Industries
Engineering expertise for complex systems across sectors
BK Process Engineering delivers customized simulation, modeling, and optimization solutions for a wide range of industries. Our work enables clients to improve efficiency, reduce emissions, ensure system safety, and increase process transparency — all through the power of validated engineering and digital tools.
Whether you're optimizing air distribution in a logistics hall, reducing NOx emissions in a combustion unit, or modeling thermal storage behavior in a power plant — we bring sector-specific expertise with real impact.
Our cross-industry capabilities
What we offer
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
Process modeling
Data Modelling for predictive analytics and emission forecasting
Custom software tools for live plant diagnostics and optimization
Simulation of heat exchangers, energy storage, and clean combustion
Full support in planning, operation, and retrofit phases
Industries
Our know-how for your industry
Power Plant Systems
Combustion & Heat Technology
Thermal Energy Storage
HVAC Systems
Wastewater Treatment
Flue Gas Cleaning
Power Plant Systems
Reliable performance and high availability in power plants require a stable steam/water cycle, efficient cooling, and safe draft/stack operation — all of which can be optimized with simulation.
We provide an independent assessment of your existing plant as well as design checks during planning/retrofit, with focus on balance-of-plant topics.
Typical simulation & engineering scope (depending on the task)
Steam & Water Cycle (thermal-hydraulics)
- Water and steam calculations to evaluate operating points, bottlenecks and margins
- Flow distribution and pressure-loss evaluation in piping, headers and complex geometries
- Support for operational scenarios (e.g., load changes) and targeted modifications for improved reliability
Chimney, Draft & Dispersion
- Natural draft / draft stability and local ΔP analysis
- Condensation control (including acid condensation risk, where relevant) and insulation impact
- Overpressure scenarios and safety flap system assessment (opening limits / protection concept)
- Plume dispersion modelling for environmental impact assessment
Cooling Systems (cooling cycle, cooling tower, adiabatic cooling)
- Thermal-hydraulic analysis of cooling cycles and performance at different ambient conditions
- Cooling tower airflow modelling and optimization (incl. adiabatic cooling behavior where applied)
- System sizing and evaluation of auxiliary power consumption for fans/pumps (project-dependent)
Optimization can be done for:
- Increasing operational stability and reducing bottlenecks in the steam/water cycle
- Improving reliability and reducing risk of condensation/corrosion in ducts/stack
- Improving cooling performance (and reducing auxiliary energy demand) through cycle/tower optimization
Design support beyond simulation
- Chimney & draft system design (incl. natural draft calculation and condensation protection)
- Cooling cycle & cooling tower sizing and pump/piping layout support
Combustion & Heat Technology
Increasing efficiency in technology is possible in a particularly cost-effective way using CFD simulation!
Do you want to find out how to improve boiler efficiency? Or would you like to replace the furnace or the refractory lining? Or maybe you want to use new fuels such as wood?
Flow simulations can be used to compute widely differing scenarios of combustion, fuel combinations and geometries.
We can help you to check the feasibility of such ideas and to minimize your project risk! Depending on the brief given we will support and consult you, making use of selected models and our network of contacts and, not to forget, our wide range of practical experience.
Depending on the task, our CFD scope can include:
- Combustion modeling (convection, radiation, turbulence–chemistry interaction)
- Solid–liquid–gas multiphase modeling (e.g., particles/droplets depending on scope)
- Fuel mixture optimization and fuel switching analysis
- FGR (flue gas recirculation) performance analysis
- Temperature distribution, velocity and species profiles
The most different systems can be examined:
- Gas firing installations
- Melting chambers (gas, metal) and their firing systems
- Duct burners
- Lean gas burners
- Oil firing installations
- Coal firing installations
- Grate firing (RDF, waste, coal, wood)
- Incinerating substances
- GT-waste heat boilers
- Kilns (ceramics)
Duct burners
- Checking the positioning of the burners in the duct
- Checking the thermal load of the internals
- Homogeneous incident flow and stable ignition behaviour including perfect control behaviour at low emissions
- Assessment of the pressure drop / flow distribution in the duct system and the impact of mixers/vanes where applicable
Gas burner
Whether low calorific residual gas, or upgrading with hydrogen: we can test your burners for suitability!
- burner performance
- flame stability
- temperature field
- emission tendencies (qualitative/relative depending on boundary conditions)
Industrial boilers – Gas combustion
Understand the complex combustion process with your fuel, burner and boiler, only then can you save emissions and fuel and extend service life with targeted changes.
We support with furnace flow analysis, heat transfer inside the boiler, and superheater heat flux analysis (project-dependent).
EBS grate incineration plant
By means of the pyrolysis gas model used, different fuels can be simulated as feed to the grate. Common questions are the residence time, secondary air mixing, oxygen distribution or, for example, particle deposition.
The computations can be used to investigate the following situations:
- Flame development, e.g., the twist direction of burners
- Burner inlet flow and pressure loss of airing system
- Layout of over-fire airing and wall vents
- Forecast for wall atmospheres and CO and O₂ distribution
- Flue gas temperature at the end of the combustion chamber
- Temperature development within the combustion chamber
- Flue gas residence times
- Heat flow density at membrane wall
- Heat flow density at refractory lining
- Selection of burner types
- Qualitative emission forecasts for NOx, CO, CO₂, O₂
Engineering design support beyond CFD
We also support selected projects with boiler/burner modification, duct and flue gas system design, and heat exchanger design to translate results into implementable measures.
Thermal Energy Storage
We are developing a new system and reactor concept for thermochemical energy storage on a smaller industrial scale (e.g. for smelting works, steam processes, etc.). The heat loading should primarily take place through process waste heat or unused process streams.
Processes are considered in which no heat recovery takes place or can take place and this can be transported away and stored with the chemical solid storage material in the future.
