The majority of all industrial processes used today with temperatures above 1,000 °C are heated using fossil fuels.
The goal of defossilizing these processes is particularly complex. Although some processes can in principle be heated electrically, they do not offer the load flexibility to follow the fluctuating generation of renewable energies. Less flexible processes can be heated with sustainable fuels such as fossil fuels. green hydrogen be heated.
For economic reasons, the switch to climate-neutral heating can only take place gradually. After all, there are billions in value in the existing plant fleet. In many cases, new construction is neither ecologically nor economically desirable. On the other hand, retrofitting for climate-neutral heating is technically easy to implement. And there is also potential in process management to further reduce overall energy requirements.
Joachim Wünning was appointed as the new curator of the research field. His aim is to drive research and development forward through regular exchanges and networking between a large number of stakeholders. As an expert in energy-efficient and low-emission combustion technology, Wünning brings the necessary tools to achieve real progress. At the same time, he emphasizes that an open-minded approach is essential. Without a technologically unbiased analysis, there is a risk that the best solutions will be overlooked.
Similar goals to the newly formed research field have been pursued for years by the VDMA's Research Association for Industrial Furnace Construction (FOGI). Close cooperation is therefore a logical step.
"The research field of thermal process technology and the research community for industrial furnace construction can benefit from each other and complement each other well in their work. Similar players with similar interests are represented in both networks - competition can be left out of the equation in order to solve common problems. The research field also offers an incentive for medium-sized plant manufacturers to be a driving force in the field of research funding for politicians" says Joachim Wünning in the Interview with the project management organization Jülich.
Successful networking of interdisciplinary research should therefore help to make thermal process technology fit for the energy transition.
Rexnord Kette GmbH and WS have successfully modernized a belt furnace, reducing the furnace's CO2 emissions by 35%. In addition to new burners with maximum energy efficiency, the optimization of the operating mode also contributes to the CO2 reduction.
Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minsiter Winfried Kretschmann visits WS in Renningen to find out about activities in the field of hydrogen. In addition to the production of green hydrogen from biogas and decentralized ammonia cracking, the high-ranking visit also focuses on the highly efficient and low-emission industrial burners manufactured by WS.
Continuous and recently even particularly strong increases in sales figures prove that the REGEMAT® 250 is the new gold standard for modern strip galvanizing lines. Customers are impressed by the lowest NOx values with maximum efficiency as well as its future viability thanks to its outstanding suitability for operation with hydrogen.
The WS Group is looking forward to an exciting and successful year 2024. We are expecting the completion and commissioning of several pioneering investments. On the product side, our customers can also look forward to various innovations and further developments that will make a decisive contribution to their success in achieving true sustainability.
Sustainability and efficiency were the key objectives in the design of thyssenkrupp's state-of-the-art hot-dip coating line FBA 10. COO Dr. Heike Denecke-Arnold and Dr. Clemens Trachternach, Team Leader FBA 10, provide an exciting insight into the various parts of the ultra-modern line.
A long-term test of high-efficiency and ultra-low-emission burner technology from WS Wärmeprozesstechnik at Waelzholz demonstrated that hydrogen can be used very well as a fuel gas to heat silicon strip lines.
