Theory becomes Practice
Theory and practice are two terms whose relationship may seem contradictory at first. We are very involved in training young people and promoting students. "Theory becomes practice", is closely linked with the research & development approach of the company. Innovation management is not just about new concepts, but the continuous improvement and optimization of existing solutions are also important goals for us. In doing so, we work together with our customers on an application-related basis.
- Close cooperation with universities and active participation of students in our company are very important aspects. Up-to-date knowledge of technologies, the current state of the competition and patents are required to ensure future viable projects and the expansion of the company's market reach.
- We work together with companies and organizations in a variety of ways. Our teams comprise of engineers, strategists, designers and researchers, all of whom are passionate about providing market-driven solutions to product applications. Our experts support customers throughout all the phases of the development process, from identification and selection of options to the elaborate planning of integrative system solutions. Ultimately the customer with his specific problems and requirements decides whether products can prevail and whether theory can become practice.
Proven Knowledge becomes New Energy
Our employees have many years of experience in the energy industry. Their knowledge has been tested and expanded over decades of involvement in projects. This expertise is of particular importance in the transition to a sustainable energy industry. We continuously expand and transfer this knowledge to technologies of the future. Being aware of our responsibility to the environment, we have been and continue to be actively involved in the development of solar-thermal power generation since 2007.
We are hard at work researching the possibilities of transfer from flexible steam generation to and in connection with thermal storage and to other areas, thus making our contribution to the energy transition.
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For the solar thermal pilot installation in Évora, Portugal we perfomed the process design and constructed and supplied the steam generator. In this project practical solutions based on innovative ideas were developed and tested:
- The once-through steam generator does not require a thick-walled steam drum and is therefore particularly suited to fast load changes and frequent start-ups and shut-downs. Steam generators of this type can respond more quickly to volatile solar radiation and to the requirements of the grid and the electricity market.
- By using molten salt as a medium to store and transfer the heat, high process temperatures and thus high plant efficiencies can be achieved.
- High-temperature storage offers solar-thermal power plants the advantage of decoupling energy supply from demand over other renewable energy sources.
- As well as being used in solar-thermal power generation, molten salt heat exchangers are also suitable for making existing coal power plants more flexible and can thus make a cost-effective contribution to the balancing of negative residual loads during power overproduction, or to the supply of regulating reserve energy.
Industry becomes 4.0
Terms such as "digitalization" and "industry 4.0" are used to describe the use of new information technology to improve production processes and products. This is made possible by more powerful hardware, new possibilities in data transmission and the further development of sensor technology. The combination of these technologies leads to software solutions, so-called apps, which at the least affect the professional and private lives of almost everyone, if not massively changing them.
Steinmüller Engineering not only uses this technology to improve its products and internal processes, but also develops products for the benefit of its customers.
- Calculation tools, originally developed to design plants and plant components, also offer the possibility to monitor and optimize plant operation as a "digital twin". From the measurement data of the plant which usually already provides the existing control technology via database interfaces, our calculation tools can determine characteristic values, the so-called Key Performance Indicators (KPI), which allow for an assessment of plant operation beyond the measured values. While measured data describes the "how?", the calculated KPIs answer the important question of the "why?". An important component of the digital twin is our thermodynamics program (www.dimbo.de) which can be integrated into other IT systems in the form of a dynamic link library (DLL).
- As another digitalization option, we have begun to migrate some of our computational tools into web-based applications and do not just use them for ourselves, but also make them available to our customers. A first impression will be published soon at this point.
- With this service, we want to take up a tradition of the former company L. & C. Steinmüller, on whose legendary short textbook paperbacks we continue to be approached over and over again.
Research becomes a Product
In order to hold our own claim to high-tech products, we have to ensure that these products continuously evolve to meet the changing demands and boundary conditions of the market.
Power plants are becoming increasingly environmentally friendly thanks to innovative products in the field of combustion and flue gas cleaning.
Building on many years of experience with bituminous coal and lignite burners, Steinmüller Engineering is constantly developing new ideas, which are reflected in the form of numerous successful customer projects and patents. In addition to minimizing pollutants, the integration of renewable raw materials into combustion processes is also the focus of our further development.
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Through intensive in-house research Steinmüller Engineering has in recent years become one of the leading providers of tray technology in Europe, in the field of flue gas desulphurization. In addition to the reduction of SO2 emissions, significantly improved aerosol and particulate matter separation can be achieved through the use of tray technology. The tray technology provides the ability to deliberately influence the chemistry of the scrubber, thereby also eliminating the deposition of other noxious gases such as mercury.
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We have created new standards by using heat and erosion resistant lances for additive injection. In the future this will make it possible to reduce pollutants even more efficiently and, at the same time make plant operation safer. In particular, the reduction of environmentally harmful nitrogen oxides is the focus of our developments.
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Our patented developments in the area of high-alloyed materials and their specific processing for the manufacture of a pipe using sheet metal provides increased corrosion protection, longer service life and reduced maintenance costs. Initial investigations after six months use in the superheater bundles of thermal waste incineration plants demonstrated clearly that material loss due to corrosion was reduced by 66% compared to the previous cladding material.
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Through advancements in the field of mercury removal technologies and energy storage, Steinmüller Engineering will continue to rely on innovative research in the future to set standards as a provider of advanced technologies.
Contact
Dr. Dorian Rasche
Department Manager Process Technologies
Phone +49 2261 78950 413
Cell +4916096691483
Write an E-Mail
HEADOFFICE
Steinmüller Engineering GmbH
IHI Group Company
Fabrikstraße 5
51643 Gummersbach / Germany
