Thermodynamic Processes

The growing global demand for energy and the use of fossil fuels are leading to an increase in the proportion of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and a change in the climate, the effects of which are already being felt today in the form of extreme weather events. At the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, the participating countries therefore agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 K above pre-industrial levels as far as possible. This will require a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions worldwide.

Thermodynamics plays an important role in research and development in energy and process engineering. The first and second laws of thermodynamics provide the tools for balancing processes and thus identifying potential for optimization. The focus is mainly on cyclic processes that serve to convert and thus make energy usable. These systems are ubiquitous—whether in refrigerators, heat pumps, or power plants. Without them, civilized life would be unimaginable.

In addition to modeling and optimizing these cyclic processes, the IFT conducts experimental investigations of refrigeration machines and heat pump processes, focusing on both the individual devices and the working fluids used.

• Balancing complex thermodynamic cycles
• Model-based and experimental investigation of a compression heat pump with a solution cycle for industrial use in waste heat recovery
• Design and optimization of thermal management systems
• Development of plant control systems and control concepts

Fuel cell systems and water electrolysis will play an essential role in the future energy system. The fields of application range from mobile applications in vehicles to decentralized energy supply for housing estates. Depending on the application, different types of fuel cells and electrolyses are distinguished. While cells based on a polymer electrolyte (PEMFC / PEMEC) are the focus for dynamic and mobile applications, cells with a ceramic electrolyte (SOFC / SOEC) are of particular interest for stationary applications.

• Model-based analysis of PEMFCs, SOFCs and SOECs (steady-state and transient)
• Experimental analysis of SOFC's and SOEC's (single cell to short stack)
• Model-based and experimental analysis of system components (heat exchangers and injectors)
• Thermodynamic system analysis (energetic and exergetic optimization)
• PEM-based thermoelectrochemical generator