Dr. Ulrich Muschelknautz has 27 years of industrial experience in particle technology with a focus on the design and optimization of particle removal systems in many industrial sectors, including power generation, petrochemicals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, wood, recycling and others. Lately he has developed design criteria and a calculation model for uniflow cyclones.

Experience

• Managing Director of MK Engineering - Dust Removal Technology, 1994 - Present
  • MK Engineering is an engineering office in Heidelberg, Germany, founded in 1983 by Edgar Muschelknautz, an international expert in cyclone technology.
  • MK Engineering specializes in the process design of high-efficiency cyclones, scrubbers, filters and pneumatic conveying systems in a wide range of industrial sectors.
• Professor for Mechanical Process Engineering and Fluid Dynamics at the University of Applied Sciences MCI, Innsbruck, Austria, 2005 to 2014
  • Founder and head of R&D department Particle Removal Technology.

Education

• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France – Postdoctoral research, 1993 - 1994
• Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Germany – Doctoral degree in Physics, 1993
• University of Bonn, Germany – Diploma degree in Physics, 1989

Committees

Chairman of the committee for the revision of the guideline VDI 3676 „Waste gas cleaning - Inertial separators" (2020-02) of the VDI - Association of German Engineers

Skills

• Fortran
• Turbo-Pascal
• Matlab          

Publications

Muschelknautz, U. Design criteria for multicyclones in a limited space. Powder Technol. 357, pp. 2-20, 2019. 

Muschelknautz, U. Cyclone design and performance at restricted space. Proceedings of AIChE Annual Meeting, Orlando, USA, 2019.

Cocco, R., Muschelknautz, U., Karri, S.B.R., Freireich, B., Knowlton, T. Cyclones with and without an eccentrically positioned vortex finder. Proceedings of AIChE Annual Meeting, Orlando, USA, 2019.

Cocco, R., Muschelknautz, U., Karri, S.B.R., Freireich, B., Knowlton, T. CFD simulation of primary cyclones with and without an eccentrically positioned vortex finder. Proceedings of FLUIDIZATION-XVI, Guilin, China, 2019.

Muschelknautz, U. Design and calculation methods for uniflow cyclones. Chemical Engineering, Vol. 126 / No. 3, pp. 52-63, 2019.

Cocco, R., Knowlton, T., Karri, S.B.R., Freireich, B., Muschelknautz, U. Modeling concentric and eccentric cyclone outlet tubes. Proceedings of PARTEC, Nuremberg, Germany, 2019.

Muschelknautz, U. Zyklone zum Abscheiden fester Partikel aus Gasen. VDI-Wärmeatlas, 12th German Ed., Springer, Berlin, Chapter L3.4, pp. 1599-1617, 2019.

Muschelknautz, U. Druckverlust in pneumatischen Transportanlagen. VDI-Wärmeatlas, 12th German Ed., Springer, Berlin, Chapter L3.3, pp. 1577-1598, 2019.

Muschelknautz, U. Possibilities to optimize the design of cyclone separators for gas-solids separation. Gefahrstoffe - Reinhaltung der Luft / Air Quality Control, Springer-VDI, Düsseldorf, (2018) No. 11/12, pp. 453-465, 2018.

Kox, V., Lehmann, C., Muschelknautz, U., Ripperger, S. VDI-Guideline: VDI 3676 Waste gas cleaning - Inertial separators. Beuth, Berlin, pp. 1-39, 2018 (www.vdi.de/3676).

Muschelknautz, U. Design criteria of multi cyclones in a limited space. 8th World Congress on Particle Technology, Orlando, USA, 2018.

Muschelknautz, U. Aspects of multi cyclone design at limited space. FILTECH, Cologne, Germany, 2018.

Muschelknautz, U. Performance comparison of uniflow cyclones and standard cyclones. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Fluidized Bed Technology, Krakow, Poland, 2017.

Muschelknautz, U. Uniflow cyclones compared with standard cyclones. FILTECH, Cologne, Germany, 2016.

Muschelknautz, U. Prediction of separation efficiency and pressure drop for uniflow cyclones. ProcessNet Annual meeting of subject groups gas purification and mechanical liquid separation, Bremen, Germany, 2015.

Roschek, D., Dereschewitz, M., Reckweg, F., Muschelknautz, U. Design of Cyclone Improvements in two CFB Boilers and Operation Experience. Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Fluidized Bed Conversion, Turku, Finland, pp. 115-125, 2015.

Muschelknautz, U. Analytical Approach for Calculating the Performance Data of Uniflow Cyclones. Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Fluidized Bed Conversion, Turku, Finland, pp. 1099-1110, 2015.

Muschelknautz, U.: Towards an analytical model for calculating the separa-tion efficiency of uniflow cyclones.  CFB11 – International Conference on Cir-culating Fluidized Beds and Fluidized Bed Technology, Beijing, China, 2014.

