• Research
• Energy Technology

Limited reserves respectively resources of fossil fuels as well as insecure political and economic general conditions require new approaches for the guarantee of the energy supply, especially in the industrial area which claims approximately one third of the final energy consumption in Austria. This means on the one hand the efficient use of energy carriers, on the other side, however, also the development of new and renewable energy, as well as the utilization and organization of new strategies for the supply with energy.

Because of the need to consider the whole system with different energy carrier, forms of energy and consumer with different basic conditions or requirements, one cannot speak from the “future technology”. Rather an intelligent mix from measures and energetic strategies will be necessary which are special adjusted or customized for the claimed demands.

This means for the industrial area not to maximize primarily the energy efficiency of a single unit which doesn’t mean that this has to be a maximization of the overall system, e.g. of an industrial process or actually an industrial location. Ideally the system borders should be drawn around the whole location or region or even economic areas.

In this connection it should not be forgotten the European Emission Trading System (ETS), which is currently restricted on CO₂ respectively will be expanded to other emission components in the future, or the targets concerning energy efficiency of the European Union.

View into an axial turbine of a combined heat and power plant

In connection with the new master study Industrial Energy Technology the work group energy technology of the Chair of Thermal Processing Technology is active in different areas. By the following examples the wide spectrum of the work group energy technology can be illustrated:

In an already completed doctoral thesis the improvement of the quality of alternative fuels from agricultural residues by addition of additives was analyzed. Alongside a prototype of a small-scale furnace for such alternative fuel was developed.

A currently running work examines the flux of heat-reaction and the fine dust of pyrolysis gas.

In different master thesis for example the energetic optimization of a print office was examined, the control strategy for a combined heat and power station was developed or a calculation model for an optimization of the operation schedule of a power plant in an industrial plant was compiled.

In currently running master thesis for example vacuum pipe solar collectors are evaluated, a modular composition of combined heat and power cycle power plants for the simulation technology is designed or regional energy concepts for a sustainable utilization of renewable energy is developed.

Incineration of biomass on a forward acting reciprocating grate