The HSZG is a "power user"

At the recent EBSILON User Conference in Wiesbaden, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences was recognized as a “Power User” of the EBSILON program. Prof. Hans-Joachim Kretzschmar accepted the award on behalf of the university. EBSILON Professional is Europe’s leading software for calculating energy systems. It is developed and distributed by STEAG Energy Services GmbH in Essen.

There are many reasons for this recognition. In the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, students in the energy technology degree programme use this software as part of the core course “Technical Thermodynamics III – Process Thermodynamics.” This use of the software as early as the 4th semester serves as a model for universities throughout Germany. In the advanced studies phase, EBSILON forms the basis of the class / course “Simulation of Energy Technology Systems,” in which aspiring engineers work on complex and real-world problems. In addition, students use EBSILON to tackle complex problems in their Diplom, Bachelor, and Master's theses. These are often part of ongoing research projects.

At the Institute for Process Engineering, Process Automation, and Measurement Technology (IPM) at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, EBSILON is used in current research and development work in the field of energy technology. Based on this, there is a collaboration between STEAG and the IPM aimed at further developing EBSILON for the simulation of transient—i.e., time-varying—processes in energy technology plants.

Another collaboration between Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and STEAG involves the calculation of the thermophysical properties of working fluids in EBSILON. The working fluids primarily used in energy technology are steam and water, but also air, combustion gases, and refrigerants, as well as other gas and liquid mixtures. Since 2000, EBSILON has been using the algorithms and material property calculation program libraries developed by the Department of Technical Thermodynamics at the university.

Last but not least, the “Power User” designation is a result of the University of Zittau/Görlitz’s presence at the annual EBSILON user conferences. Over the past 15 years, colleagues from the university have been represented at these conferences with technical presentations, posters, and software demonstrations.

The collaboration between Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and STEAG Energy Services has resulted in a modern educational program that utilizes up-to-date software used by energy technology companies worldwide. Knowledge of such engineering tools gives students an advantage in their future careers.