Energy technology

The power engineering is an engineering science that deals with the interdisciplinary topic of energy. Main contents are the technologies for efficient, safe, environmentally friendly and economical extraction, conversion, transportation, storage and use of energy in all its forms. The focal point is the desire to achieve a high yield of useful energy, ie to maximize efficiency while minimizing the negative side effects on humans, nature and the environment.

Because of the paramount importance of having the energy for man and his environment, including energy technology is of great importance. The use of scarce resources for energy use was and is often fundamental to political conflicts and wars. The exploitation of these resources has negative consequences for the environment and nature, of local disturbance of ecosystems to global climate change. The energy technology is therefore closely linked with the energy sector, energy policy and environmental protection.

Delimitation with neighboring areas

As an interdisciplinary science, energy technology, among other things closely associated with the following neighboring areas:

• Physics ( physical fundamentals, thermodynamics and nuclear physics )
• Chemistry ( fuels, combustion and techniques of air and flue gas cleaning in batteries and fuel cells)
• Electrical Engineering ( Electrical Power Engineering )
• Engineering in the power engineering machines, especially fluid power equipment ( combustion engines, turbines, pumps and compressors)
• Process technology ( process and apparatus, particularly furnaces )
• Geosciences ( geothermal energy ( geothermal ) )
• Mining, Mont estate, petrochemical (fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas, ...))
• Agriculture and Forestry ( biogenic fuels and renewable energy resources )
• Meteorology (wind energy and solar energy)
• Water management and water ( hydroelectric power )
• Waste Management and Technology (energetic residue use)
• Transportation ( energy-saving transport drives)
• Environmental technology, environmental protection, nature conservation, climate protection (reduction of the negative side effects of energy technology on the environment )

Subjects of energy technology

The energy technology can be roughly divided into the following areas, the boundaries are often not keen to draw:

Power plant technology

The power plant technology occupies a special position within the energy technology, because this term is quite unspecific and rather be seen as a generic term.

It is generally understood to power plant technology, the entire technology for power generation in any type of power plant. This includes almost as broad as the field of energy technology as a whole.

More specifically, the technique is traditionally understood by classical fired steam power plants, with emphasis on furnace, boiler and turbine generator under power plant technology. Even this more limited field still includes but many of the below mentioned fields.

Electrical Power Engineering

The electric power engineering is a relatively isolated sub-area within the energy technology, which is mainly covered by the part of electrical engineering.

The electric power engineering is concerned with the production and use of electrical energy ( colloquially power or electricity), as well as their transformation and distribution in high-voltage interconnected networks.

Main ideas are (each in particular for high voltage):

• Electric machines ( generators, motors and transformers)
• Switchgear, substations and transformer stations
• Electrical lines ( overhead lines and cables )
• Load management and power management in interconnected networks
• Power electronics (inverter)
• Electrical heating ( electric heating)

Thermodynamics

The thermodynamics ( thermodynamics ) deals with the fundamental laws of energy conversion, after which the energy process engineering and fluid power engineering work. This theoretical science is a branch of classical physics.

Energy Process Engineering

The energy process engineering is a field of process engineering, closely linked to the chemistry and environmental engineering. This focuses on the thermal and chemical processes of energy conversion.

The heat treatment technology in the broadest sense all processes related to the heat: Your extraction / production, their transmission and their use. This rather broad term is sometimes equated with the thermodynamics and also used as a generic term energy process engineering, combustion technology, etc. with includes.

The combustion technology treats the construction, operation and optimization of combustion systems of all types ( burner, grate, fluidized bed combustors, incinerators, ...) with a view of the energetic efficiency, low-emission combustion and operational safety.

The Fuel Technology deals with the extraction, mechanical, thermal and chemical processing and refining of fuels of all kinds with a view to an economic and environmentally friendly combustion. Depending on the origin of the fuels process engineering works here with very different partners: the case of fossil fuels with specialists in mining and Mont property; in the biogenic fuels with the Agricultural Engineering; in the thermal use of waste materials and secondary fuels with the waste disposal technology.

The exhaust or flue gas cleaning technology is an area of ​​expertise that has set itself the goal of freeing from a combustion exhaust gases or fumes coming as far as possible from air pollutants. Here, a variety of mechanical, thermal and chemical purification methods are used. The flue gas cleaning technology is a classic field of process engineering and chemical engineering.

The power engineering boiler and apparatus deals with design, construction and operation of steam boilers and other heat engineering equipment such as heat exchangers, condensers etc. In this area, the knowledge from the fields of heat and combustion flow together with those from engineering design, engineering mechanics (strength - and pressure vessel calculation ) and materials science.

