Coupling exchange biomass power plants: solution Eins Heiz

Distance coupling Cooling tower technology optimized with innovative shaft coupling

2024-08-08 From Jakob Drive Technology | Translated by AI 4 min Reading Time

Related Vendors

After serious problems with the coupling exchange, power plant operator Eins Heiz is looking for a better solution. The decision proves to be right in several respects.

As a replacement for the old coupling in the axial fan of a cell cooling tower, the company Eins Heiz now relies on the Simple-Flex coupling from Jakob Drive Technology.(Image: Jakob Drive Technology) — As a replacement for the old coupling in the axial fan of a cell cooling tower, the company Eins Heiz now relies on the Simple-Flex coupling from Jakob Drive Technology.
(Image: Jakob Drive Technology)

The company "Eins Heiz" has been operating a biomass power plant in Eberwalde since 2006. Here, above all, what cannot be used in the construction industry is recycled. This includes rootwork, too small wood cross-sections, dead or old wood as well as clubwood. The plant manager, Hanno Malinowski, emphasizes the role of biomass as a sustainable energy carrier for the future: The recycling of wood waste and other renewable raw materials not only reduces the amount of waste, but also represents an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. Such facilities are used for example in the paper or chemical industry. If an industrial plant can use steam for production processes, this steam requirement is combined with the generation of electrical energy and heat. That's what they call this sector: Industry power plants.

One of the largest biomass facilities in Germany

Basic structure and functioning of a cell cooling tower.
(Image:Jakob Drive Technology)

The entire facility in Eberswalde generates 20 MW of electrical and 70 MW of thermal boiler performance. Among the biomass plants, it is therefore one of the largest structures in Germany. The turbine system operates in condensing mode, achieving a steam temperature of about 40 °C at the so-called cold end of the turbine with a vacuum condenser. In the process, the cooling water that condenses the steam from the turbine absorbs enormous heat. The cooling tower must provide about 30 to 35 MWtherm to discharge this heat to the surroundings. This is done through the evaporation effect, in which the blades of the cooling tower create a underpressure and use the evaporation cold to cool the cooling water.

The cooling water that passes through the cooling tower usually has a temperature of 36 to 38 °C and is cooled to 28 °C by evaporation. This process is facilitated by the rotation of the blades of the cooling tower, which are driven by a motor connected to a lightweight shaft via a transmission unit. This ensures continuous operation of the turbine system.

Total loss: Another coupling solution is needed

In 2023, a total loss of a cooling tower was caused by a fire. The company decided to replace the previously used 2.7 m long coupler of American origin with another distance coupling during the reconstruction. The requirements for the new coupling were a torque of 580 Nm with a start-up torque (inertial torque) of 1740 Nm. The shaft was to transmit a motor power of about 90 kW, with a speed of just under 1500 revolutions. Furthermore, the weight could be a maximum of 14 kg. The weight was a decisive factor in order not to overload the timber frame.

The new coupling: a custom-made prototype

After a thorough analysis of the requirements and product search, Malinowski came across the company Jakob Drive Technology, which offered a solution with the required specifications. In close contact and through intensive collaboration of the companies, a custom-made prototype was finally developed and successfully implemented in September 2023.

The new coupling solution is characterized by its innovative half-shell construction, which significantly simplifies installation and removal. After installation, it turned out that the "Simple-Flex" distance coupling causes significantly less maintenance and repair costs.

Coupling exchange: simple instead of tricky

The use in the open air and in humid environments promotes corrosion and weathering, which is why the previously used couplings had partially "eaten into" the shaft. Then the coupling halves could be removed only by heating with a flame, which in one case led to the previously mentioned fire: The commissioned company had ignited the cooling tower installations due to recklessness and lack of consultation with the professionals by heating the foot screws!

Even aside from this aspect, changing the couplings was generally difficult to carry out without being destructive. This was because the drive motor also had to be dismantled, which each time required a realignment of the shaft alignment in the annual revision. The process took several days and had to be carried out by experts.

In the future, this will no longer be necessary, as the motor and gearbox do not have to be moved when changing the clutch due to the semi-shell design. The new clutch consists of two hubs and a distance-bridging tube in between. The clever part is the tube, which is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). It is corrosion-resistant and can be used in combination with hubs made of stainless steel even under corrosive environmental conditions.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.

Die KBK-Rutschkupplungen unterbrechen die Drehmoment-Übertragung bei Überlast nicht komplett. (Bild: KBK)

At the next opportunity, Eins Heiz wants to equip the remaining two cooling towers with the new Simple-Flex coupling from Jakob. It is optionally available with installation-friendly half-shell hub (as with Eins Heiz) or with rotationally symmetrical cone clamping ring clamping. The two available composite pipe sizes cover torques up to 4700 Nm. (dm)