Using measuring instruments to protect against explosion

Manuel Maier ( right ) with Heidrun Gruber-Wölfler and colleague Michael Leitner - the research team behind the award-winning project © Lunghammer - TU Graz By Birgit Baustädter - Doctoral candidate Manuel Maier from TU Graz's Institute of Process and Particle Technology received the Anton Paar Research Award for a measuring instrument that controls reactions of highly reactive substances. Manuel Maier stands in the middle of the scientific hustle and bustle of the laboratory with the cool demeanour of a mountain lake. The only blob of excitement is his frog-green jacket that peeps out from under his white lab coat. He has buried his hands in his trouser pockets while quietly talking about his research, which has just won him the research prize of the Styrian company Anton Paar. Continuous Flow Calorimeter. "We're doing research with some pretty horrendous substances here," Maier explains and smiles. "That's why it's so important to have measuring devices like a calorimeter that can accurately measure and control reactions." A calorimeter can be used to determine exactly what heat is released during a chemical reaction.