The building heating is a special field of energy technology within the building. Treated the processes are basically the same as in the above Fields ( thermal engineering, boiler, ... ), but a spatial dimension smaller than in the large technical and industrial applications, optimized for the domestic sphere.

Power Mechanical Engineering

Energy engineering is a field of engineering that deals with design, construction, construction and operation of machines that serve the energy conversion. These are mainly the fluid energy machines, so combustion engines, turbines, pumps, blowers, etc. Due to high thermal and mechanical loads with high demands on the reliability of these machines are among the challenges for engineering.

Flow machines are extremely important both as a prime mover (turbine) as well as a working machine (pump) for power engineering. Steam, gas, water and wind turbines generate the lion's share of the electrical energy generated worldwide. Pumps, fans and compressors are also an indispensable part of most power plants, whether it is for the supply of combustion air to a furnace, as feed water pump for a steam boiler or a turbo compressor from a gas turbine.

Internal combustion piston engines as the drive for transport but also for electricity generation in CHP and electricity-generating significant energy consumers.

Nuclear Engineering

The core technology, also called nuclear technology, deals with the specific technologies that are needed for energy production from nuclear energy. This primarily includes the reactors, which the nuclear reactor, the heart of every nuclear power plant, treated, but also the other, highly specialized technique of such a power plant. Furthermore belong to the nuclear engineering technologies for the processing of nuclear fuels and for the treatment and disposal of radioactive waste. Here, the energy technology works closely with specialists in nuclear physics, nuclear chemistry and radiation protection.

In Germany, this technique is a threatened with extinction field due to political discussions and in view of the adopted nuclear power phase; a global perspective, however, by continuing high importance.

A special area within the core technology is the core fusion, a specialized field of nuclear physics. In this technology High expectations are set for the future; currently it is still in the research and development stage.

Sustainable Energy Technology

Mainly because of the mentioned in the introduction the special importance of energy technology for the Environment, Climate Change and the future of humanity, there is a strong interest in the use of renewable energy sources, so that the latter branch has developed to an almost stand-alone art. If you look into the details, you can see that the various types of renewable energy technology inserting very different technologies and that the branch thus also inhomogeneous and wide-ranging as the total energy technology:

→ Main article: Solar Technology, Solar Energy

In the solar technology, that is, the use of solar energy is basically divided into:

• Photovoltaics - direct generation of electricity from solar radiation using solar cells, either locally or in large photovoltaic power plants. This technology is determined by the semiconductor technology in conjunction with electrical converters of electrical engineering.
• Solar heat - use of solar heat Solar thermal - decentralized use of solar heat by means of solar collectors for heating buildings as a branch of building services.
• Solar thermal power plant technology - use of solar thermal power plants to generate electricity

Importance is attached to the PV of the electrolytic production of hydrogen from water in the hydrogen technology in context.

Wind turbines harness the energy of atmospheric flows. Such a system arises from the collaboration of Stahlbau-/Bauingenieuren ( Tower Building), aerodynamics / fluid mechanics (wing ), mechanical engineers ( gears, bearings, etc. ) and electrical engineers ( generator, power electronics ).

Geothermal energy is the use of geothermal energy for heating and electricity generation.

The use of water power (conventional hydroelectric power stations on rivers dammed, wave power, tidal power ) is primarily the domain of civil engineering, more of hydraulic engineering and coastal engineering, as well as the hydrology and geology. In these subjects the establishment of the most important structures (canals, dams, reservoirs, tunnels, ... ) for the utilization of rivers, lakes and seas falls.

The water turbine is a continuous flow machine a component of the energy engineering ( see above). The electrical generators for hydropower, which represents a special design due to the low speed of water turbines, coming from the electric machine builders.

Bioenergy technology deals with the extraction, refining and use of biogenic fuels and gasoline. Here, the producers of energy crops and other biomass from biology, agriculture and forestry shall cooperate with the conventional fuel technology (see above). The combustion takes place in furnaces and internal combustion engines, which were adapted for the use of biogenic fuels.

Ethanol and methanol or hydrogen derived therefrom can also be used in fuel cells to generate electricity.

Training and Study

Since the energy technology - as detailed above - is such a broad and disciplined field, there are only a few universities and colleges integrated study covering the entire field. Instead, power engineering (electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, process engineering, ... ) is typically used as specialization within the related disciplines offered. The same applies to vocational training courses in the field of energy technology.

Information to study and training opportunities in the field of energy technology offers the BERUFENET and KURSNET the Federal Employment Agency.