Currently Funded Project

The aim is to reduce the use of gas for kiln operation in the ceramics industry from the current 90% to almost 0% through defossilization. This goal will be achieved by switching to hydrogen or fully electric modes of operation, which significantly reduce the CO2 footprint. Thermal processes are to be made more efficient in terms of energy consumption through improved air mixing within tunnel or batch kilns. This requires hot gas blowers (HGL) that are creep-resistant at high speeds in a temperature range up to 1,100 °C. 

The main technical objective is to develop and use innovative HGL made of fiber-reinforced oxide ceramics (O-CMC) for thermal processes, in particular by demonstrating their functionality in a batch and continuous furnace in the ceramics industry. The HGLs to be developed will first be designed and constructed during the course of the project. Prototypes will be manufactured using joining techniques and then tested on a centrifugal test bench and in an HT furnace. After successful validation, HGLs will be used in industrial furnace systems under real production conditions.

As part of the CMCVent project, the Center HTL is responsible for the following tasks:

• Designing HGLs based on differential construction methods
• Developing customized glass-ceramic solder joints
• Manufacture of testable HGL prototypes by joining preforms
• Sealing to reduce open porosity
• Non-destructive testing of prototypes using computer tomography
• Mechanical characterization of the joints
• Determination of O-CMC material properties at RT and 1,100 °C