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References

Practical engineering solutions for real industrial challenges

Our reference projects show how simulation, process analysis, and engineering judgement can create measurable value in industrial applications. Each project starts with a concrete technical question: How can pressure losses be reduced? Where do temperature peaks occur? Why is a process unstable? Which design option is technically and economically the safest?

We work closely with our customers to translate complex data and simulation results into clear recommendations. The goal is not simply to create calculations, but to support better decisions, reduce technical uncertainty, and improve plant performance.

Projects

Discover our reference projects

Building Technology (HVAC) / Fire Protection

Problem

A new cold storage facility evolved from drawings to detailed fire safety plans. One clause in the code was instrumental throughout the discussion: if the air velocity on the roof exceeds 1.5 m/s, dense and expensive IR fire detection is required. Early cost calculations assumed that the entire roof area would be over the limit, which was an expensive solution for a large hall. Rather than accept a blanket solution, the team asked a simpler question: what is the actual airflow in the hall when the racks are full and the cooling systems are running as intended?  

Das Problem in einer Kühlhalle war, dass die Frage "Wie ist die Luftströmung in der Halle tatsächlich, wenn die Racks voll sind und die Kühlanlagen wie vorgesehen laufen?" nicht klar beantwortet werden konnte. 
Solution

A targeted and accepted detector layout in the fire protection concept and a simple airflow adjustment that reduced the roof area well below 1.5 m/s, reduced installation costs by €220,000 and strengthened the permit package.

Nach einer Strömungssimulation und einer Basisanalyse wurden Leitbleche eingebaut, ein Detektorenlayout im Brandschutzkonzept vorgesehen und die Luftströmung verbessert - bei einer Einsparung von 220.000 €.

Combustion Technology / Power Plant Technology

Problem

A corner-fired coal-fired boiler with ~200 t/h steam production had just been converted to burning wood when the commissioning team noticed a familiar pattern: smooth operation at times, but pressure fluctuations and emission spikes when burner combinations changed or the load changed rapidly. The mandate was clear: stabilize ramp-ups, keep emissions within targets, and do so within existing plant hardware.

In einem Biomasse-Heizkraftwerk kam es häufig zu Druckschwankungen. Gleichzeitig existierten zu viele Unbekannte: keine Sicherheitsgrenzen, Probleme mit der Brennstoffzufuhr, nur begrenzte Daten.
Solution

By the end of the commissioning, emissions were quieter, CO exceedances were less frequent and shorter, and NOx was lower at the same load. Operators were given clear, practical guidance on which burner patterns should be preferred and how air and fuel should be coordinated during changeovers. Perhaps most importantly, the approach became a manual: a reusable, data-based method to further refine performance without making any modifications.

Nach einer Datenaufbereitung und Sensitivitätsanalyse konnten klare Ergebnisse abgeleitet werden: weniger Schwankungen, geringere Emissionen und eine verbesserte Sekundärluftmischung. Ein Betriebshandbuch wurde bereitgestellt.

Thermal Engineering / Power Plant Technology

Problem

When the new SO₃ gas steam generator was designed, the heat exchanger surfaces and hood geometry looked neat on paper, but pointed to a classic case: The compact design means that the gas flow does not act evenly on the superheater. Early visits and layout checks indicated that the majority of the gas flow would pass through one side of the duct, after the hood large parts of the superheater appear to be undersupplied. 

If this happens in operation, only part of the heat transfer surface would be used, local temperatures would rise and the plant could miss its necessary steam parameters. Rather than take this risk, we created a focused CFD model of the upper section. The brief was pragmatic: keep the operating conditions stable, represent the bundles of realistic pressure/heat sinks, and use the model as a design lens to test flow conditioning options inside the hood.