Ipsen, C., Roschek, D., Muschelknautz, U.: Theory and Operating Data of Cyclone Improvement in a CFB Boiler, CFB11 – International Conference on Circulating Fluidized Beds and Fluidized Bed Technology, Beijing, China, 2014.

Ipsen, C., Roschek, D., Muschelknautz, U.: Optimierung des Zyklonab-scheiders einer zirkulierenden Wirbelschichtfeuerung – Theoretischer Hinter-grund und Betriebserfahrungen. VGB PowerTech Journal 4/2014, pp. 75-79, 2014.  

Ackermann, S., Greif, V., Kraxner, M., Muschelknautz, U.: Centrifugal-force separator and filter arrangement having a centrifugal-force separator of said type. Patent number: 9782701, Filed: June 23, 2014, Date of Patent: October 10, 2017, Assignee: MANN+HUMMEL GMBH, Inventors: Ackermann, S., Greif, V., Kraxner, M., Muschelknautz, U., 2014.

Ackermann, S., Greif, V., Muschelknautz, U., Kraxner, M.: Centrifugal separator and filter arrangement having a centrifugal separator of said type.

Patent number: 9470189, Filed: June 23, 2014, Date of Patent: October 18, 2016,

Assignee: MANN+HUMMEL GMBH, Inventors: Ackermann, S., Greif, V., Muschelknautz, U., Kraxner, M., 2014.

Kofler, T., Kraxner, M., Pillei, M., Lanthaler, R., Ilchmann, C., Goller, R., Muschelknautz, U.: Effect of Solids Loading on the Uniflow Cyclone Performance at Low Solids Concentrations. AIChE – American Institute of Chemical Engineers – Annual Meeting, San Francisco, USA, 2013.

Muschelknautz, U.: Analytical approach for calculating the separation efficiency of uniflow cyclones. Chem. Eng. Technol. 2012, Vol. 35, No. 12, pp. 2099-2106, 2012.

Muschelknautz, U., Pattis, P., Reinalter, M., Kraxner, M., Kofler, T., Aigner, M., Eichwalder, G.:  An Experimental Study of Uniflow Cyclone Design Parameters. AIChE – American Institute of Chemical Engineers – Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, USA, 2012.

Kraxner, M., Muschelknautz, U., Wechner, S., Ackermann, S., Greif, V., Bolda, J., Sommer, K. Influence of the Inlet Vane Geometry on the Uniflow Cyclone Performance. AIChE - American Institute of Chemical Engineers - Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, USA, 2012.

Muschelknautz, U., Kofler, T., Kraxner, M., Schretter, P., Pattis, P.: An Experimental Investigation of Uniflow Cyclones with a Spiral Inlet. 62nd Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Vancouver, Canada, 2012.

Kraxner, M., Portenkirchner, M., Brugger, T., Muschelknautz, U.: Effective flow rates for uniflow cyclone performance. 62nd Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Vancouver, Canada, 2012.

Kraxner, M., Pillei, M., Muschelknautz, U., Stereoskopische PIV Messung eines Wirbelzerfalls für Lauflängen bis 40xDRohr - Mathematische Modellierung. GALA-German Association of Laser Anemometry, Conference on Laser methods in Flow Measurement Technology, Rostock, Germany, 2012.

Muschelknautz, U., Pattis, P., Reinalter, M., Kraxner, M.: Design criteria of uniflow cyclones for the separation of solid particles from gases. CFB10 – International Conference on Circulating Fluidized Beds and Fluidized Bed Technology, Sunriver / Oregon, USA, 2011.

Kraxner, M., Muschelknautz, U., Karri, S.B.R., Cocco, R., Knowlton, T.M.: Applicability of a Uniflow Cyclone as a Third Stage Separator in the FCC-Process. AIChE – American Institute of Chemical Engineers – Annual Meeting, Minneapolis / Minnesota, USA, 2011.

Kraxner, M., Lauterbach, F., Muschelknautz, U.: PIV-measurements of a vortex breakdown. CFB10 – International Conference on Circulating Fluidized Beds and Fluidized Bed Technology, Sunriver / Oregon, USA, 2011.

Kraxner, M., Lauterbach, F., Muschelknautz, U.: Stereoskopische PIV-Messung eines Wirbelzerfalls. GALA – German Association of Laser Anemometry, Conference on Laser Methods in Flow Measurement Technology, Ilmenau, Germany, 2011

Muschelknautz, U., Kraxner, M., Pattis, P., Reinalter, M.: Gleichstromzyklone zur Abscheidung feiner Stäube aus Gasen. ProcessNet Annual Technical-Committee-Meeting Extraction, Fluid Process Engineering, Multi Phase Flows and Phytoextracts, Fulda, Germany, 2011.

Kraxner, M., Kofler, T., Muschelknautz, U.: Partikelabscheidung mittels Gleichstromzyklonen. Forum Technik MCI, Innsbruck, Austria, 2011.

