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Driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol and medicine (DRUID)

Objective: As consumption of psychoactive substances such as alcohol, drugs and certain medicines are likely to endanger the drivers aptitude and impaired driving is still one of the major causes for road accidents, some active steps have to be taken to reach the goal of a 50% reduction in the number of road deaths in the EU. The objective of DRUID is to give scientific support to the EU transport policy to reach the 2010th road safety target by establishing guidelines and measures to combat impaired driving. DRUID will - conduct reference studies of the impact on fitness to drive for alcohol, illicit drugs and medicines and give new insights to the real degree of impairment caused by psychoactive drugs and their actual impact on road safety - generate recommendations for the definition of analytical and risk thresholds - analyse the prevalence of drugs and medicines in accidents and in general driving, set up a comprehensive and efficient epidemiological database.

Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle System Component Development (HYSYS)

Objective: The objective of the project is the research on of low-cost components for fuel cell (FC-) systems and electric drive systems which can be used in future hybridised FC-vehicles (medium term objective) and ICE vehicles. The components will be analysed and tested in two FC-vehicle platforms with different concepts. The project consortium consists of 6 major European car manufacturers, 10 major and smaller suppliers, 6 institutes and 4 universities. The focus of the project is on components which have a high potential of significant cost reduction by decreasing complexity and/or choosing innovative approaches to support a future mass production. In the field of FC-system components the key components which are investigated are innovative air supply based on electrical turbochargers, novel humidification subsystems, new hydrogen sensors and innovative hydrogen injection system components. For the electric drive system we focus on highly integrated drive trains (converters, inverters and electrical motors) and high-energy-density battery systems based on innovative Li-Ion technology which has been developed in EU funded projects (EV-lift, Lionheart). All the component work is accompanied by a sub project which will work on requirements of the vehicles, subsystems and components, standardisation of the components, identification of synergies between components for FC- and ICE Hybrids, safety aspects and a comparative investigation of different electrical storage systems (battery / supercap) and the respective e-storage management. In the system level subproject not only will the components be integrated in the two validator vehicles and tested, but it will also be worked on optimised vehicle control strategies, energy-management and development of modular system control software. The improved system components and subsystems could be used as a basis for future FC- and ICE-vehicles which are planned to be deployed in the HyCOM initiative and the Lighthouse projects.

A science base on photovoltaics performance for increased market transparency and customer confidence (PERFORMANCE)

Objective: The European PV market is developing rapidly, with new products and services, new actors and technologies emerging constantly while overall business grows by over 30Prozent a year. During such growth of market and industry it is of particular importance to lay a sound basis of understanding of the quality and performance of products and systems, harmonise procedures for their testing and labelling and disseminate this knowledge to all involved players. Customers, manufacturers and service providers today ask for increased transparency and increased confidence and planning reliability. And they will all benefit from a joint effort on pre-normative research on performance assessment of photovoltaics presented here. The PERFORMANCE project covers all pre-normative as pects from cell to system level and from instantaneous device characterisation and system measurement to their life-time performance prediction and assessment. The limitations of current indoor and outdoor calibration measurement technology will be investi gated and precision will be improved, covering current technologies as well as new and advanced cell and module concepts. Methods will be developed to connect from measurements of module power to module energy production. In a third pillar, methodologies f or the assessment of the life-time performance of PV modules will be developed. Based on all these work packages, a modelling and analysis programme will provide the analytical understanding of PV performance in the broad and systematic manner mentioned ab ove. Following this work programme, PERFORMANCE will produce a consistent set of measurement and modelling methodologies to create the transparency needed for the European market and industry. Next to this significant scientific effort, intense involvement of all European companies along the value chain will be organised systematically through feedback loops. Project results will be fed directly into standardisation processes on CENELEC and IEC level.

FP6-SUSTDEV, Seismic early warning for Europe (SAFER)

Earthquakes are a serious threat for many countries of Europe, particularly for those around the Mediterranean Sea. Early warning systems, based on real time, automated analysis of ground motion measurements, can play an important role in reducing the negative impact of catastrophic events on densely populated areas and, particularly, in mitigating the damage to strategic structures and lifelines. Europe is covered by numerous high quality seismic networks, managed by national and by European agencies, including also some local networks specifically designed for seismic early warning around large cities like Bucharest, Istanbul and Naples, respectively. The SAFER project is aimed at fully exploiting the possibilities offered by a real time analysis of the signals coming from seismic networks for a wide range of actions, performed in a time interval of a few seconds to some tens of minutes. These actions range from the shut down of critical systems of lifelines, industries, highways, railways, etc. and the activation of control systems for the protection of crucial structures, to decision support for rapid response of the emergency management (ground shaking maps, continuously expected damage scenarios, aftershocks hazard etc.). The project is structured in 6 work-packages: (1) Project Coordination and Management (2) Real-Time Estimation of Source Parameters (3) Real-Time Damage Assessment and Reduction Strategies (4) Real- Time Shake Maps (5) Real-Time Aftershock Hazard Assessment (6) Dissemination of Results and End User Interface. The work-packages address all major components of an earthquake early warning system. Tasks of Section 5.3 within the project Preparation of the foundations to generate the most realistic earth shake maps possible: 1.) Derivation of detailed attenuation models of the macroseismic intensity in specified test areas and 2.) Derivation of regional relations between intensities and physical ground motion parameters.

