TU Dresden - Bitzer Chair of Refrigeration

The corresponding professorship (Bitzer Chair of Refrigeration, Cryogenics and Compressor Technology) belongs to the Institute of Power Engineering at the Technical University of Dresden. The professorship comprises a staff of about 25 members, including several Ph.D. students. It is presently headed by Prof. U. Hesse (Refrigeration and Compressors), with the support of Prof. C. Haberstroh for all cryogenic activities. The teaching assignment includes Principles of Refrigeration (presented both in German and in English), Pumps and Compressors and Cryogenic Engineering with focus on liquid helium and liquid hydrogen technology.

As a special feature, the Blitzer Chair of Refrigeration organizes the “European Course of Cryogenics”. The course takes place at the end of the summer and includes three full weeks with lessons, tutorials, lab demonstrations and excursions, held consecutively at the University of Dresden(Germany), of Wroclaw (Poland) and of Trondheim(Sweden).
The course, rated with max. 12 ECTS credits, is open for international students.

Focus of current research work are helium and hydrogen cooling plants and liquefiers, as well as related topics. The team has dedicated experience and expertise for example in the following areas of cryogenics:

  • Liquid helium technology, helium logistic and purity, helium liquefier technology
  • Hydrogen technology and hydrogen liquefaction, ortho-para conversion and o-p catalysts
  • LH2 tank technology, safety constraints and components
  • LH2 for neutron moderation LNG; Neon as cryogenic fluid
  • Turbo machinery in cryogenics; He/Ne mixtures as cryogenic refrigerant
  • Dewar technology and instrumentation
  • Taconis oscillations in LH2 and in LHe systems
  • Precise fluid data and cycle calculations
  • Fluid dynamics and thermal analysis, cool-down calculations and transient states.

 

The group is responsible for the overall TU Dresden liquid helium supply, operating the central helium plant. A well-equipped cryogenic lab is available, including a dedicated liquid hydrogen safety test area.

 

 

Equipment and Lab of the TU Dresden Bitzer Chair of Refrigeration:

  • Helium liquefier (operating the TUD central helium facility)
  • Low temperature test field
  • LH2 safety test area, incl. a laboratory scale hydrogen liquefier
  • Calorimeter cryostat for MLI characterization
  • Ortho-para test cryostat.