Backer ELC's business is the provision of process heat. Its customers come from the food, plastics and machinery industries. They are joined by railroad companies from Switzerland and other countries, mainly in Europe, which obtain their point heating systems from Teufenthal. The domestic market share is around 95 percent.
For a long time, the proportion of Backer ELC's total business accounted for by point heaters hovered around 20 percent. “But we noticed that it was getting tougher. Our prices were too high,” says Christoph Frey. He developed a forward strategy based on innovation that would at least allow the price level to be maintained. The engineers commissioned by Backer ELC identified the greatest potential for optimization in the electricity consumption of the point heating systems. Over 7000 points are heated on the SBB network alone; up to 16 heating rods are installed per point; the total installed output is 130 megawatts, slightly less than the electricity production of the Sihlsee power plant in full operation.
The CC FNUM of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts was brought on board for the feasibility study financed by the HTZ. A team led by Professor Ulf Christian Müller was commissioned to use a digital switch model to investigate how the heat transfer from the up to eight-metre-long heating rods to the switch could be optimized. In fall 2023, the HTZ launched a follow-up project, this time co-financed by the Aargau Research Fund. The team from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts received funding to create a digital model of an entire station.
Then came the setback: the unique selling point they were aiming for - lower operating costs thanks to energy efficiency - was there, but nowhere near as pronounced as they had hoped. However, giving up was not an option for Christoph Frey. The path from the idea to the finished product is always a rollercoaster ride, explains the 54-year-old manager: “Now it was a matter of compensating for the lower savings with other product features and lower costs.” The levers have been defined. Firstly, the targeted savings should be achieved with fewer connection heads. Secondly, the installation logistics are to be further simplified. And thirdly, an extended sensor system should create additional customer benefits in the area of predictive maintenance.
“In all of this,” says Christoph Frey, “we benefit enormously from our digital twin.” The reason: the ideas of the engineers and software developers can be implemented on screen and tested for their effectiveness. Lengthy field trials are no longer necessary.
