HYBUILD is a group of 21 partners from 9 countries. Every month, a new HYBUILD partner is introduced in our Blog section. Today, AIT.
AIT – In a nutshell
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria’s largest Research and Technology Organisation with more than 1000 employees, is taking a leading position in the Austrian innovation system. With its eight Centers, AIT regards itself as a highly specialized research and development partner for industry and concerns itself with the key infrastructure topics of the future.
At the AIT Center for Energy, around 200 employees are developing solutions towards a sustainable energy system of tomorrow. Many years of experience and scientific excellence of the AIT staff, as well as a high-quality laboratory infrastructure and a worldwide innovation network offer companies innovative and applied research services and thus a clear competitive advantage in this future market. The Center for Energy’s thematic portfolio is based on three central systems: Sustainable energy infrastructure, decarbonisation of industrial processes and plants, as well as innovative technologies and solutions for enabling sustainable urban transformation (buildings, cities). The Center for Energy has gained more than 20 years of experience in managing and participating in large-scale national and international R&D projects.
AIT role in HYBUILD
AIT is responsible for the design of the Continental hybrid sub-system. The Continental hybrid sub-system uses a latent storage which is directly integrated into the heat pump cycle to utilize the sensible heat of the hot refrigerant after the compressor for Domestic Hot Water (DHW). AIT will perform system simulations of the hybrid sub-system which will help to design and control the lab-test prototype and the demo prototype. Furthermore, experimental tests of the Continental hybrid sub-system will be carried out in AIT’s laboratories under controlled environmental conditions. Additionally, AIT leads the “Hybrid storage sub-systems” work package of the project.
Meet our staff
Dr. Johann Emhofer
Johann Emhofer has been working as a scientist for the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Center for Energy, since 2012 in the area of Thermal Energy Systems with a special focus on heat pump technologies. Prior to his engagement at AIT, he was a project assistant at the Atominstitut of the Vienna University of Technology. Johann holds a master’s degree in Technical Physics and a doctorate in Low-temperature Physics/Superconductivity, both of the Vienna University of Technology.
Dr. Tilman Barz
Tilman Barz has been a Senior Scientist at AIT, Center for Energy, since 2014. He has more than 10 years of experience in conducting research projects on process dynamics and operation, process an automation control, model validation, and numerical methods. Prior to his engagement at AIT, he led a research group in the field of model-based analysis and optimization of chemical and biological systems at the Technical University of Berlin. Tilman holds a master’s degree in Energy and Chemical Engineering and PhD in Process / Control & Automation from the Technische Universität Berlin.
Dr. Klemens Marx
Klemens Marx has been a Scientist in the AIT Center for Energy since mid-2015 and is particularly involved with research issues in the field of integrating renewable energy technologies into industrial and commercial processes. Klemens has many years of experience as a scientist in R&D projects and has worked before AIT as a consulting engineer in the field of oil and gas as well as biogas treatment using membrane processes. He holds a doctorate in chemical engineering and studied mechanical engineering with a focus on energy technology, alternative energy systems and thermal turbomachinery at the Vienna University of Technology.