Open Day in the ministry – with PTB involvement: Energy saving through exact measurements

Power plants play an important role in generating electricity and producing energy. But a power plant should not simply produce electricity, it should moreover do this as efficiently as possible. An important measurand here is the flow velocity of the heated medium in the pipeline system of the power plant. Knowledge about the exact flow velocity may contribute to optimizing the system and ultimately to saving energy.

In the miniature test facility which was set up as an exhibit, a solar module regulated a water cycle via a centrifugal pump. With a laser probe, the flow velocity of the water was measured with great accuracy. The laser Doppler measuring technique used here (one of PTB’s further developments) is currently being applied as a comparison method for determining volume flows in district heating, in gas quantity measurement, along with being a velocity standard for wind tunnels. Furthermore, this technique allows flow phenomena to be visualized and flow rate meters to be optimized.

In the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the various departments and the subordinate authorities provide information about on-going projects, areas of research, initiatives and campaigns once a year at the Open Day. Thematically, the Open Day in 2014 focused on the “25^th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution” and the “Energy Transition”.

Further information can be found at: www.bmwi.de