Dr.-Ing. Heide Pohland vom Schloß
Numerous industrial processes require thermal inputs to accomplish the various procedures like heat treatment, annealing or for
that matter thermal power generation. This demands a spatial homogeneous application of heat over a period of time and an
appropriate thermal distribution that would guarantee a high quality product.
Optimum thermal conditions could be achieved through various measures like optimisation of the energy source, the reactor, the
furnace or the flow through the medium.
The department of High Temperature Process Engineering engages in research projects focusing on the development and construction
of those industrial furnaces, where the optimisation of heat treatment processes plays an important role.
For instance the aim of the research on failures of Radiative Heat Pipes (FOGI/¬AIF-FV-Nr. 13841 N) was to diagnose operating
conditions which cause material failures due to overheating. In addition to temperature measurements on two such pipes, one
U-shaped pipe and another casing pipe, various materials were exposed simultaneously to an exhaust gas flow at a defined
temperature to determine their temperature dependency in the prevalent oxidising atmosphere.
Figure 1: Temperature resistance of material samples
In terms of stricter legislations and an increasing ecological awareness the combustion of process gases becomes highly
significant for the supply of required energy to the relevant heat treatment processes.
The gases that emerge during a process e.g. furnace gas, coke oven gas, landfill gas or sewer gases are reused on site for
energy production. The combustion of these process gases demand high standards of the burner because the incurred volumes, as
well as, the composition and therewith the calorific value might fluctuate during the process. Part of the research conducted
at OWI encompasses analysis and experimentation of such combustion processes.
Figure 2: Limitation of use in process gas burners
In addition to the development and evaluation of Heat Treatment facilities, focus is also laid on the conditioning of Reforming processes. A couple of projects financed by AIF are worth mentioning here. One of the two is in collaboration with the University of Duisburg-Essen and focuses on the development of a diesel cracker, which uses the energy that is expelled during the combustion of diesel and the remaining gases. The second with cooperation from the Engler-Bunte-Institut in Karlsruhe delves in to the improvement of the process of desulphurization of standard fuel oil EL for stationary fuel cell applications.
Figure 3: Dieselcracker
Other current research activities include, emission reduction of diesel-engines, investigation of the external homogenous carburation of diesel and air (HCCI) as an alternative combustion concept, review of secondary measures, and are executed with an aim to minimize the NOx- and soot emissions. These analyses are based on burner-, vaporizer- and reformer- technologies that have already been tested at OWI. The vaporized diesel and the reformat are used for the catalyser’s preheating as well as for the immediate regeneration of catalysts and the soot filter’s burnout.