Institut für Thermodynamik

What Institut für Thermodynamik does

The Institut für Thermodynamik (Institute of Thermodynamics) is a university research institute within Leibniz University Hannover's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, representing Technical Thermodynamics in research and teaching. Founded in 1949 as the Institute of Thermodynamics and Steam Boiler Engineering, it operates three primary research areas: Thermodynamic Processes, Thermophysical Property Research, and Heat and Mass Transfer. It does not offer commercial products; instead, it provides research services, experimental characterization, calibration, and consulting to industrial partners, alongside degree-program teaching and student thesis supervision.

The institute's technology base is built around a portfolio of specialized, capital-intensive test facilities: a high-temperature fuel cell test bench (SOFC/SOEC, up to 1 kW and 1100°C) with electrochemical characterization capabilities; a calibration laboratory traceable to ITS-90 and piston-manometer standards; an evaporator test bench (water flows up to 8 g/s, inlet temperatures up to 500°C); a high-temperature heat exchanger test bench (up to 900°C, 600 Nl/min air mass flow); and a high-temperature heat pump pilot plant using the Osenbrück process (50 kW thermal capacity, ammonia-water refrigerant, outlet temperatures above 100°C). Complementary equipment includes Raman and FTIR spectrometers and density measurement devices.

Commercially, the institute operates as a non-revenue-generating academic unit. Funding flows from Leibniz University Hannover's institutional budget, external research grants (DFG, Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt), and project-based industry contracts arranged directly through the Chief Engineer. Customer segments include industrial companies in energy, process, and refrigeration sectors; mechanical engineering students; and collaborating research institutions such as ITLR Stuttgart and ISFH Hamelin. Distribution occurs via direct engagement, academic publications, conference presentations, and the institute's website; pricing for industry services is project-specific and not publicly disclosed.

Name

Institut für Thermodynamik

Legal name

Institut für Thermodynamik

Website

https://ift.uni-hannover.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institut für Thermodynamik is a university research institute within Leibniz University Hannover's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, conducting research and teaching in Technical Thermodynamics. It operates specialized test facilities for fuel cells, heat exchangers, and heat pumps, serving industrial partners, students, and research collaborators via grant-funded projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Engineering Research Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (332410), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Heat Transfer Equipment (Heat Exchangers, Boilers, Condensers) (IMAHAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Waste Heat Recovery & Heat Integration (HRSG/ORC, Pinch Analysis, Heat Exchangers) (EUABAJAF), Refrigeration Components & Controls (Compressors, Valves, Sensors) (IMAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Technical thermodynamics
• Heat transfer research
• Fuel cell testing
• Thermophysical property measurement
• Heat exchanger research

Headquarters

HQ city

Garbsen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: Funded by German Research Foundation (DFG), Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), and other research funding bodies for specific research projects and collaborative research initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Institut für Thermodynamik is a university research institute that provides applied Technical Thermodynamics research, experimental testing, and consulting to industry partners. Its deliverable offerings include thermodynamic system/cycle analysis, heat transfer and heat exchanger testing at extreme temperatures, fuel cell (SOFC/SOEC) and electrolysis characterization, high-temperature heat pump development, thermophysical fluid property measurement, and instrument calibration traceable to international standards. It also delivers degree-level teaching and student research supervision for Leibniz Universität Hannover.

