Laboratory work

The “Heat and Heating Engineering” Laboratory houses technology and installations which are used in a variety of ways for heating actual buildings and commercial properties. Students learn about the operations and processes involved here by doing practical and application-oriented experiments, and thus experience the technology for real.

These laboratory experiments cover all aspects of Heat and Heating Engineering in buildings and commercial properties – starting from the heat and benefit transfer in rooms, the heat distribution, through to various options for generating heat. In addition to conventional technologies, particular consideration is given to future-oriented technologies such as heat pumps or fuel-cell heating devices.

The following test benches are currently in use in the “Heat and Heating Engineering” Laboratory:

• Heat transfer media (determination of heat transfer properties (kA value) for different designs and flow regimes)
• Heat pumps (determination of coefficients of performance and seasonally averaged coefficients of performance, emulation)
• Performance check of radiators
• Determination of pump characteristic curves
• Determination of the characteristics and the behaviour of control valves
• Intake-air temperature control (regulation of optimum control parameters)
• Pressure control (regulation of optimum control parameters)
• Fuel cell heating device (determination of operating behaviour in conjunction with emulation).

On the one hand, the experiments in the “Heat and Heating Engineering” Laboratory serve as laboratory exercises in which the theoretical knowledge gained in the lectures is tried out and enhanced using practical examples. On the other, the idea is that students can and should use and further develop the existing experiments, e.g. for parameter studies or research work, as part of their project work and assignments. Students also have the opportunity to develop and set up new experiments together with laboratory engineers.

staff

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Grob M.Sc. (Head of Laboratory)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus Tritschler

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Anke Geppert

M.Sc. Marco Gölz

M.Sc. Yu Wang

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) M.Eng. Boris Keß

Heiko Strähle (Labormeister)

Yilmaz Alkan (Labormeister)

Laboratories   S15.101 und S15.201

Lab phones   -3963 und -3967

Laboratory work

To supplement the lectures on sanitary engineering, students familiarise themselves with various installation techniques and issues relating to drinking water hygiene and the hydraulic balancing of a hot-water circulation system. The flow behaviour in the plumbing system of a building is visualised in transparent wastewater pipes in the wastewater demonstration tower. The lectures on combustion engineering, gas engineering and gas supply are supplemented by interesting laboratory exercises, for example to determine the combustion efficiency and the emission behaviour of gas heating appliances, the operating behaviour of a fuel cell, or the changeover of a gas appliance to different types of gas.

The Water and Gas Engineering Laboratory has the following test benches:

• Wastewater demonstration tower to visualise drainage processes
• Circulation test bench
• Test bench to determine the performance of drinking water heating systems
• Demonstration setup to visualise temperature layers in a hot water tank
• Test bench to determine the pressure surge behaviour of sanitary fittings
• Test bench to determine the efficiency of a modern gas condensing boiler
• Fuel cell heater in combination with a gas condensing boiler
• Laboratory setup to learn how to adjust gas boilers to various fuel gases.

Staff:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans Messerschmid (Laborleiter)

 Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Anke Geppert

Dipl.-Phys. Ing. (FH) Andreas Gaus

Heiko Strähle  (Labormeister)

Laboratories     S15.101 (Sanitärlabor) und S15.201 (Feuerungslabor)

Lab phone    -3963 (Sanitärlabor) -3967 (Feuerungslabor)

Laboratory work

The Energy Management Laboratory offers several experiments on the utilisation of renewable energies and combined heat and power (CHP) plants, concentrating on the decentralised supply of buildings. The laboratory is currently being set up, and the plan is to add further systems – as a joint venture with the other laboratories and encompassing the building services systems of the laboratory building itself, too.

The Energy Management Laboratory offers laboratory exercises for students which are part of the regular curriculum (currently solar thermal energy experiment), and also offers topics for student projects and projects for Bachelor and Master theses. A new type of heat exchanger will be employed at the solar thermal energy test bench from summer 2021 onwards and tested for its suitability for long-term use. Further R&D projects with student participation are planned.

The Energy Management Laboratory currently houses the following test benches:

• Solar thermal energy test bench
• Pellet boiler
• Combined heat and power installation
• Stratified storage tanks.

Head              Prof. Dr.-Ing. Timm Heinzel

Laboratory     S15.201 (anteilig), Dachterrasse

Lab phone    -3964

Laboratory work

The Fuel Cell Laboratory is located in the Faculty of Science, Energy and Building Services but is also part of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Technology and Mobility (INEM). It provides the experiments for the characterisation of fuel cells and the hybridisation of fuel cell systems, to give but two examples. Moreover, it provides the platform for lots of project work and final projects, as well as research work on the following topics

• Stack testing and individual testing of fuel cells
• Electrolysis and high-pressure electrolysis
• Manufacture, coating and characterisation of cell membranes
• Hardware-in-the-loop test benches such as Home Fuelling Systems
• Zeolite energy storage systems.

The laboratory equipment is also available to other faculties across the university as well as for external training courses. It moreover provides the technical infrastructure for cooperations with industry and for research projects.

Head             Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Rohrbach

Head:              Prof. Gerhard Fetzer