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Thermal Power Plant Components

Research Area Manager: Dr.-Ing. Stefan Zunft

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The thermal power plant components research area is focused on the development of high temperature storage and high temperature storage units for the efficiency improvement of power plants and process technology. A concentration is placed on applications with gas-based heat exchange.

Efficient, large-scale solutions for air-heated high-temperature storage units are being developed for various power plant and industrial applications. In adiabatic compressed air power plants, such storage units are a critical component on which high demands are made. To better the dynamics of fossil power plants, a regenerator concept for the integration in the exhaust path of gas turbines is being developed in conjunction with industry partners. Comparable heat storage units are also being developed for application in solar thermal tower power plants.

Heat exchangers on the basis of ceramics are being developed and studied in test modules for high temperature processes in air or exhaust gas atmospheres up to 1300 °C for power plant and industrial applications. Heat exchangers with an elevated power density are being developed in a further field of study on the basis of new, modified surface area structures for vaporization and condensation.

Research Areas and Current Projects:

• High temperature storage units for use in flexibly operating combined cycle power plants
• High temperature storage units for use in „Advanced Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage“ (AA-CAES)
• High temperature storage units for solar tower power plant applications
• Concepts for the storage of high temperature heat in cogeneration and industrial waste heat recovery applications
• Ceramic heat exchangers for use in power plants and industrial processes at high temperature (> 1000°C) and/or in conjunction with corrosive fluids
• High efficiency vaporizers and condensers