Bei einem Gaswärmetauscher gab es mehrere Probleme: starke Eckenbelastung, begrenzter Platz unter der Haube, Druckverlust und schlechte Wärmeübertragung.
Solution

In short, a potential problem was solved in the design phase. Our solution provided a cleaner operating window, avoided oversizing and directly led to lower energy consumption and longer plant uptime – quiet successes that add up across design, construction, commissioning and operation.

Nach einer Basissimulation wurden Leitbleche designt und integriert. Dies führte zu homogener Strömung, stabilen Dampfparametern und mehr Effizienz.

Flue gas cleaning / power plant technology 

Problem

A flue gas pipeline showed clear signs of moisture and corrosion in its branched sources, collector line and chimneys. The operating concept changed, some wells were idling while others reached their full load points; an additional desulfurization route was planned. The question was simple but crucial: under what combinations of the operated combustion units of mass flow, temperature and chemical composition would acid condensation occur, and what, if any, would have to be changed in the layout? 

We reconstructed the flow path from the furnace exits to the chimney and calibrated it using the plant measurements of pressure and temperature. This allowed us to "validate" both typical days and stress cases: full load, partial shutdowns, and the future desulfur configuration. With this digital twin, we were able to see not only average conditions, but also the local extremes, where flows accelerate, where mixing cools the gas, and where walls are most exposed.

Es bestand ein hohes Korrosionsrisiko in Rauchgasleitungen.
Solution

Scenario tests made the trade-offs visible. The introduction of the new desulfurization route improved the overall gas quality, but certain chimney regions continued to exceed the sulfuric acid dew point during ramping and partial load operation. Simply adding insulation reduced heat loss on the wall, but did not completely eliminate the dew point area. To be clearly safe, the gas outlet temperature would have had to rise to ~140°C, which would require an additional heat source. 

The study defined a clear framework for safe operation and showed that duct adjustments alone would not guarantee dry operation in all planned modes. A new stack concept, designed for higher outlet temperatures and more robust internal distribution, was recommended. By accurately identifying risk zones, the operator avoided trial-and-error modifications, unplanned downtime, and future corrosion repairs. 

Es wurde ein digitaler Zwilling des Rauchgaswegs erstellt und kalibriert. Die Studie definierte einen klaren Rahmenbereich für sicheren Betrieb und zeigte, dass allein Kanalanpassungen keinen trockenen Betrieb in allen geplanten Moden garantieren würden.

Combustion Technology / Flue Gas Cleaning 

Problem

Commissioning started with more questions than answers. Emissions rose and fell inconsistently with the load and load gradients, the combustion chamber pressure pulsed during testing, and operators occasionally saw an inconsistent fuel supply. The goals were practical and targeted: using only the existing plant data, showing what drives NOx/CO/O2/SO2 and the pressure/temperature fluctuations, and reducing the result into simple recommendations.

In einer Biomasseverbrennung gab es mehrere Probleme: Die Emissionen stiegen und fielen, der Brennkammerdruck pulsierte während der Tests, und die Brennstoffzufuhr war inkonsistent.
Solution

These results indicated easy handling that could be implemented in operation. Keep air distribution within a proven band, avoid reducing primary areas or reducing secondary ventilation too much. Use REZI gas specifically where the flame temperature exceeds the limit. 

What we delivered was a compact package that the company could handle. The approach became a manual: a repeatable, independent method, based on data already collected.

Der datengestützte Ansatz aus Datenanalyse, Vorhersage, physikalischem Trimmen und Setpoint-Optimierung reduzierte CO, NOx und die Peaks. Die Betreiber erhielten klare Vorgaben.

Wastewater Treatment / Aeration & Process Energy Optimization

Problem

A municipal wastewater treatment pipeline did its job, directing quiet air through long aeration channels and supporting bacterial activity, turning wastewater back into something clean, but its efficiency came at a price. Up to two-thirds of the plant's total energy consumption went into this air supply. How could energy consumption be reduced without further investment? 

Eine Kläranlage verursachte zu hohe Energiekosten.
Solution

A well-designed flow pattern can do the same job with less air, extending the life of the blower and reducing energy consumption where it matters most. And because the model is based on open biochemical logic, it can be used in many plants. 

