Bastian Schmitt, born in 1981, graduated at the end of 2005 in mechanical engineering.
Within the scope of his Diploma Thesis at the Department of Solar and Systems Engineering, Kassel University, "Drawing energy balances of solar process heat generation using the example of breweries", he dealt with planning and realisation of solar heating systems for process heat generation in industrial applications. In the following, he took part in the IEA-SHC Task 33/IV "Solar heat for industrial processes" and started a Master's Programme on renewable energy and energy efficiency at Kassel University. Until he graduated at the end of 2007, he was working as a scientific assistant at the Department of Solar and Systems Engineering at Kassel University. His Master Thesis "Development of a process for the direct liquefaction of biogenic materials" was carried out at the Institute of Sustainable Techniques and Systems at Joanneum Research in Graz, Austria. Since February 2008, Bastian Schmitt is working at the Department of Renewable Process Heat at Kassel University within the field of solar heat for industrial processes.
"Renewable process heat for breweries"
Approximately 20% of the final energy consumption in Germany is used to provide heat for industrial applications. In the recent years, costs for heat have increased significantly. Although the use of renewable energies in domestic applications is quite established, there are only few industrial companies worldwide that make use of heat generated by renewable energy. However, many industrial processes, especially in the food sector, show high and fairly continuous heat demands at a relatively low temperature level. These are good conditions for implementing solar heating systems or biomass driven combined heat and power generation. Within the food sector, breweries are very interesting due to the similarity of process steps and their high energy consumption. A small to midsized brewery consumes already as much energy as a small village.
The aim of the dissertation project "Renewable process heat for breweries" is to identify and investigate boundary conditions that are necessary to achieve a large scale implementation of solar heating systems within the brewing sector. Therefore, energy concepts for breweries will be developed together with GEA Brewery Systems and Hütt brewery Kassel. These concepts will include energy efficiency- and heat recovery measures, as well as the utilization of renewable process heat. Besides the integration of solar heating systems, combined heat and power generation will be analysed that is driven by biomass waste which is a by-product of the production process. Furthermore, it will be investigated if existing steam driven heat supply systems can be replaced by pressurized hot water networks to facilitate the implementation of renewable energies. The dissertation is supervised by Prof. Dr. Ulrike Jordan, head of the Department Renewable Process Heat at Kassel University.
