NESS Wärmetechnik GmbH is one of the leading German plant engineering companies in the industrial process heat sector. NESS systems are used in a whole host of industrial areas, ranging from the manufacture of wood-based materials, plastics production and processing, and paper manufacturing to aircraft construction, the chemicals sector, energy generation from biomass and environmental technology.

Wood is enjoying a resurgence as a source of energy, which is why NESS is once again at LIGNA this year from 27 to 31 May to show an international audience what lies ahead for the wood working and processing industry. As a partner for professional process heat solutions, NESS is using the trade fair to showcase innovations that help make thermal oil systems run even more reliably, sustainably and efficiently. One such exhibit is the R&D project for the "Smart Heaterpump", which is about to be launched onto the market.

Using the technology that has been available until now, thermal oil heaters have always had to be run at their full volumetric flow rate, even when their full heating output is not required. However, as the amount of electricity consumed by pumps is proportional to the cube of the volumetric flow rate, this leads to vast quantities of energy being completely wasted. "Smart Heaterpump" from NESS is thus designed to monitor the heater's load point and adjust the volumetric flow so that over-consumption is a thing of the past. Even at a medium capacity utilization of 80 percent, running costs for electricity are expected to fall by around a half. What's more, "Smart Heaterpump" has been developed with a firm focus on maximum functional safety. Thanks to its redundant design, the pump meets Safety Integrity Level 2 (SIL 2) and is certified to DIN 4754-2 as a flow limiter.