Due to the expansion of renewable energy sources, an increasingly large part of electricity production is subject to short-term and seasonal fluctuations. These fluctuations can be balanced with (distributed) thermal power plants. To achieve this in a CO₂-neutral way, alternative fuels must be used that chemically store the excess of renewable power production. The research of the Distributed Thermal Energy Systems group aims to find appropriate solutions for distributed and CO₂-neutral technologies and systems.

Research focus

The research focusses on the analysis of dynamical systems, the combustion of alternative, CO₂-free fuels (hydrogen, ammonia, biogas) and the thermo- and aeroacoustics of energy conversion systems in the energy and transport sector. Our aim is to blend fundamental and application-oriented research to solve real-world problems.

Expertise

The Distributed Thermal Energy Systems research group possesses a broad spectrum of relevant competencies and has many years of industrial experience. Following an interdisciplinary approach, analytical, numerical and experimental methods are combined to find solutions in following topics:

• Design and optimization of burner systems for CO₂-free fuels
• Development and design of passive and active acoustic damping systems
• Simplification and low-dimensional description of complex systems using network models
• Stability analysis of dynamical systems
• Advanced data analysis and signal processing in the time and frequency domain
• Thermodynamic analysis of technical systems including in-depth studies of heat transfer processes
• Modelling and analysis of distributed power-to-gas-to-power systems

Test rigs and measurement technology

• Atmospheric combustion test rig
• Acoustic test rig / impedance tube
• Condenser microphones (multi-microphone method, mode identification, flame transfer matrix)
• Photomultiplier (chemiluminescence)
• Particle Image Velocimetry
• Laser Doppler Anemometry
• Emission measurement
• MicroLabBox for active control
• Infrared camera

Example projects

Projects on the following topics are part of the research of the Distributed Thermal Energy Systems group:

• Combustion of hydrogen and ammonia in gas turbines
• Active and passive noise control
• Analysis of dynamical systems
• Distributed energy systems

Further information and links will follow shortly.