Design and Process Engineering
· Designing, construction, calculation, technology of manufacturing, technical preparation of manufacturing including assembly and testing,
· Thermal and nuclear power plant devices such as steam and combustion turbines, steam generators, steam power plants and heating plants including nuclear power stations, industrial power engineering and their environmental aspects,
· Water turbines, hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pumps, piping systems, hydroelectric power plants, and pumping stations,
· Machinary and devices for chemical industry, food-stuff industry, and biotechnological treatment lines,
· Construction, modelling and theoretical studies of machines and devices for cutting, forming machines, industrial robots, and manipulators,
· Machine parts and mechanisms, methodology of designing machine elements and working mechanisms of general application with consideration of stochastic qualities of inputs, including the application of special types of machines and devices,
· Cars, vans and lorries, buses, trailers, semi-trailers, and motorcycles,
· Combustion engines for all types of vehicle drives, simulation of combustion engine thermomechanical systems, dynamics of driving gear, engine accessories, ecology,
· Machines and devices for in-plant handling of material and handling between operations, for the mining and transport of building materials, for passenger conveyance in buildings,
· Aerodynamic calculation and designing, flight mechanics, fatigue and durability of aircraft constructions, aeroelasticity of aircraft,
· Quality of machine industry production.

prof. Ing. Václav Píštěk, DrSc.

1. Up-to-date off gas cleaning technologies in the waste-to-energy systems

   For satisfying of the energy demand of communal sphere in the future there will be profitable to combine the operation of several equipment burning different fuels and wastes, respectively. Lower requirements on the energy supply in some regions limit also the treatment capacity of incineration plat which could be inserted into the energy producing system. For incineration plant of middle treatment capacity ca 10 to 100 kt/y the alternatives of flue gas cleaning will be considered

   Tutor: Bébar Ladislav, doc. Ing., CSc.

2. Anaerobic fermentation kinetics of biodegradable materials

   (i) Study and analysis of biodegradable waste treatment using anaerobic fermentation (ii) Preparation of various substrates for the fermentation process and design of experiments necessary to create kinetic models of the process. (iii) Creation of anaerobic fermentation kinetic model and sensitivity analysis considering substrate characteristics, continuous / batch process and reactor size. (iv) Evaluation of the anaerobic fermentation kinetic model for predictions of industrial- scale units.

   Tutor: Hájek Jiří, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

3. Efficient operation of industrial heat sources

   The work deals with reducing the energy intensity of industrial processes and energy systems of buildings. Energy savings can be achieved in both consumption and production. The thesis is focused on savings in production with emphasis on effective use of external energy sources, i.e. especially boilers and cogeneration units. Boilers and cogeneration systems differ in their power, fuel, temperature and physical state of the output media, etc. Their main purpose is to generate heat or electrical energy with the highest efficiency and lowest cost. All boilers and cogeneration units have in common that their efficiency is determined by the quality of combustion, amount of excess air and exhaust temperature. Operating costs are mainly associated with the cost of fuel and maintenance. Efficient design and management of industrial heat sources are conditioned by their in-depth knowledge and skills of their integration into the processes. This effort can greatly facilitate the existence of reliable mathematical models with the real possibility of their application. One of the key themes of this thesis is mathematical modelling of boilers and cogeneration units on the basis of analytical and experimental identification of systems. Design and catalogue information are supporting material for devices available on the market. In case of non-conventional technologies will be used primarily available publications and the results of our own research. The thesis will contain a database of mathematical models of energy sources appropriate for integration these sources into industrial processes.

   Tutor: Stehlík Petr, prof. Ing., CSc., dr. h. c.

4. Experimental investigation of NOx removing from flue gas

   In the doctoral thesis the evaluation of alternative ways of NOx removing from flue gas will be analyzed provided. To achieve sufficient low residual concentration of NOx in the final gas the both catalytic and non-catalytic technologies as well will be considered. For experimental investigation the existing experimental testing facilities in the Institute of Process and Environmental Engineering will be used.

