Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT
Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT

Energy Systems Engineering

A department in the field of energy

© shutterstock

We develop and optimize energy plants and their applications by means of static and dynamic simulation as well as prototype/pilot plant construction and testing. Our range of services includes the customer-specific conception, calculation, design, planning and integration of energy plants as well as the creation and evaluation of technical concepts and industrial energy efficiency studies. We are pioneers of sustainable developments and reliable companions of industry and economy.

 

Flow simulation and turbomachinery | Energy efficiency and renewable heat in industry | Energy systems engineering | Compressed air systems and energy storage | Non-thermal plasma (NT plasma)

Flow simulation and turbomachinery

From our many years of experience in the development and optimization of tailor-made turbomachinery, we own, in addition to classic flow simulation tools, in-house design tools such as our CFD workflow for automated geometry optimization and a computing cluster with more than 400 cores.

back to top of page

 

© shutterstock

Flow simulation and automated geometry optimization

 

Computer-aided Engineering (CAE) and Pilot Installations

more about CAE and Pilot Installations

Energy efficiency and renewable heat in industry

The energy transition policy specifies strict energy and CO2 savings targets. We support you in identifying and localizing savings potentials by holistic simulation of your energy supply system and in raising them by developing and realizing innovative processes. We advise and support you in designing or redesigning your supply system for the provision of process heat, towards a low-CO2 system through the integration of renewable heat.

back to top of page

 

© shutterstock

Climate-neutral industries

We support you in the transformation of your energy supply systems. Together, we develop a plan of action tailored to your site to achieve a perspective climate-neutral energy supply while maintaining the usual security of supply.

 

© Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Steam Turbocharger

Coupling steam and compressed air networks

How industrial companies can halve both, their primary energy consumption and their CO2 emissions when generating compressed air.

More about the Steam Turbocharger
 

© Gundula Krause

Geothermal paper drying

Process steam from deep geothermal energy

Paper manufacturing is one of the most energy-intensive industries. The enormous amounts of energy and heat needed to dry the paper webs are still provided today to a large extent by fossil fuels. The "Kabel ZERO" project is investigating how the required process steam can be generated using renewable heat from deep geothermal energy.

 

More about geothermal paper drying

Energy systems engineering

For us, research and development does not end at the laboratory door – we go further. We plan and set up test rigs and prototype systems in our technical center or in containerized on our test area. Moreover, we realize and test innovative prototype and pilot plants at the customer's site.

back to top of page

 

Planning and construction of test stands, prototype and pilot plants

 

© Fraunhofer UMSICHT

LowCH4-MDT-Modul

Prototyping the use of low calorific coal mine methane (CMM)

A lean gas burner, a steam boiler and a micro steam turbine are used for the utilization of low calorific mine gas.

 

 

 

More about LowCH4-MDT-Modul
 

© enercity

ORC-Fuhrberg

Innovative
technology for small CHP plants

Fraunhofer UMSICHT developed and implemented a unique ORC process for the Fuhrberg waterworks, which enables the use of combined heat and power generation in particularly small wood-fired boilers, thereby increasing efficiency and saving resources.

 

More about ORC-Fuhrberg

Compressed air systems and energy storage

Compressed air can be used both as a storage medium in compressed air energy storage systems / CAES and as a working medium in industrial compressed air networks. The efficient generation and storage of compressed air is always of central importance.

back to top of page

Storing electrical energy by means of compressed air

 

© Fraunhofer UMSICHT

KompEx LTA-CAES® modular

System technology for compressed air storages

Joint research project develops new method for compressed air energy storage. This forward-looking technology will enable the sustainable storage of electricity from renewable energies.

 

More about KompEx LTA-CAES® modular
 

© shutterstock

isoSTORRetrofit

Increasing the efficiency of industrial compressed air networks

In the isoSTORRetrofit project, pressure compensating modules are being developed that enable isobaric storage of compressed air. The consequences: The storage volume increases and the compressor cycle can be optimized, which leads to considerably reduced energy costs.

 

More about isoSTORRetrofit

Non-thermal plasma (NT plasma)

NT plasma (-catalysis) enables gas phase reactions where conventional catalyst systems reach their limits due to high activation temperatures, complex gas mixtures with deactivating substances or dynamic process conditions.

back to top of page

 

Gas conversion by activation with non-thermal plasma

 

Carbon2Chem® Sub-project

Gas purification

In the joint project Carbon2Chem® we use NT plasma (catalysis) to remove trace oxygen from hydrogen-rich coke oven gases. We are developing and testing Volume DBD NT plasma reactors specialized for this application.

More about gas purification
 

Making the chemical industry sustainable

In the lead project "ShaPID", the aim is to show that sustainable, green chemistry can be achieved through practical technological innovations in process intensification and digitalization.

More on ShaPID (German site)