their own contributions, the conference offered above all five days of direct academic exchange with research groups from around the world working on related questions.

Two Gessmann Awards for theses on vehicle emissions:

At the graduation ceremony of the HHN Faculty of Engineering on 19 June 2026,

B. Eng. Adrian Iannelli received a prize for his bachelor's thesis

"Comparative Analysis of Emissions from Existing Vehicles in Real Operation

between Fossil and Synthetic Diesel Fuel"

M. Eng. Christian Schwaninger received a prize for his master's thesis

"Simultaneous Recording and Quantitative Analysis of Particle Emissions and Immissions

behind Vehicles in Road Traffic"

each receiving a prize from the Gessmann Foundation for outstanding final theses

Congratulations and all the best for the future!

Natalie Jüngling, Simon Berger and Jennifer Niessner attended the FILTECH Conference 2024 in Cologne. Natalie Jüngling presented her research on "Two ways to optimize the microstructure of a filter for gas-particle systems using adjoint (related) methods", whilst Simon Berger presented "Investigation of ventilation concepts for the elimination of potentially infectious aerosol particles in relation to energy efficiency". Jennifer Niessner is a member of the Scientific Committee and chaired the sessions "Face Masks" and "Modeling and Simulation I".

At the FILTECH Conference in Cologne, Laura Bittel and Jennifer Niessner presented research from the ESTATE research project on the topics "Generation of datasets using POD for artificial intelligence to predict and control an energy-efficient HVAC system" and "Energy-efficient operating concepts for air purification with cooperative ventilation systems based on simulations, sensor data and artificial intelligence ", the latter in cooperation with colleagues from partners MANN+HUMMEL and ebm-papst neo.

The ISAPS research on "Inactivation of aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 by 254 nm UV-C irradiation" and "Generation, characterization and comparison of human exhaled and technical aerosols for the evaluation of different air purifying technologies against infectious aerosols" with scientists from KIT and Tübingen University Hospital has been published in "Indoor Air" and the "Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene" respectively. The work on UV-C inactivation was reported on, amongst others, by the FAZ.

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