Product overview

The Institut für Thermodynamik (Institute of Thermodynamics) at Leibniz University Hannover is a university research institute representing Technical Thermodynamics in research and teaching, affiliated with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. It does not offer commercial products but provides research services, experimental facilities, and educational programs. The institute's offerings include: thermodynamic system analysis, heat transfer research and testing, fuel cell and water electrolysis characterization, thermophysical fluid property measurements, thermodynamic cycle and heat pump development/testing, and modeling/digital methods consulting for industry partners. Key experimental facilities include a high-temperature fuel cell test bench (SOFC/SOEC up to 1 kW, 1100°C), a calibration laboratory (temperature, pressure, flow, humidity), density measurement devices, spectroscopic equipment (Raman, FTIR), evaporator test bench, high-temperature heat exchanger test bench (up to 900°C), and a high-temperature heat pump pilot plant (50 kW thermal capacity, ammonia-water).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industrial Research Collaboration and Contract Research Joint research, industrial contract work, and consulting delivered to companies in process, energy, refrigeration, and fuel cell sectors, covering thermodynamic system analysis, energy/exergy analysis, and process optimization. Engagements are arranged directly via the institute's Chief Engineer.
• SOFC/SOEC Fuel Cell Characterization Services Experimental characterization of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) systems at electrical power outputs up to 1 kW and operating temperatures up to 1100°C, including flexible gas supply (CH4, H2, NH3, CO2, N2, O2, H2O), gas chromatographic analysis, and electrochemical methods (impedance spectroscopy, cyclovoltammetry, current-interrupt).
• High-Temperature Heat Exchanger Testing Services Investigation of various heat exchanger designs, including additively manufactured geometries, at inlet temperatures up to 900°C and air mass flow rates up to 600 Nl/min, with support for water vapor injection to study radiation effects.
• High-Temperature Heat Pump Development and Testing (Osenbrück Process) Development and testing of an ammonia-water high-temperature heat pump pilot plant for industrial process heating applications, with 50 kW thermal capacity and outlet temperatures above 100°C.
• Evaporator Test Bench Services Characterization of evaporator channels at water flow rates up to 8 g/s and air flow rates up to 600 Nl/min, with inlet temperatures up to 500°C.
• Calibration Laboratory Services Traceable calibration of temperature, pressure, flow, and humidity measuring instruments against international standards (ITS-90 temperature scale, piston manometers for pressure calibration).
• Thermophysical Property Research and Measurement Measurement and modelling of thermophysical fluid and material properties to support partner research, including density measurement devices and spectroscopic equipment (Raman, FTIR).
• Thermodynamics Teaching and Academic Programs (Leibniz Universität Hannover) Degree-level courses in Technical Thermodynamics at Leibniz Universität Hannover, including the "Renewable Energy Systems Planning" course and supervised Bachelor, Master, and PhD projects (e.g., Bachelorprojekt Energietechnik, Forschungspraktikum Nanotechnologie).

Quantifiable outcome

• High-temperature fuel cell testing capability up to 1100°C and 1 kW power output
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ITLR Universität Stuttgart (Institute of Thermodynamics and Energy Systems)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership on two-phase geothermal probes. The project 'Flow Patterns and Heat Transfer in a Vertical Two-Phase Corrugated Tube Geothermal Probe' is jointly conducted with ITLR of the University of Stuttgart. This collaboration enables experimental investigation of flow patterns and heat transfer in corrugated tube geothermal probes.
• Institut für Werkzeugmaschinen, Universität StuttgartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Effi-Ti-Sim project (Priority Program 2231 FluSimPro) focusing on efficient cooling, lubrication, and transport in manufacturing processes. The Institute of Thermodynamics works with the Institute of Machine Tools at University of Stuttgart to simulate thermal and mechanical fluid-solid interactions during circular sawing of titanium alloys.
• ISFH Hamelin (Institute for Solar Energy Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe institute offers student projects supervised by ISFH as external projects. ISFH regularly offers student projects in photovoltaics and solar systems, which are supervised by the Institute of Thermodynamics as external collaborations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Solar Energy Research Hameln (ISFH): An applied research institute overlapping on thermal and photovoltaic systems research; already a collaboration partner of IfT Hannover through student project supervision.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE: Larger applied research institute with broader scope (photovoltaics, solar thermal, energy systems) and significant overlap with IfT's high-temperature heat transfer, heat pump, and hydrogen research areas.
• DLR Institute of Thermodynamics in Energy Engineering: German Aerospace Center research institute covering thermodynamic energy conversion, energy systems analysis, and high-temperature processes with substantially larger scale and applied research mandate.

Direct peers

• Institute of Power Engineering, TU Dresden: Peer academic institute at TU Dresden focused on power and heat engineering, with overlapping research in thermodynamic processes, steam cycles, and process heat decarbonization.
• Institute of Thermodynamics and Refrigeration Technology, TU Berlin: German university institute covering thermodynamics and refrigeration technology — closely comparable in mission, with overlapping research on evaporators, heat exchangers, and energy systems.
• Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery (ITS), KIT: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology's thermofluids and turbomachinery institute — comparable in scale and mission, covering thermodynamic cycles, heat transfer, and high-temperature processes with industrial partnerships.
• Institute of Thermodynamics, TU München: Direct peer institute within a leading German technical university, focused on thermodynamics, heat transfer, and energy process engineering with comparable research infrastructure and DFG-funded project portfolio.
• Institute of Thermodynamics, RWTH Aachen: Another leading German university institute covering technical thermodynamics, with comparable focus areas including fuel cells, heat exchangers, and energy systems research.
• Institute of Thermodynamics and Energy Systems (ITLR), University of Stuttgart: Closest peer institute in Germany: also a university-based research institute covering thermophysical property research, thermodynamic cycles, heat pumps, and energy systems. Already a formal collaboration partner of Institut für Thermodynamik on two-phase geothermal probes.

Regional players

• LUT University, Department of Energy Technology: Affiliation site of Prof. Tynjälä who is listed as a professor at IfT Hannover; LUT's energy research covers thermodynamic processes and heat transfer with comparable experimental and modeling capabilities in a Northern European context.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-f%C3%BCr-thermodynamik

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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