The 2023 conference season was a time of intensive exchange, critical reflection and inspiration for the Industrial Energy Systems research area at TU Wien's Institute of Energy Systems and Thermodynamics. A total of eight researchers and the head of the institute, Prof. René Hofmann, took part in seven international conferences, where they disseminated their latest findings.

This year's conference season was a great success. It not only offered the opportunity to present and discuss research activities from several projects to a large audience but also enabled new contacts to be made. Contributions from related fields inspired our own research and the discourse led to new partnerships. We look forward to incorporating the knowledge gained into our ongoing research projects and continuing to help shape a sustainable energy future. We are excited about the upcoming challenges and opportunities that await us in research.

Energy Future Industry 2023, opens an external URL in a new window – The IETS TCP’s International Conference on Energy Future in Industry – Gothenburg, Sweden

The head of the institute, René Hofmann, opens an external URL in a new window, was member of the international conference committee of the Energy Future in Industry 2023 conference in Gothenburg and also chaired the session on waste heat recovery in industry as an expert. Felix Birkelbach, opens an external URL in a new window gave a presentation on optimization options for industrial waste heat recovery. The PostDoc also spoke about aspects and possibilities of how digital twins can be used in waste heat recovery in combination with thermal storage.

Presentation: Optimization Strategies for Industrial Excess Heat Recovery, opens an external URL in a new window

Presentation: Digital twins as enablers for waste heat recovery with thermal energy storage, opens an external URL in a new window

RubberCon 2023, opens an external URL in a new window – International Conference on Rubber – Edinburgh, Scotland

Patrick Frenzel, opens an external URL in a new window has contributed to process understanding by analyzing the dwell time behavior of rubber compounds in the extrusion process. These findings are the basis for far-reaching improvements in material waste and energy consumption.

Paper: Experimental analysis of the residence time distribution in a single screw rubber extruder using a digital image processing method, opens an external URL in a new window

WESC 2023, opens an external URL in a new window – Wind Energy Science Conference 2023 – Glasgow, Scotland

Carlotta Tubeuf, opens an external URL in a new window presented the latest findings and field of application of reinforcement learning for the optimization of wind turbines at the WESC.

Presentation: Using Reinforcement Learning to Optimize Operational Strategies for Wind Energy Systems, opens an external URL in a new window

ESCAPE, opens an external URL in a new window – 33^rd European Symposium on Computer-Aided Process Engineering – Athens, Greece

Martin Fischer, opens an external URL in a new window presented a multi-stage optimization to use flexibilities in the industry. This can stabilize the electrical transmission grid and at the same time, generate profit by offering balancing services.

Paper: Multi-stage optimization for marketing industrial flexibility, opens an external URL in a new window

David Huber, opens an external URL in a new window spoke at ESCAPE about the latest findings in the field of synthesizing heat exchanger networks (HEN). Using the developed methods, resilient HENs can be planned and operated under varying conditions.

Paper: Non-Pareto optimal solutions as enablers for versatile heat exchanger networks, opens an external URL in a new window

ECOS, opens an external URL in a new window – 36^th International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and EnvironmentalImpact of Energy Systems – Canary Islands, Spain

Carlotta Tubeuf, opens an external URL in a new window presented a reinforcement learning algorithm to improve the efficiency of hydraulic machines in pumped storage power plants. This can increase the flexibility of energy systems and enable renewable energy producers to interact better with the power grid.

Paper: Enabling Reinforcement Learning for Flexible Energy Systems through Transfer Learning on a Digital Twin Platform, opens an external URL in a new window

Gabriela Zabik, opens an external URL in a new window presented cutting-edge technologies and aspects of hydrogen in the high-temperature industry. This offers new horizons, particularly for the steel industry, which is difficult to decarbonize.

Paper: Qualitative Comparison of On-Site Production of Hydrogen and Its Synthesis Products for Steel Processing Industry, opens an external URL in a new window

Felix Birkelbach, opens an external URL in a new window presented a method for piecewise linear approximation at the conference. The highly efficient algorithm enables the efficient optimization of thermal storage in industrial energy systems.

Paper: Operation planning with thermal storage units using MILP: Comparison of heuristics for approximating non-linear operating behavior, opens an external URL in a new window

David Huber, opens an external URL in a new window developed methods to simultaneously optimize the operation and design of a new type of power-to-liquid plant. This allows the production of synthetic fuels to be implemented efficiently and cost-effectively.

Paper: Highly efficient heat integration of a power-to-liquid process using MILP, opens an external URL in a new window

IPPS 2023, opens an external URL in a new window – International Panel Products Symposium – Llandudno, UK

Nicole Zechner, opens an external URL in a new window laid the foundation for the urgently needed optimization algorithms in chipboard production by developing a thermal model for the pressing process of chipboard.

Paper: Modeling the thermal processes in a short-cycle press to improve product quality, opens an external URL in a new window

ASME Power Applied R&D 2023, opens an external URL in a new window – ASME Power Division Conference. Responsible. Reliable. Power for All – Long Beach, LA

Paul Schwarzmayr, opens an external URL in a new window investigated the standby characteristics of a fixed-bed regenerator both experimentally and numerically. The knowledge gained enables the targeted assessment of the operating behavior of thermal storage units in the high-temperature industry.

Paper: Study on the Standby Characteristics of a Packed Bed Thermal Energy Storage: Experimental Results and Model Based Parameter Optimization, opens an external URL in a new window