Laboratory of Thermal Process Engineering

Welcome to the website of the Thermal Process Engineering Group!

The group was founded in November 2017 as part of the Institute of Chemical Engineering and is headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Grützner.

The guiding idea behind our research is sustainability. How can we make processes more energy-efficient? How can we reduce resource consumption? How can we electrify? Can we replace current raw materials with renewable resources? These are just some of the questions we ask ourselves every day.

We focus on classic separation processes in fluid process engineering, such as distillation, extraction, or absorption - or on entire processes that are dominated by these purification steps. We are convinced that processes must first be understood before they can be improved. Therefore, theoretical and experimental methods are contributing equally to reach our goal of deepened process understanding.

We apply principles and methods of process intensification, modularization, and flexibilization to improve processes and use tools such as process simulation and optimization, additive manufacturing, and CFD simulation to achieve our goals.

One example of a highly intensified and energy-efficient process is the multiple dividing wall column, which is one of the pillars of our research and has been studied experimentally and theoretically for years in our group.

Another example is miniaturization of laboratory equipment while maintaining scalability. Using 3D printing, we have succeeded in reducing the use of resources in experiments by more than 80% for distillation applications.

Last but not least, we see ourselves as a place for creative, new ideas where working and researching should be fun.