Heat engines operating on the principle of Joule-Brayton circulation are used particularly in aviation (turbojet engines) and power engineering (turbine engines) to drive electrical energy generators. Cooperation between BUT scientists and TnUAD, along with experts from PBS Velká Bíteš, has resulted in the discovery of a technical solution which will contribute to increasing engine output and service life.

The Brno University of Technology was successful once again in this year’s call to establish cooperation between companies and research institutions through the JIC | innovation vouchers scheme run by the South-Moravian Region. Of the balloted applications, 60 % were obtained by BUT, mostly by the Faculty of Chemistry.

A wooden construction kit of bridge structures, made according to the designs of real bridges in the Czech Republic and the USA, has been launched onto the market. Interest has already been shown by both nursery and elementary schools, as well as by students of technical universities. This educational tool was designed by scientists at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at BUT, from the Institute of Concrete and Masonry Structures.

At present, various forms of energy-saving technologies are applied in modern constructions, and attempts to maximize the use of alternative energy sources is growing. Scientists at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at BUT are also engaged in this issue. One example is Ing. Pavel Adam from the Institute of Building Services, who is the originator of a new effective system for heating fresh atmospheric air.

Recycling plastic waste is presently a technically demanding matter and environmental burden. The quantity of consumed packaging made of plastics is growing every year. In the Czech Republic, 70 % of inhabitants take part in sorting all kinds of wastes, and 40 kg of waste per citizen is sorted each year (plastic, paper, glass, drinks cartons) (1). The Czech Republic is therefore one of those EU countries which sort waste responsibly, including plastic waste. However, recyclable plastics - PET bottles - can be processed in an alternative manner now offered by BUT.

Today, at a time full of camera systems and other electronics, distribution boxes with electronics are abundant in city streets. Electronic components, including high-performance processors placed on a mainboard base, produce heat which has to be dissipated; otherwise, these electronics could suffer damage.