OPTICON

Background of the research in the new Verbund-ZIK "OptiCon- Optical in situ investigation and modeling of high-temperature conversion processes" (Grant-ID: 03Z1H535) is the development of resource-efficient technologies for energy and material conversion, which defines new demands on technology development. The experience at the field of laser physics and modelling of high-temperature conversion processes in Jena and Freiberg will be used, to establish a new experimental and theoretical method based on an experimental material data investigation. The high-temperature reactions during the fabrication of synthesis gas will be gauged in detail and used for the development of high-resolution numerical models. The application of these numerical models ends in a time- and cost-optimized new development of resource-efficient high-temperature conversion processes in industrial scale.

In the OptiCon network, the experience acquired in coal gasification (project "HITECOMExternal link", grant-IDs: 03Z1H532, 03Z1H533) is applied to other fields of technology with high utilization potential. Particularly energy and resource-intensive high-temperature processes in metallurgy (e.g metal recycling, development of renewable raw materials) have a high savings potential in terms of their resource requirements. According to the OptiCon strategy, the key reactions should be scientifically penetrated, modeling tools for process optimization and redevelopment created, and new spectroscopy techniques developed for direct process analysis.