Energy and Thermal Management

Warmth and cold as thermal forms of energy provide by far the largest percentage of the final energy consumption in Germany. For example, two thirds of the energy used by the German industry is consumed as process heat. The development of efficient heat transport, heat storage and temperature control technologies to reduce primary energy consumption is often accompanied by the use of innovative material concepts.

The main concern of the business unit Energy and Thermal Management is the technological transfer among the scientific fields of materials science and power engineering in the following areas

• efficient storage of thermal energy through the characterization of new storage materials and the development of powerful thermal storage systems,

• optimization of heat transfer processes during heating or cooling with the help of compact single/two-phase heat exchangers, and

• solution of demanding tasks in the field of thermal management to achieve optimum operating temperatures of components in an energy-efficient manner. 

Our competences range from the metrological analysis of thermophysical material values and transport coefficients of (composite) materials to the design, simulation and experimental validation of prototypical energy technology components. In addition, any heat and flow-related questions are dealt with in this area, even without reference to material-technical innovations.

The associates of the business unit exhibit a diversified technical knowledge and know-how concerning experimental studies and mathematical modelling of complex heat, momentum and mass transfer processes, deriving from a long-time work experience.