Research profile of the Institute
The Institute of Particle Process Engineering is engaged in research on a wide range of scientific topics related to the handling and processing of particulate materials. The scope of the research encompasses the central unit operations of Particle Technology, including the design and formulation of particles with defined properties and the separation of fine particles from fluids. The experimental and numerical studies of the particulate processes are supported by in-depth investigations of the microscale mechanisms of particle adhesion, deformation and breakage. The measurements are conducted in state-of-the-art laboratories. The multiphase flows in particulate processes are described using CFD and CFD-DEM simulations. Since 2024, the Institute has been responsible for the coordination of the DFG Research Training Group 2908 WERA “Phosphorus Recovery from Wastewater”
History of the institute
The history of the institute started shortly before the University of Trier-Kaiserslautern was founded. In 1970, senior civil engineer Dr. Ekkehard Weber teaches chemistry and mechanical process engineering, etc. at the former Kaiserslautern School of Engineering. There was an engineering school on the ground, which was incorporated shortly afterwards into the newly founded Rhineland-Palatinate University of Applied Sciences (now Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences), a new building housing the laboratories for mechanical process engineering and an open-plan office.
Dr. Weber operated a measuring and testing facility for dust emissions with Mr. Benirschke, the head of the engineering school at this time. Around the beginning of 1970, Mr. Büttner from BAYER came to Kaiserslautern and joined Dr. Weber with the aim of writing a doctoral thesis with him. This group of two is joined on May 1, 1970 by Mr. Dau, who moves from the Technical University of Stuttgart (Chair of Prof. Ch. Alt) to Kaiserslautern to write a doctoral thesis, also in KL.
In the following, the group's work primarily extends to activities for the benefit of the measuring and testing laboratory. In March 1971, Dr. Weber is appointed as one of the first professors at the newly founded dual university Trier-Kaiserslautern (since 2023 University of Kaiserslautern-Landau) to the professorship for Mechanical Process Engineering. As a result, all the people who had previously joined his group moved to the university. Mr. Büttner became an assistant at the chair.
| 1970 | Foundation of the dual university Trier-Kaiserslautern on July 13, 1970. The University of Kaiserslautern consists of three departments: Mathematics, Physics and Technology. The primary task of all three departments is to train teachers at secondary schools, grammar schools and vocational schools. All three departments begin early efforts to find ways to initiate degree courses. The Department of Technology initially consists of four faculties: Architecture and Spatial and Environmental Planning, Educational Sciences, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Five chairs have been established as “basic facilities” for the field of mechanical engineering: Fluid Mechanics/Thermodynamics, Power Machines, Working Machines, Thermal Process Engineering and Mechanical Process Engineering. |
| 1971 | In March 1971, Dr. Weber is appointed Scientific Advisor and Professor in the field of Mechanical Process Engineering. The initial research focus of the MVT professorship is dust separation, in particular wet separation, cyclone separation and dust separation by condensation. |
| The chair grew rapidly due to successful third-party funding activities and at this time consisted of six research assistants, some of whom are named: Jürgen Atzger, Klaus Giese, Peter Leisen, Manfred Schütz, the secretary, Ms. Schmeer, and the laboratory engineer, Mr. Paul Suppe. On October 1, 1972, Mr. Dau moved to the dean's office of the Department of Technology as department secretariat (later called department manager). During this time, the entire department was housed in Building 14 of the Aufbau- und Verfügungs-Zentrum (AVZ, Buildings 11-14 and 21-24). The Mechanical Engineering laboratories were located in the basement of Building 14. | |
| 1973 | On January 1, 1973, the Department of Technology was divided into the Departments of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Architecture, Spatial and Environmental Planning and Educational Sciences. |
| 1974 | On August 1, 1974, Prof. Weber accepted an appointment at the Gesamthochschule Essen. Some of the staff moved to Essen, some stayed in Kaiserslautern, in particular Mr. Büttner, Ms. Schmeer and Mr. Suppe. |
| 1975 | Separation of the University of Trier-Kaiserslautern into two independent universities. The Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering was also split into two independent departments. Prof. Kremer (Thermal Process Engineering) moved to the Ruhr University in Bochum on July 1, 1975. The department was now leaderless. Mr. Büttner and Mr. Dau managed to keep it alive. Initially, the Chair of Mechanical Process Engineering was appointed again. Prof. F. Ebert took the vacant professorship on November 25, 1975 and from that moment on, teaching and research could be carried out properly. He completed his habilitation at the chair of Prof. Molerus in Erlangen and had all the prerequisites to establish a modern Mechanical Process Engineering department in Kaiserslautern. |
| 1977 | First doctoral theses at the chair: Mr. Dau received his doctorate on July 27, 1977, Mr. Büttner on October 24, 1977. In October, Chair Building 44 within the MPM building (Mathematics, Physics and Mechanical Engineering) was completed and could be used. |
| 1979 | Prof. Ebert was elected as Vice President. He held the office until 1982. |
| 1980 | In December, the process engineering laboratories in the new experimental halls in Building 64 were ready for use. |
| 1981 | The C3 professorship in Mechanical Process Engineering was converted to the C4 professorship in “Mechanical Process Engineering and Fluid Mechanics”. Prof. Ebert applied, was offered the position and accepted it. He rejected a previous offer from Erlangen. |
| 1982 | Around 1982, bulk solids technology was actively pursued as a field of research at the chair. The first results were presented at the VDI Technical Committee on Agglomeration and Bulk Solids Technology in 1983. Start of a long-term collaboration with the Freudenberg-Lutravil company, which also financed the large shaft dryer in the laboratory. |
| 1985 | Dr. Büttner was awarded the “Venia legendi” for particle technology on June 18, 1985. |
| 1988 | Following the early passing of Prof. E. Bender, Prof. Ebert took over as Dean. As a result of his re-election at the beginning of 1989, he held the office until the beginning of 1991. |
| 1991 | First ski seminar of the chair in Tschagguns (Montafon). Since 1997 - when Hans-Jörg Bart took over the chair of thermal process engineering - his staff also took part in the ski seminar. Sporting activities alternated with intensive technical lectures and discussions. |
| 1995 | Renaming of the “Mechanical Engineering” department to “Mechanical and Process Engineering”. |
| 1995 | Dr. Sachweh, formerly a doctoral student of Prof. Ebert, awarded the “Venia legendi” for particle technology. He later became an adjunct professor of the chair while working at BASF (Vice President, Fine Particle Technology & Particle Characterization). |
| 2004 | Prof. Ebert retired on March 31, 2004. The chair was once again rededicated. It is again named Mechanical Process Engineering. Prof. Ripperger, who most recently worked at the TU Dresden, was appointed and started the professorship on April 1, 2004. The research field of mechanical process engineering has been expanded to include filtration. |
| 2008 | Prof. Siegfried Ripperger was Dean of the department from the beginning of 2008 to the beginning of 2011. |
| 2014 | The position for Prof. Ripperger's successor was advertised early due to the chair's participation in a Collaborative Research Centre of the department. He was succeeded by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sergiy Antonyuk, who started on August 1. The chair's main areas of work are bulk solids mechanics, filtration, particle measurement technology, porous media and separation process. They have been expanded to include the new research areas of micromechanics and fracture dynamics of particles and agglomerates, particle formulation, fluidized bed technology and modelling and simulation of multiphase processes. |
| 2015 | Prof. Ripperger retired officially on September 30, 2015. |
| 2017 | Dr. Rainer Friehmelt awarded the “Venia legendi” for the field of particle technology. |
The history of the chair was written by Günther Dau.