Two students sit in front of a computer screen running a simulation programme — Image: Tassilo Letzel / TUM

Topics & Projects

The worldwide increasing demand for electrical energy, the finite nature of fossil primary resources and the risks of the climate change require a drastic change in our electrical energy system. Power engineering deals with generation, transmission, distribution and utilization of electric power. In this area the department of Energy & Process Engineering works on developing answers to the following research questions:

Electricity Generation based on Renewable Resources

The system of electric power generation, up to now hierarchically organized from base-load to peak-load power plants based on fossil primary energy sources and following the variable load demand, will transform into a volatile system based mainly on wind and photovoltaic energy, which has to coordinate volatile generation and variable load. Storage systems for short-, medium- and long-term storage capability have to be developed and optimized concerning control and operation to cope with these new tasks. Furthermore Demand Side and Supply Side Management will help.

From large Scale Power Plants towards distributed Power Generation

The complete electrical energy system, up to now based on large centralized power plants with high power density and on a top-down structure of the power grids, has to change. A decentralized system consisting of small scaled generation plants which act as distributed systems or as a virtual power plant has to supply the demand in load centers as well as in rural areas with low demand density. In the future, the distributed generation units have to supply also grid services like frequency and voltage control, services which up to now have been provided by large thermal power plants. The optimization of such a distributed system requires besides the network infrastructure also a sophisticated communication system.

Restructuring of Electrical Transmission and Distribution Systems

Due to generation from renewable resources remote from load centers, e.g. offshore wind power, new high power transmission capacities are required. For the development of underground transmission systems for highest AC- and DC-voltages fundamental questions concerning dielectric strength, long term stability of insulating materials and insulation coordination have to be answered. Besides the challenge of bulk power transmission over long distances the local reactive power demand has to be taken into consideration which today is supplied by conventional thermal power plants.

The electric transmission and distribution grids have to be restructured and extended to cope with the new load flow scenarios. We do no longer have networks of pure generation or consumption, the consumer transforms to a prosumer who produces and consumes. New applications like electric vehicles acting as passive (load) and active (storage, provision of net-services) elements will influence the system. This will change the classical distribution structure and allows for a market entrance of a huge number of generators and consumers. For this new market models have to be developed (smart market).

Selected projects of the professorships

A large number of research and development projects are currently in progress at the TUM Department of Energy and Process Engineering. The range of topics extends from generating energy from renewable resources using decentralised power generation to the restructuring of electrical transmission and distribution systems. A selection of current research highlights:

BioH2Log

Innovative production, storage and distribution logistics of biogenic hydrogen from decentralized sources.

Further Research Projects of the Chair of Plant and Process Technology

High gradient magnet separation (HGMS)

Innovative high-gradient magnetic separation for efficient solid-liquid separation and direct isolation of valuable products from viscous fermentation broths containing solids at high throughputs.

Further Research Projects of the Chair of Bioseparation Engineering

Digitalization of bioprocess development

Use of intelligent software components for knowledge-based experiment planning, for sequence control of parallelised and automatable laboratory experiments in real time and for online data evaluation, for a drastic shortening of development cycles in bioprocess development.

Further Research Projects of the Chair of Biochemical Engineering

Storage MultiApp

Improving the performance of commercially used energy storage systems.

Further Research Projects of the Chair of Electrical Energy Storage Technology

LINDA 2.0

Local (partially) automated stand-alone grid and emergency supply with decentralized generation plants in the event of large-scale power outages.

Further Research Projects of the Chair of Electric Power Transmission and Distribution

OSkit

Optimized Sector-Coupling in districts using smart thermal prosumer networks.

Further Research Projects of the Associate Professorship of Energy Management Technologies

REDEFINE H2E

Basic research for a sustainable hydrogen economy through innovative high-temperature electrolysis, gasification and synthesis processes.

Further Research Projects of the Chair of Energy Systems

Inductive Charging – Wireless Power Transfer

Research into contactless, inductive charging systems (WPT - Wireless Power Transfer) for the electrification of the automobile.

Further Research Projects of the Associate Professorship of Energy Conversion Technology

Sustainable Energy Systems Lab (SES Lab)

Increasing the understanding among students and broadening the knowledge and experience among students and teachers in the relevant subject areas of the planned and necessary reduction of CO2 emissions, and the resulting changes and adjustments to energy systems.

Further Research Projects of the Chair of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems