The iRecu® burner developed by the team of experts at German company Kueppers Solutions can run on both natural gas and renewable energy, bringing fresh opportunities for the industrial sector to go green.
The iRecu® is used in industrial heat processing systems and can significantly minimise energy consumption in production processes across a variety of different markets, including the steel, iron, non-ferrous metals, glass, cement, chemicals and food industries.
Existing systems can immediately make a substantial reduction in their natural gas consumption, cutting their carbon footprint in the process, and it will also be possible to fire them using hydrogen in the future. This makes the innovation an important factor in how the industrial sector approaches climate change.
The three award-winning engineers have produced the world’s first series of burners of this kind, which are made using metallic 3D printing. In addition to natural gas, it can also be run on energy from renewable sources – for example, with green hydrogen.
Adrian Moldovan, development engineer at Kueppers Solutions, explains:
“It is possible to switch between both fuel types without needing to also retrofit the systems, and this can be done in line with the availability and needs at hand, similar to driving a hybrid vehicle.”
In this way, hydrogen can be used immediately in industrial applications – even if it is in limited supply – and carbon emissions can be reduced.
Hybrid mode during hydrogen shortage
Jens te Kaat, managing director of Kueppers Solutions, says:
“When industrial systems are run on hydrogen, we avoid carbon emissions completely. However, it will still be a number of years before hydrogen is available in sufficient quantities. Our iRecu® is able to operate both ways, burning either natural gas or hydrogen in a flexible manner. As a result, converting to our dual-fuel burner is already an efficient and future-proof choice for industrial companies.”
This hybrid mode, which is facilitated by the dual-fuel mixing unit, prevents downtimes within industrial processes when no hydrogen is available. The iRecu® also comes in useful for facilities that cannot yet be modified for hydrogen operation.
The innovative heat exchanger makes it possible to reduce natural gas consumption by 15% compared with existing heat recovery solutions. By making the switch, facility owners can play a real part in the transition to clean energy both in Germany and globally – even before adopting hydrogen.
iRecu® paves the way for an industrial transition to green energy
Bernd Feller strikes a positive note:
“Our team spent four years doing research for the iRecu®. The upgrades to our dual-fuel recuperative burner systems for our first large customers such as ThyssenKrupp and Salzgitter have already been a great success. Having now made it onto the exclusive shortlist for the German Future Prize is a great honour and a true team success.”
Award for innovative achievements in technology and science handed out by German president
The German Future Prize is one of the most prestigious science awards in Germany and is awarded every year to outstanding projects in the field of science and technology.
Out of a large number of project proposals from institutions working to advance science, research and innovation, the German Future Prize’s jury follows a multi-stage process to promote three nominees to its final "circle of the best".
In addition to Kueppers Solutions, teams from Airbus and Siemens were nominated this year. Fulfilling a series of criteria – such as level of innovation, potential for the future, progress for our society and future on the market – is key to securing a nomination.
