Top 100 Innovator 2019

Innovative mixing unit for natural gas burner makes Kueppers Solutions GmbH Top 100 Innovator 2019

A mixing unit manufactured using metallic 3D printing optimises the gas-air mixture within natural gas burners and reduces nitrogen oxide emissions. More environmentally friendly combustion is made possible by innovative technology and rejuvenates the burner industry.

At the THERMPROCESS trade fair from 25.06. to 29.06.2019 in Düsseldorf, Kueppers Solutions from Gelsenkirchen presented its new development and subsequently received the accolade of outstanding innovative company in the SME sector with the award of the “Top Innovator 2019” prize on 28 June 2019 in the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt. The science journalist and long-time mentor of the Ranga Yogeshwar competition presented the prize to Kueppers Solutions.

Managing Director Jens te Kaat on the award: “This important award shows that we are turning our idea into an innovative product at just the right time: Many thermoprocessing plants will have to be modernized in the near future. With our mixing unit manufactured in metallic 3D printing, the gas-air mixture in any natural gas burner can be optimized and nitrogen oxide emissions reduced by up to a factor of 10. We are very proud to be able to contribute to making industrial combustion processes more environmentally friendly”.

The mixing unit developed by Kueppers Solutions for industrially used natural gas burners, such as those used in mechanical engineering, paint shops or large bakeries, would not be possible in this form without metallic 3D printing. Based on bionics, the multi-channel structure of the mixing unit is reminiscent of the roots of a tree. Borrowings from aerospace technology as well as complicated, computation-intensive combustion simulations and numerous practical experiments led to the now market-ready variant, which is produced with a previously created digital twin suitable for each burner.

Such a project can only be realized with the right partners. Jens te Kaat: “We had experts from a wide range of institutions on board during the development phase. The close cooperation with the Institute for Technical Combustion (ITV), the Chair for Digital Additive Production (DAP) and the Institute for Ferrous Metallurgy (IEHK) of the RWTH Aachen as well as the Gas and Heat Institute (Gas- und Wärmeinstitut e. V.) has led to the development of a new technology. (GWI) from Essen has made our product in this form possible in the first place”. Two further partners, Gelsenwasser AG and Stadtwerke Bochum, have been acquired for marketing and upcoming market development.

Unbeatable arguments give reason to hope for a high level of acceptance in industry. Top exhaust gas values and a more efficient, resource-saving use of energy thanks to the innovative mixing unit as well as its compatibility with burner systems on the market speak for themselves.
Kueppers Solutions, as a recently awarded top innovator, could soon develop into a top supplier of burner technology. The new product is in the starting blocks. Jens te Kaat on the next steps: “We are not stopping. A material specially developed for our mixing units is being considered, a recuperative burner in metallic 3D printing is conceivable. Our industry needs renewal, especially now that a greater awareness of sustainability and environmental protection is also evident in industry.”

Caption: Award ceremony (see above) Kueppers Solutions Managing Director Jens te Kaat and Domenik Prüßmann (Management Assistant) receive the coveted award from Top 100 Mentor Ranga Yogeshwar. Picture: KD Busch/compamedia