The required heat can be taken from gaseous or liquid process streams. The heat discharge can be carried out in different situations depending on the process conditions. This means that the discharge can take place, for example, during peak loads or times of high energy prices.
The basis for an efficient process is a positive cost-benefit analysis. We develop a suitable plant and reactor concept for you, which can be used on your scale.
Energies can come from unused gases such as CO gases or process gases. Another source of unused fuel could be VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) (liquid as well as gaseous), which e.g. remain unused within chemical processes or when storing chemicals.
One possibility for this combination is the use of a module in which the residues are burned / oxidized. The heat generated during combustion can then be used to charge the storage tank with heat. As soon as energy is required for low-calorific residues, thermochemical energy can be returned from the storage unit in order to safely oxidize the residues.
No additional primary energy is then necessary. This system has the advantage that the stored energy can be used flexibly.
If you are interested in a study for your company, please contact us. We look forward to advising you.
HVAC Systems
Efficient and adequate air conditioning is guaranteed by thorough simulation!
We compute the forecasts of heat and flow distribution for your rooms, halls or power houses. Where you need to design the dimension of ventilation for rooms, buildings or halls, we will conduct sensitivity analyses for the most different scenarios.
Additional services
- We also evaluate mixing quality and pressure drop in air distribution systems.
- We assess the influence of duct routing, vanes and static mixers on flow uniformity and losses.
This supports practical decisions on air distribution, reduction of hot spots and stable operation with lower energy demand.
In addition, we also offer the computation and inspection of smoke extracting systems within buildings in accordance with VDI 6019.
Among others, our models include:
- Heating systems (convection and radiation)
- Flue gas distribution
- Solar radiation
- Forced convection (ventilation)
Planning/design checks
- duct sizing and pressure loss calculation
- including recommendations to improve distribution
Wastewater Treatment
Wastewater technology needs reliable process paths: To optimize the flow of wastewater and the aeration tanks in the sewage works, computational fluid dynamics can provide significant support and potential for optimization. Thus, we can support you in reassessing your plant and finding potential solution for improving your project. Principally, an increased efficiency of individual process steps can be realized.
The ASM1 mechanism which is integrated in the CFD model. For example, this can be used to realize the computation of nitrate decomposition. The figures show a cross section of an aeration tank in a sewage works.
The optimization process can be improved according to the principle of IST (as-is) assessment and targeted optimization measures (layout and operating scenarios).
Typical CFD focus areas (depending on scope) include:
- Mixing tank optimization and mixer positioning / arrangement checks
- Aeration (air/oxygen injection) analysis to improve oxygen utilization and distribution
- Chemical injection modelling (dosing locations and mixing behaviour)
- Sedimentation behaviour and sludge deposition prediction
- Backwash flow simulation (where relevant)
- Support for effluent compliance monitoring in process-driven project approaches
Here are some examples of possible calculations:
- Compactor, mixer and ventilation pumps
- Nitrate/ammonium, phosphates and CSB
- Improve utilization rate of oxygen
- Variation of aeration or also of agitator and aerator arrangements
Process/design support beyond CFD
We also support industrial wastewater topics such as neutralization, heavy metal precipitation, solid–liquid separation, filtration, and sludge thickening/dewatering & sludge handling (project-dependent).
Flue Gas Cleaning
The requirements for plants of flue gas treatment, whether they are existing or projected plants, are becoming increasingly complex. One focus is the flexibility regarding the fuel quality and the increase of load gradients; another focus lies on reduced own consumption and an extension of operating periods between cleanings.
What we offer is an assessment of the actual situation independent of the suppliers as well as checks of your project design during the planning stage.
Depending on the task, our CFD assessment covers flow distribution, pressure drop, temperature profiles and mixing quality (e.g., injection/mixer performance).
We also develop specific models for REA, SCR, SNCR, E-filters, and textile filters.
Flue gas desulphurisation
We also analyse gas–liquid interaction, nozzle spray distribution, two-phase flow and droplet behaviour, as well as pressure drop and temperature profile where required.
Optimization can be done for:
- Pressure loss
- Reducing the L/G proportion at constant separation performance
- Reducing the RG wall effect
- Nozzle positioning
- Wall ring positioning
- Tray inserts
- Sump level
- O₂ injection
- Inlet flow and outlet flow
Planning/design support:
- absorber design checks
- nozzle layout
- pump sizing
- materials selection
Dust removal: E-filters, textile filters
We also offer you to optimize existing plants and installations as well as those that are still at planning stage. Our analyses do not only intend to improve the degree of separation, but also to optimize the energy consumption and to reduce the use of process media. In our computation projects we ensure the simple implementation of the project plan, and we maintain close contacts to the supplier.
Typical CFD focus areas include flow uniformity, particle tracking and collection efficiency prediction (where applicable).
Optimization can be done for:
- Pressure loss
- Inlet flow and outlet flow
- Degree of separation
- Reduction of media and energy consumption
- Special operating modes
SCR (DeNOx)
Whether you need help in planning the project or in the later operating phase: our fluid computations and our project expertise will support you when retrofitting or optimizing your SCR installation. In cooperation with our experienced partner companies we are also able to offer you the physical model construction and the measurements in situ. Thus, you will receive a comprehensive all-in-one support for your entire project.
Our SCR/SNCR scope can include NH₃ injection modelling, injection point optimization, mixing quality analysis, velocity profile optimization and catalyst flow uniformity (depending on project scope).
Optimization can be done for:
- Support of layout planning
- Optimizing the duct geometry
- Design and construction of static mixers and converters
- Optimizing NH₃-injection, NH₃-mixing and NH₃(l)-evaporators
Planning/design support:
- reactor sizing
- catalyst layout
- NH₃ injection grid design
- static mixer specification