A2: Theoretical and experimental investigation of process boundary conditions in pulsating flows for the production of novel oxidation catalysts

Functional high performance materials, such as catalyst materials, are widely used in the field of chemically driven mobility. Classic applications can be found in the field of exhaust aftertreatment. In addition, future fields of application for novel catalyst materials in the field of emission control, for example through the oxidation of VOCs or nitrogen oxide compounds, are expected. Another field of application is the synthesis of novel fuels based on renewable hydrogen or their storage as well as the electrolystic production of hydrogen and its conversion back into fuel cells. For the production of suitable materials, efficient and industry-oriented processes are required, i.e. continuous production processes with high throughput. Our own preliminary investigations show that so-called oxidation catalysts (specifically: Hopcalite) can be produced on a large scale via pulsation reactor techniques. However, the production of functional materials using pulsation reactors is largely based on empirical values; process optimization or the conversion of the production process to new materials with new properties has therefore been very time-consuming and involves high technical and financial risks.

Therefore, in this subproject, the known theoretical principles of the pulsation reactor are extended to single particles based on a modeling of the method on macro- and microscopic levels using thermo-fluid dynamics analysis of the reactor principle and in order to model the boundary layer processes. In addition, findings from laboratory tests and a pilot plant reactor, which is utilized to test industrial transferability as well as to generate measured values for model validation, are used and compared with the mathematical-physical models.

For the comprehensive characterization and evaluation of the model and test results, the cluster's planned collaboration with the partner group Inorganic Chemistry I (ICI) is essential, especially regarding the chemical boundary conditions for materials and process, as is the cooperation with the partner group Measuring and Sensor System Technology (MSST) for the metrological analysis of the pulsation reactor process.

Doctoral Candidate: Stefan Heidinger

First (Main-) Supervisor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Beckmann

Second Supervisor: N.N.