Helmholtz Programs

The Institute for Micro Process Engineering (IMVT) contributes to the research programs of the Helmholtz-Association ("program-oriented funding", PoF). It's contents are aligned to the requirements set by the research politics of the German Federal Government. The programs are carried out in cooperation with scientists from other Helmholtz Centers. 

In the present 3rd PoF phase (2015-2019) IMVT has major contributions to the programs "Storage and Cross-Linked infrastructures (SCI)" and "Energy Efficiency, Materials and Resources (EMR)" in the research field "Energy" and to the program "Science and Technology of Nanosystems (STN)" in the research field "Key Technologies". The research focus is on modular intensified reactors and processes for conversion of renewable power and carbon dioxde into storeable chemical energy carriers and base products for the chemical industry ("Power-to-Molecules"). Included are studies on new catalyst materials and its application in microstructured reactors as well as mathematic modelling and simulation of all relevant reaction and transport processes. Process simulations for optimisation and process evaluation, e.g. in life cycle analyses, is also included.

​Within the program SCI, IMVT coordinates the Topic "Synthetic Hydrocarbons" and works together with the Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology (IKFT) at KIT and the Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics (ITT) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Stuttgart. The topic deals with catalytic processes for conversion of hydrogen from electrolysis powered by renewable energy and carbon dioxide into liquid hydrocarbons and oxygenates. IMVT focuses on 

1. the simplification and the increase of the efficiency of the processes, first of all by closing material recycles and optimized heat integration,
2. the development of intensified reactors and other process devices, and
3. the demonstration of integrated power-to-fuel processes under dynamic conditions in transportable modular container-based plants.

Within the program EMR, IMVT together with the Institute for Pulsed Power and Microwave Technology (IHM) and the Institute of Applied Materials - Materials for Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IAM-WET) both at KIT contribute to the topic "Energy-Efficient Processes" coordinated by the Helmholtz-Center Dresden-Rossendorf. In this topic, IMVT focuses on one hand on laser-based optical spectroscopy for spatially and temporally resolved analysis in chemical processes in order to provide a basis for detailed understanding of reactions and transport. On the other hand, a demonstration of the potential of microstructured devices for increasing the efiiciency of chemical processes is targeted.

Within the program STN, IMVT contributes to fundamental research in "Nanocatalysis" and "Nanomembranes". In nanocatalysis a rational approach for the development of hierarchically structured catalysts and reactors is followed, which is being demonstrated for two industrially important model reactions, i.e., the catalytic partial oxidation of hydrocarbons and the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from the elements. IMVT is developing new microreactors for both applications. In the field of nanomembranes photoactive inorganic coatings on porous membranes are studied for eleminiation of micropollutants in water as well as for selective organic syntheses.