IMMS, widely known as Institut für Mikroelektronik- und Mechatronik-Systeme gemeinnützige GmbH (IMMS GmbH) has been nominated at the XXV. Innovationspreis Thüringen 2022.The organization has been nominated under the category "Industry and Material" for the scalable ultrasonic and volume flow sensor platform "sUSe" at the XXV Innovationspreis Thüringen 2022.
"Even before the energy crisis, the industry was combating leaks in compressed air lines, as they cause the most energy losses and thus also unnecessary costs. Given the current price development, it is even more important for companies to find such leaks, evaluate losses and initiate maintenance measures," explains Dr. Tino Hutschenreuther, subject area manager for system design at IMMS.
Up to 10% of electrical energy is used in various industries to generate compressed air alone, for example, to drive machines and cylinders, transport materials or small parts, cool molded or cast parts, flush gas tanks, or operate exhaust, ventilation, and drying systems. On average, 30% of this compressed air is lost due to leakage.
To significantly reduce such losses, the IMMS has developed the sUSe electronics platform for an automatable solution for the sensors of the cooperation partners SONOTEC GmbH and Postberg+Co. GmbH. The sUSe system consisting of platform and sensors can be retrofitted in industrial compressed air systems to permanently monitor them, improve energy efficiency and save CO2 emissions.
The sUSe platform developed at the IMMS forms the basis of a worldwide novel, holistic monitoring system for compressed air systems. It consists of the platform and several ultrasonic and volume flow sensors that are distributed over a compressed air system, networked, and permanently installed.
"With this completely new concept of evaluating compressed air losses holistically, companies can concentrate on the major construction sites with sound data," Hutschenreuther further added.
"After all, about 70 percent of compressed air losses can be attributed on average to about 10 percent of leaks, which you can now target and eliminate first with maintenance measures,” Hutschenreuther said.
