Heat exchangers are key components for thermal processes in industry (annealing, drying, etc.), in supply technology for cooling and heating, for thermal management systems in vehicles, for thermal and electrochemical energy storage systems, and for decentralized systems used for energy conversion (e.g. utilization of waste heat from CHP plants using Rankine processes, cooling of generators, etc.).

Technologies for compact and efficient heat exchangers are therefore crucial for the resource-efficient use of heat and cold. The expertise of Nuremberg Tech can be found application-oriented design of efficient and compact heat exchangers, evaporators and condensers, their design using numerical simulation and optimization methods, the design of thermohydraulic systems, and testing.

Manufacturers of refrigeration technology and heat pumps currently face the challenge of having to develop products for new environmentally friendly refrigerants. The development of new technologies for the digitalization of plant technology and of innovative control concepts for efficient operation of heat or cold storage system are further demands being placed on the companies. The selection of suitable technologies, optimal storage system dimensions and the integration of the storage systems into complex systems are decisive factors for the market success of these types of components.

Nuremberg Tech is already working in the field of applied research with companies active in this field within diverse cooperative technology projects.

Resource efficiency when supplying processes and buildings with heat or cold requires the use of innovative components for process and energy data acquisition, and therefore offers opportunities for process optimization. Due to the complexity of such systems, product developments in this area are associated with a considerable human resources and large commercial risks for the companies.

Nuremberg Tech has extensive experience in using the technologies required, and energy and automation engineers work in close cooperation to find solutions. The objectives of the technology transfer are, in this case, to conduct joint projects in the laboratories at Nuremberg Tech, and to make new technologies for networking and data transfer in application-oriented pilot projects easy to grasp in order to allow cooperating companies to adapt them for new products and systems.

For companies that wish to provide technologies used for power generation from waste heat, the economic efficiency of the process is usually the decisive criterion for market success. There is currently still a need for development work on products and systems for plants with low powers and high efficiency.

For several years, Nuremberg Tech has been conducting research into new technologies such as a maintenance-free micro-steam turbine or a liquid piston Stirling cycle for waste heat utilization together with companies and users. Higher efficiency apparatuses, such as the particularly compact once-through steam generators and high-speed generators, are also key technologies that are currently being researched at Nuremberg Tech in cooperative projects. Cooperative ventures between companies and the university can be found in the fields of the principles of thermodynamics, the simulation of processes, design of apparatuses, testing components and systems, and determining optimal operating strategies.