Welcome to the Institute for Thermal Energy Technology and Safety (ITES) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
The ITES uniquely embodies the energy transition: our mission is to enable innovative thermal technologies for a sustainable and safe net-zero energy supply. To this end, the ITES performs research in hydrogen safety and applications [H2], heat transfer / storage / transport using water [MPS], liquid metal [KALLA], and molten salt [FTS], efficient use of alternative heat sources [EVT], magnetohydrodynamics for fusion [MHD], numerical flow modeling [FPS], analyses of the resilience of critical infrastructures, atmospheric dispersion and impact assessment of hazardous substances (e.g. radionuclides) as well as decision support systems [RESIS].
An important part of our mission is the training and education of the next generation of practitioners and engineers through apprenticeships, lectures, internships, and theses [Lectures, Openings].
With the NECOC process, KIT is closing carbon cycles—now the technology is being put into practice
Avoiding greenhouse gas emissions and closing carbon cycles—this is made possible by an innovation from KIT. The NECOC process converts the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into solid carbon—an industrially usable raw material. Now it is set to be used for the first time on an industrial scale in a cast iron foundry: KIT researchers are developing corresponding plant concepts for this purpose in collaboration with industry partners. The state of Baden-Württemberg is funding the project with approximately 1.4 million euros.
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February 2026 marked the start of the new funding phase of the European Digital Innovation Hub - Applied Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity (EDIH AICS 2.0). Representatives of all consortium partners came together for the kick-off meeting to plan the seven work packages for the coming years and identify starting points for even closer cooperation.
A central focus is the further expansion of EDIH-AICS into a genuine one-stop store for AI and cyber security. In future, companies will be able to find all relevant services from the participating partners bundled at a central point of contact and the services will be closely interlinked with existing and new funding opportunities so that SMEs and start-ups receive targeted support.
Dr. Sadeeb Simon Ottenburger, mathematician and systemic resilience researcher in the RESIS (Resilient and Smart Infrastructure Systems) department at the Institute for Thermal Energy Technology and Safety (ITES), has published a new research paper in the renowned mathematics journal Mathematische Annalen.
The paper entitled "A classification of 5-dimensional manifolds, homogeneous souls of codimension two and non-diffeomorphic pairs" presents new results in the classification of five-dimensional manifolds.
KIT researchers surpass NASA and achieve a technological breakthrough toward a CO₂-neutral energy system
Breakthrough green electricity generation with hydrogen: Researchers at KIT have set a record runtime with a new compressorless gas turbine. The burner, featuring a revolutionary pressure-gain combustion technology, operated for 303 seconds. This achievement not only exceeds NASA’s previous record of 250 seconds but also sets new standards for the use of hydrogen in energy supply, which—unlike natural gas—can be produced using renewable energy sources. Earlier this year, the researchers succeeded for the first time in generating electricity with a hydrogen gas turbine without a mechanical compressor. From April 20 to 24, 2026, they will present the gas turbine at the Hannover Messe.
KIT Scientific Publishing publishes special issue of the Diamond OA Journal
The international Diamond Open Access journal Hydrogen Safety, published by KIT Scientific Publishing, has published its first Special Collection with selected best papers from the eleventh International HySafe Conference (ICHS 2025). The conference took place in Seoul, South Korea, in 2025 and comprised around 185 scientific contributions.
The Special Collection is expected to grow, as several submissions are currently at different stages of publication. The issue provides insight into the current state of affairs as well as the range of possibilities related to hydrogen safety.
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At this year's FVEE annual conference at the Umweltforum Berlin, Jakob Hüllsieck presented the results of his master's thesis on waste heat recovery through flue gas condensation.
Especially against the background of the still high unused industrial waste heat potential, research on innovative heat recovery concepts such as flue gas condensation makes an important contribution to the energy transition and decarbonization of industry.
The results of the master's thesis were presented in a poster session and a stage pitch and were the result of a cooperation between ITES and the engineering office umwelttechnik & ingenieure from Hanover.
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The Carl Zeiss Foundation Is Funding a Project for the Integration of Sustainable Development Education into Engineering Sciences Study Programs at KIT
For an interdisciplinary teaching project, KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) has received grants from the Carl Zeiss Foundation’s “CZS Rethink” program. In the “Enforcing Education for Sustainability in Engineering” (EESY Engineering) project, the researchers are developing four core modules on sustainability to be integrated into engineering sciences study programs. The aim is to enable students to use their specialist skills in a critical and application-oriented manner for sustainable development.
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Eike Schmidt's poster presentation on ‘Investigation of heat transfer in high-temperature heat storage systems with liquid metals’ at the FVEE Annual Conference, 7-8 October 2025, Berlin, was awarded a poster prize! His poster shows how high-temperature heat storage systems can contribute to the energy system of the future and how the research in his PhD work contributes to this. In his doctoral thesis, Eike Schmidt is investigating heat transport processes in packed-bed storage systems with liquid metals as part of the DFG Priority Programme Carnot Batteries (SPP 2403).
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The article “A code-to-code benchmark for magneto-convection in a horizontal duct” was published in the journal Nuclear Fusion.
Details: Liquid metals play an important role as breeding material and coolant in applications in future fusion power plants. In an international benchmark project, initiated by ITES, various research groups are comparing their findings on heat transfer in magnetohydrodynamic liquid metal flows, which they obtained using different numerical codes.
Job description
Our award-winning and internationally acclaimed research into the production of industrially usable carbon from carbon dioxide and hydrogen from methane without producing carbon dioxide is entering the next round.
The positions offer varied, exciting tasks in a highly motivated, multidisciplinary team of several PhD students and experienced technical staff in an excellently equipped research environment.
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„Computational fluid dynamics with OpenFOAM“
13.10. - 23.10.2025
The format of the course allows a very flexible participation!
The course consists of four parts, each extending over two days. During day1, participants receive videos of the lectures, slides, and do the proposed exercises. During day2, teachers are available at any time for a one-to-one discussion via Zoom meeting to solve issues related to exercises and answer questions. The course will be held in English.
Objective: The purpose of the course is to acquire the knowledge and practical skills necessary to use the software OpenFOAM.
Deadline: 30. September 2025!
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