Muschelknautz, U., Leitner, A., Würtl, R.: Auslegungskriterien für Gleichstromzyklone zur Abscheidung fester Partikel aus Gasen. ProcessNet Annual Technical-Committee-Meeting Food Process Engineering and Multi Phase Flows, Frankfurt, Germany, 2010.

Muschelknautz, U.: Cyclones for the precipitation of solid particles. VDI Heat Atlas, 2nd English Ed., Springer, Berlin, Chapter Lcd, 2010.

Muschelknautz, U.: Pressure drop in pneumatic conveying systems. VDI Heat Atlas, 2nd

English Ed., Springer, Berlin, Chapter Lcc, 2010.

Muschelknautz, U.: Inlet and outlet of a gas cyclone and its effect on the separation efficiency. Invited plenary lecture at the 2008 PSRI Technical Advisory Committee Meeting, Chicago, USA, 2008.

Muschelknautz, U., Röper, B.: Online-Regulierung der Feststoffumlaufmenge in einer Feuerung mit zirkulierender Wirbelschicht. 4ter Internationaler VGB-Workshop „Operating Experience with Fluidized Bed Firing Systems“, Hamburg, Germany, 2008.

Muschelknautz, U., Röper, B.: Method and installation for regulating the quantity of circulating solids in a circulating fluidized bed reactor system.

Patent number: 7316564, Filed: October 20, 2005, Date of Patent: January 8, 2008, Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd., Inventors: Muschelknautz, U., Röper, B., 2005.

Muschelknautz, U.: Grundlagen der Verschleißschutztechnik. 1st Conference on wear protection for bulk solids systems in the primary industry, Haus der Technik e.V., Essen, Germany, 2005.

Muschelknautz, U.: Einfluß der Deckel-Grenzschichtströmung auf den Zyklonabscheidegrad – Theorie und Praxis. GVC-Technical-Committee-Meeting Multi Phase Flows, Bremen, Germany, 2004.

Muschelknautz, U.: Verschleißminimierung in einem Gewebefilter-Rohgas-kanal auf der Basis einer numerischen Strömungssimulation. GVC-Technical-Committee-Meeting Multi Phase Flows, Baden-Baden, Germany, 2003.

Muschelknautz, U.: Minimization of erosion in channels by the use of economic CFD. European Metallurgical Conference (EMC 2003), Hannover, Germany, 2003.

Muschelknautz, U.: Separation of Coarse Particles: New Separator with low pressure drop. Proceedings of CFB VII-Conference, Niagara Falls, Canada, 2002.

Muschelknautz, U.: Cyclone theory. Vorlesungsreihe über Zyklontheorie, Chinese Academy of Sciences – Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Beijing, China, 1999.

Muschelknautz, U., Muschelknautz, E.: Improvements of cyclones in CFB power plants and

quantitative estimations of their effects on the boilers solids inventory. Proceedings of CFB-VI-Conference, Würzburg, Germany, 1999.

Muschelknautz, U., Muschelknautz, E.: Separation Efficiency of Recirculating Cyclones in Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustions. VGB PowerTech 4 /1999.

Muschelknautz, U., Muschelknautz, E.: Improvement of recirculating cyclones and its effect on the solids circulation in commercial CFB boilers. VDI-Reports 1511 Zyklonabscheider in der Energie- und Verfahrenstechnik, VDI-Association Energy Technology, Leverkusen, Germany, 1999.

Muschelknautz, U., Muschelknautz, E.: Wirbelschichtascherückführung. Report of VGB Research Project 163, 1998.

Muschelknautz, U., Muschelknautz, E.: Berechnung des Zyklonabscheidegrades und von dessen Auswirkung auf den Feststoffkreislauf in einer zirkulierenden Wirbelschichtfeuerung. VDI-Berichte 1390 Modellierung und Simulation von Dampferzeugern und Feuerungen, VDI-Association Energy Technology, Braunschweig, Germany, 1998.

Muschelknautz, U., Muschelknautz, E.: Special design of inserts and short entrance ducts to recirculating cyclones. Proceedings of CFB V-Conference, Beijing, China, 1996.

Muschelknautz, E., Muschelknautz, U.: Mit Feststoff hochbeladene Zyklonabscheider. VDI-Reports 1290 Zyklonabscheider in der Energie- und Verfahrenstechnik, VDI-Association Energy Technology, Essen, Germany, 1996.

Muschelknautz, U.: Staubaustritt, Abschirmkegel und Bunker. VDI-Reports 1290 Zyklonabscheider in der Energie- und Verfahrenstechnik, VDI-Association Energy Technology, Essen, Germany, 1996.

Muschelknautz, E., Hägele, G., Muschelknautz, U.: Naßabscheider. Handbuch des Umweltschutzes und der Umweltschutztechnik, Vol. 3 Additiver Umweltschutz: Behandlung von Abluft und Abgasen, Springer, Berlin, 1996.