Our research and thesis topics comprise the following areas:

  • Building systems
  • Energy management
  • Very shallow geothermal systems
Thermographic imaging
Thermographic imaging

Reaching limits – exceeding limits

New forms of buildings and technologies require new components, systems, and improved calculation processes. 

Our working areas:

Research and the provision of services in heating, ventilation, and climate control technology.

Calculation and simulation processes

  • Building simulation
  • System simulation
  • Flow simulation (CFD)
  • Daylight simulation
  • Pipe network simulation

System analyses

  • Integrating systems into buildings
  • Natural ventilation and façade systems
  • Geothermal heating and cooling
  • Free cooling
  • The use of regenerative energy types
  • Smart planning and energy concepts

The development and optimization of innovative components

  • Rational energy use
  • Heat and cold generators
  • Residential ventilation and heat recovery
  • Smart components

The optimization of energy-related processes

Rational energy use as the key to improving the competitiveness of industrial and community-based businesses.

Our working areas:

Energy-efficient construction – energy analysis

  • Heat requirement certificate
  • Energy certificate (energy pass)
  • authorized for DIN V 18599 non-residential buildings
  • Authorized to issue in accordance with Section 21 of the German Energy Saving Ordinance

Energy optimization

  • Energy optimization (systems, buildings, energy supply)
  • Rational energy use within industry and municipalities
  • Energy management/building automation
  • Energy monitoring

Near-surface geothermal energy 

The energy transition is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century and near-surface geothermal energy is a sleeping giant of the thermal energy transition. The term near-surface geothermal energy refers to geothermal applications with installation depths in the top five metres of the ground. The systems primarily include horizontal and vertical geothermal collectors as well as special designs such as trench collectors, ground ice storage, large collector systems, and others.

The Institute for Energy and Building (ieg) at Nuremberg Institute of Technology conducts research in the area of near-surface geothermal energy increasingly in the computation and optimization of these systems in order to make them available for broader use as a key technology for the energy transition. Our know-how spans from detailed numerical planning across intensive monitoring to continuous optimization in established systems. All systems - from the smallest collector systems to ground ice storage to large collector systems - can be extensively investigated and measured. Numerical simulation procedures are continually validated and calibrated to ensure the system statuses that are computed are as close to reality as possible. Over ten years of valuable experience in application-oriented research projects in this field provide the basis of our expertise. 

 

Our working areas:

Calculation and simulation processes

  • Hygrothermal system simulation
  • Detailed analysis of different system states
  • Detailed planning within defined parameters
Monitoring and operational optimization
  • Development and commissioning of measurement concepts
  • Measurement data evaluation and efficiency analysis
  • Validation and calibration of simulation software
  • Optimization of the heat and cooling production and distribution
  • Optimization of heat pump control

Click this link for an overview of the research carried out in this area Near-surface geothermal energy.