   Tutor: Bébar Ladislav, doc. Ing., CSc.

5. Experimental research of flow and heat transfer for petro-chemistry and energy sources

   The work will be focused on the collection of highly reliable and accurate data from laboratory experiments at a large-scale combustion facility for burners up to 2 MW. The work will include error analysis, statistical data analysis and data processing, designed to support advanced combustion simulations. Attention will be directed also towards the design and construction of experimental equipment and measurement techniques, precise process control and monitoring of operating conditions in experimental combustion research. The flow in modern burners with low NOx emissions has a complex structure with a significant tangential velocity component and its experimental analysis is highly important for the validation of numerical models. It is an area of key importance for the design of gas and liquid burners, fired heaters and combustion chambers in a range of industries, mainly in petro-chemistry and power production.

   Tutor: Hájek Jiří, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

6. Modelling of deposit formation in boilers

   Many branches of industry use a large number of boilers for steam generation firing coal, waste, fuel oils and biomass. In all these units, fouling of heat exchanging surfaces has to be tackled, as it causes decreased efficiency of heat transfer. The deposits occur in a range of types, from fine dust to very compact layers. The process of formation and deposition of the fouling particles is closely connected to operating parameters of the combustion process and to the fuel. The principles of deposit formation and its character are however not satisfactorily well known. This work thus aims to improve our understanding of the principles of deposit formation and prediction of fouling in boilers.

   Tutor: Hájek Jiří, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

7. Modelling of on-line boiler cleaning processes

   Many branches of industry use a large number of boilers for steam generation firing coal, waste, fuel oils and biomass. In all these units, fouling of heat exchanging surfaces has to be tackled, as it causes decreased efficiency of heat transfer. Several methods of on-line cleaning are used in practice, including water jets, shower cleaners and wall blowers. The cleaning efficiency however varies and the results are often non-reproducible. Some of the established methods also have large energy demands. Excessive application of cleaning may cause wear and corrosion of the water walls. The missing knowledge of principles of the cleaning is the subject of this work.

   Tutor: Hájek Jiří, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

8. Regional waste-to-energy exploitation

   For regional satisfying of the energy demand of municipal sphere in the future there will be necessary to combine the operation of several technologies for burning different types of fuels and producing hot water, steam or electricity. Requirements on reduced energy consumption in some regions affect also the treatment capacity of the waste-to-energy technologies involved. Case studies considering the insertion of municipal communal waste incineration plant with treatment capacities 10 to 100 kt/y will be analyzed.

   Tutor: Bébar Ladislav, doc. Ing., CSc.

9. Simulation of heat and mass transport in porous media

   Heat and mass transport in porous media is present in a range of practical processes – from lime burning, through catalytic reactors and grate combustion, to the drying of porous materials. Modelling of these processes is therefore a practical tool for the design and analysis of a number of widely used devices. In this work, the student will develop and implement a simulation tool for the modelling of processes and equipment, where heat and mass transport in porous media plays a key role. Existing computational methods will be further developed and adapted to concrete processes and equipment.

   Tutor: Hájek Jiří, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

10. Use of waste heat from industrial processes

    The work is focused on the use of waste heat from industrial processes. It is a low-grade heat in the temperature range 30-250 °C, which is often removed from the process as a waste stream in industrial practice. This stream carries a large amount of energy that could be returned to the process or used elsewhere. The basic equipment for the use of low-grade heat covers e.g. heat pumps, sorption systems, the preheating of water or drying processes. Electricity production from waste heat can provide, e.g. an organic Rankine cycle (ORC). The reason for the small spread of these technologies in practice are high investment costs and not knowing how to effectively integrate them into the process. The result of the thesis should be a methodology for analysing the energy potential of waste streams from industrial processes leading to the effective integration of technology for waste heat recovery.

    Tutor: Stehlík Petr, prof. Ing., CSc., dr. h. c.