E-mail from... Zurich

Rene Prieler from the Institute of Thermal Engineering is spending three months researching for his habilitation at ETH Zurich. Here he gives us an insight into his stay in Switzerland. View of Zurich from Käferberg towards Lake Zurich and the Central Swiss Alps. Source: Rene Prieler Grüezi mitenand (Swiss greeting) At the beginning of the year, I made my way to one of the most expensive and at the same time most beautiful places on earth, Zurich! Here I joined the timber construction and fire protection group led by Andrea Frangi and Michael Klippel at ETH Zurich for the next three months to work on my habilitation. As part of the cooperation with the IBS (Institute for Fire Protection Technology and Safety Research) in Linz, I am working on the modelling of fluid/solid interaction at high temperatures in fires as well as in industrial processes. In other words, what happens to the walls, doors etc. during a fire and how long do these components protect people and animals from the high temperatures and toxic fumes? I was able to familiarise myself with the Swiss mentality right at the start of my stay, as the FireSim oven was fired up at full throttle.