11. April 2017

Virtual turbine goes online

Animated film explains how steam turbines work in a simple and clear way.

Under the leadership of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, months of intensive collaboration have resulted in an animated film that explains electricity generation at a steam power plant in a simple and easy-to-understand way. The project involved energy engineers and mechanical engineering experts from HSZG, media computer scientists from HTW Dresden, media educators, psychologists, and representatives from the Hirschfelde power plant. The turbine shown in the film is modeled after an actual turbine from the decommissioned Hirschfelde power plant. Its technical specifications provided the basis for the digitization and animation.

As a result, this elaborately produced video is not merely a virtual supplement to the HSZG’s STEM Trail. The Virtual Turbine also provides a glimpse into former power generation technology, as it was used in Saxony’s oldest large-scale power plant—even though the turbine hall at the Hirschfelde power plant is no longer open to the public.

In the future, the Virtual Turbine will be used to provide young people—especially those with unfounded reservations about technical and engineering professions—with low-threshold access to an important field of application in energy and mechanical engineering. It is one of the first building blocks for the Virtual Internship Park, which gives high school and college students the opportunity to explore machines, processes, and practical applications online.

Watch the animated film here:

Photo: M.A. Robert Viertel
Ihr Ansprechpartner
M.A.
Robert Viertel
Rectorate / Education department
02763 Zittau
Theodor-Körner-Allee 16
Building Z I, Room 2.02.2
2nd upper floor
+49 3583 612-4356
Rectorate / Education department
02826 Görlitz
Brückenstraße 1
Building G II, Room 253
1st floor
+49 3581 374-4356