In the end, the digital twin of the aeration process showed what years of data could only hint at: that efficiency depends not only on how much air you pump, but how well the water uses it. With a few well-informed adjustments, the operator can keep the energy bill lower and keep the oxygen exactly where it is needed – no major modifications were necessary.

Ein Digitaler Zwilling in 3D wurde erstellt, Messdaten wurden abgeglichen und das gesamte Becken eingehend analysiert. Auf dieser Basis konnten folgende Ergebnisse erzielt werden: geringerer Luft- und Energiebedarf, verlängerte Lebensdauer der Lüfter und ein übertragbarer offener Digitaler Zwilling.

Power Plant Technology / Thermal Engineering

Problem

A multicellular evaporative cooling tower fell into the same pattern over and over again: visible haze formation on cool days and a continuously increased loss of water. In the chambers, the air did not divide evenly. The outer chambers had high velocities, the center slow; the fan sucked in an uneven velocity profile. This combination increased the pressure drop, made internal mixing unpredictable, and allowed fine droplets to pass through the demisters. 

We treated the problem as an aerodynamic one. A high-resolution flow model of representative cells was built and calibrated for operational measurements. Two versions were compared and optimized at full load and torque.

Ein mehrzelliger Kühlturm erreichte seine Effizienz nicht. Die Aerodynamik sollte verbessert werden ohne Wirkungsgradverluste und ohne Umbauten.
Solution

The design guidance was intentionally modest: adjust the transitions in and out of the chambers; block wall flows; homogenize the spray pattern, avoid high-speed zones. Taken together, these measures provided smoother performance over loads, lower fan performance under the same load, and reduced water consumption, improving availability and reducing OPEX.

Das angepasste Designkonzept reduzierte den Druckverlust, den Wasserverlust, bildete keine Schwaden mehr und sorgte für eine stabilere Leistung bei verbessertem Sprayout.

Thermal Engineering / Power Plant Technology

Problem

The first clues were not dramatic, just a few pipes in a bundle changing, regularly similar areas.

The pattern pointed to a culprit: water that didn't flow fast enough to keep the surfaces clean. Deposits settle below about one meter per second and corrosion takes root.

Ein Rohrbündelwärmetauscher hatte mit wiederkehrender Korrosion zu kämpfen, was zu Strömungsproblemen führte.
Solution

Flow simulation was used to define installations that achieved a uniform pipe load. The volume flow could be reduced slightly at all times.

Per Strömungssimulation wurden Einbauten definiert, die eine gleichmäßige Rohrbelastung realisierten. Der Volumenstrom konnte konstant leicht reduziert werden. Auch die Geschwindigkeiten waren ausgeglichen, der Druck beständig und die Korrosion unter Kontrolle - ohne Pumpen-Upgrade.

Waste-to-Energy / Incineration and Boiler Heat Transfer

Problem

An older plant RDF grate incineration plant was no longer able to maintain its usual service life until the next inspection. High combustion chamber temperatures caused the lining to erode prematurely due to intensive ash build-up, so that regular repair of the lining and replacement became necessary.

Eine EBS-Verbrennungsanlage zeigte lokale Überhitzungen, einen erhöhten Ascheschmelz in der Brennkammer und Ablagerungen, was zu intensivem Verschleiß führte.
Solution

At the end of the study, the path was simple: implement the new sidewall concept, introduce limited early REZI interference, and adjust the bricking. In this way, this combination has resulted in more stable temperatures, less buildup on the combustion chamber walls, and longer breaks between cleanings.

Ein neues Seitenwand-Konzept wurde umgesetzt, eine begrenzte REZI-Einmischung eingeführt und die Ausmauerung angepasst. Dies führte zu stabileren Temperaturen, weniger Ablagerungen an den Brennkammerwänden und längeren Pausen zwischen den Reinigungen.