WINDHAGER ZENTRALHEIZUNG TECHNIK GMBH
Founded in 1921, WHtech, is nowadays a major European boiler producer of environmentally friendly central heating boilers for pellets, logwood, wood chips and gas from 2.6 to 100 kW with development, production and sales in Seekirchen, Austria. The boilers produced are Austrian workmanship from domestic production with a high proportion of in-house production. Internationally, the Windhager Group is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of small-scale biomass boilers. Numerous innovative development projects and successful product launches mark Windhager's path to becoming a premium manufacturer in the biomass segment.
Most recently, the PuroWIN wood chip and pellet boiler with a completely new gasifier technology, which achieves almost zero dust emissions without any filter, was launched on the market in cooperation with BIOS. The gasification technology implemented in this technology shall form the basis for the gasifier to be designed within the project. Windhager has already participated in a number of collaborative R&I projects and has been coordinator of two Horizon 2020 projects.
Founded in 1995 as a Graz University of Technology spin-off, BIOS has become an internationally recognised team of researchers and consultants active in the field of energetic biomass utilisation in all capacity ranges starting from residential heating boilers as well as stoves and ending up at large-scale combined biomass heat and power plants.
The skills and experiences of the engineers working for BIOS cover the whole field of energetic biomass utilization from the development of technologies over engineering and realisation as well as the demonstration and monitoring of plants. The design of biomass conversion technologies as well as of specific plant units at BIOS is based on experimental R&I as well as process simulations by specially developed CFD based programmes and in-house developed simulation tools for various applications of thermochemical biomass conversion covering detailed NOx, tar and soot formation codes. Within the last 2 decades BIOS has successfully developed and demonstrated several biomass combustion and gasification technologies for different European manufacturers.
FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV
The research organization was founded in 1949. As it stands today, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FHG) has attained a size and influence that makes it an undisputedly vital element in Germany’s as well as in Europe’s industrial and scientific landscape. With a workforce of over 23,000, FHG is Europe’s biggest organization for applied research, and currently operates a total of 67 institutes and research units. The Fraunhofer Institute of Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) covers the complete field of ceramics for special issues from the basic material research to the application and integration. Since 1992 IKTS works intensively in the field of SOFC development. In several nationally and internationally funded projects the scientific basics for design and production of planar SOFC stacks have been obtained. Following, a modular system approach of stack designing, all single technologies like cell production, tape casting of glass seal, assembly and finish of bipolar plates, contacting in several variations, sealing and initialization procedures, were developed and applied as single components up to full scale stacks.
HYS is an engineering company founded in 2003, specialized in the design, development and industrial implementation of new turn-key process technologies and equipment. HYS experience and technological background covers several fields from process synthesis to industrial catalysis and from process optimization for renewable energy production to exhaust gas cleaning and emission control systems. HYS has many years of experience in the development, design, scale-up and manufacturing of novel prototypes, including biological, electrochemical, and thermo-chemical processes for the synthesis of green chemicals building blocks. Thanks to several years of experience of its engineers as European researchers, HYS sets its activity on technological transfer from university to industries, producing day by day R&D for industrial customers and research centers.
The CAT team of engineers has many years of comprehensive experience in the design, production and operation of catalytic systems. CAT has its own lab test stands and simulation programs for catalyst development as well as own production facilities. Especially, their wire mesh catalysts, which are manufactured based on a patented spraying technology and which can be flexibly adapted regarding the framework conditions given, make them a relevant project partner with respect to tar reforming.
WUPPERTAL INSTITUT FÜR KLIMA, UMWELT, ENERGIE GMBH
WIKUE is a German research institute and think tank for sustainable development. It undertakes research and develops models, strategies and instruments for transitions to a sustainable development at local, national and international level. Sustainability research at WIKUE focuses on resources, climate and energy-related challenges and their close interrelation to economy and society. For its sustainability research, WIKUE takes an interdisciplinary and applied approach, working towards a comprehensive system understanding. Thereby, technical, ecological, political-administrative and socio-economic aspects are covered equally by the research of the Institute.
Inergio Technologies SA (external partner from Switzerland, no EU funding)
INERGIO specializes in the design and production of lightweight and compact fuel cells capable of operating on a diverse range of fuels. Our innovative Solid Oxide fuel cell technology unlocks the full potential of SOFCs for use in mobile and portable applications. With expertise that spans every stage of SOFC product development, we are your go-to partner for turning fuel reforming and post-processing, fuel cell stack design, hotbox design, and complete balance of plant design and management into reality. This includes the design of air and fuel flow management systems, as well as system control, in both single mode and hybrid mode configurations, which can be coupled with batteries and/or solar panels.
INERGIO, born as a spin-off from EPFL and HEIG-VD, is situated in city of Lausanne, Switzerland. Our state-of-the-art facility boasts its own laboratory for rigorous testing, machining systems, and the capacity for SOFC assembly. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of fuel cell technology and shaping the future of sustainable energy solutions.
Kick-Off Meeting
