The BMW Group plant in Debrecen is taking shape: the state-of-the-art paint shop is the first technology to be commissioned at the new production site in Hungary. Thanks to the use of various new processes and systems, such as power-to-heat, Heat Grid and eRTO, the Hungarian plant will become the first paint shop in the Group’s global production network to operate completely without fossil fuels.
BMW’s new green website
The new site in Debrecen, where pre-series production of the Neue Klasse will start at the end of the year, is a model for all future plants based on the principles of the BMW iFactory. The new paint shop in Debrecen is designed to paint 30 vehicle bodies per hour in a fully automated process, a capacity that can be increased at a later date. The first bodies to be painted were those of the new BMW iX1. The state-of-the-art system was developed and planned using existing expertise within the production network. With a footprint of 33,000 square metres, the three-storey paint shop building offers ample work space for modern production.
Power-to-heat significantly reduces carbon footprint
The power-to-heat principle is essential for Debrecen’s paint shop to operate without fossil fuels such as natural gas. All ovens and other processes needed for painting will run entirely on electricity, instead of natural gas as was the case in the past. This principle significantly reduces the paint shop’s carbon footprint, although energy consumption will increase due to the operation without natural gas. In Debrecen, we obtain the external energy needed for production exclusively from renewable energy sources.
Heat Grid achieves another ten percent energy savings
The Heat Grid energy efficiency project was successfully implemented during the planning phase of the new paint shop. The innovative concept combines several measures for efficient energy recovery, enabling additional energy savings of up to ten percent. The centerpiece of the project is a large multivalent storage boiler that consolidates waste heat from the compressed air supply, drying ovens and cooling systems. This waste heat is then used to preheat the water circuit. Another of Debrecen’s unique features is that the entire system operates at a water supply temperature of just 65 degrees Celsius, compared to 90-120 degrees Celsius in previous installations. The hot water is used to supply the ventilation systems in the paint shop, maintaining stable conditions in the paint booths at a process temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and a humidity of 60-65 percent.
Exhaust gas purification in the innovative eRTO process
Debrecen will rely on the innovative eRTO process for exhaust gas purification. eRTO stands for electrical regenerative thermal oxidation, a process that purifies the exhaust air from the paint shop at temperatures of 800-1,000 degrees Celsius and, unlike in the past, runs exclusively on electricity. During the purification process, the exhaust air passes through a ceramic bed in which solvent residues are burned off. To do this, the air must be heated to high temperatures in a short space of time. Thanks to its high heat recovery rate, with heat effectively retained within the system, the eRTO system offers a very high level of energy efficiency. In addition to innovative technologies, such as Heat Grid and eRTO, comprehensive digitalization also contributes to the high level of efficiency of the new paint shop in Debrecen. For example, fully automated and driverless AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) transport car bodies to their respective operations. Additionally, Automated Surface Inspection (AOI) is used, which uses artificial intelligence to detect post-painting irregularities and identify any areas that require post-processing. The planning for painting was implemented virtually. This allowed the structural planning to be tested virtually before actual construction began. Pre-construction training sessions for employees were also held virtually
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