Biomass fluidised bed gasification with in situ hot gas cleaning (AER-GAS II)

Objective: The project aim is a low-cost gasification process with integrated in-situ gas cleaning for the conversion of biomass into a product gas with high hydrogen concentration, high heating value and low tar/alkali/sulphur concentration in one process step for s ubsequent power production. The proposed process uses in-situ CO2 capture (AER, Absorption Enhanced Reforming). It is more efficient than conventional gasification due to (i) the in-situ integration of the reaction heat of CO2 absorption and water-gas shif t reaction heat (both exothermic) into the gasification and (ii) the internal reforming of primary and secondary tars, which cuts off the formation of higher tars. Thus, the chemical energy of tars remains in the product gas. The product gas after dust rem oval can directly be used in a gas engine for electricity generation. Due to the low operation temperature (up to 700 C) and due to CaO-containing bed materials, the proposed process allows the use of problematic feedstocks such as biomass with high minera l and high moisture content, e.g. straw, sewage sludge, etc., leading to an increased market potential for biomass gasification processes. Screening/development of absorbent materials with high attrition stability and tar cracking properties will be carrie d out. Analysis of tar formation/decomposition process will be studied in a lab-scale fixed bed reactor and a 100 kWth circulating fluidised bed reactor (continuous mode). With the acquired data, the 8 MWth biomass plant at Guessing, Austria, will be opera ted with absorbent bed material in order to prove the feasibility of a scale-up and to assess the economical aspects of the process. In order to point out the market potential, the cost reduction of the AER technology will be quantified in comparison with the conventional gasification power plant. Expected results will be: (i) a broad knowledge of the proposed process and (ii) a low-cost technology for biomass gasification with subsequent power production.

Logistics best practice (BESTLOG)

Objective: The decoupling of economic growth and the growth of transport represents a major objective within the European transport policy. The major contributor to transport growth has to be seen in the increased transport intensity of value creation. On the supply side, the non-optimal utilisation of transport capacities and modes contributes to the growth of transport, for example in the lack of acceptance of inter-modal transport. This has been a major issue for policy makers for many years. In order to get a better understanding of the interrelation between logistics decisions and transport demand, the EC supported a number of research projects, such as SULOGTRA, EUTRALOG and PROTRANS. As a result, substantial scientific evidence has been produced. However, to achieve the Commission objectives, these findings must be translated into the daily operations of shippers and logistics service providers.

Standardization of Ice Forces on Offshore Structures Design (STANDICE)

Objective: During the past six years two RTD-projects have been performed by a consortium of seven European partners to investigate ice forces on marine structures. The aim of this work has been to establish new methods for ice load predictions. The work has been supported by the EC under the projects LOLEIF and STRICE. The data compiled by these projects are of great importance for the future development of offshore wind energy converters, OWECS, in the ice-covered seas of Europe. Because the ice forces on marine structures are internationally heavily disputed the present design codes for OWECS as well as for all marine structures in ice-infested waters are not been considered reliable. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to contribute to the development of an international standard for the design of marine structures such as OWECS against ice loads with special emphasis on European sub-arctic ice conditions.

Sustainable energy management systems (SEMS)

Objective: The aim of this project is to turn 4 core communities (Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Poland) with clearly defined system borders and 14 - 20.000 inhabitants each into CONCERTO communities. A mix of different EE and RES demonstrations (including refurbishment of old buildings, eco-buildings and polygeneration, all underpinned with complete business plans) will allow to avoid about 300 GWh/yr end energy from fossil sources, thus avoiding 94.000 tons CO2/yr, and saving 22.9 mio Euro/yr of disbursements for extra-communal electricity and heat deliveries. The application of the Decentralised Energy Management System (DEMS) will allow for local and inter-communal operation, monitoring and control of energy consumption, storage and generation units and grids, including DSM and LCP, thereby exploring a EE potential of at least 5Prozent. The target in RES coverage for 2010 is of resp. 39 to 62Prozent of the then remaining electricity and heat demand. EnerMAS, a low-threshold version of the European environmental management system.

Integrated small scale solar heating and cooling systems for a sustainable air-conditioning of buildings (SOLERA)

Objective: The project aims to develop highly integrated solar heating and cooling systems for small and medium capacity applications which are easily installed and economically and socially sustainable. The envisioned applications are residential houses, small office buildings and hotels. The goal is to use the excess solar heat in summer to power a thermally driven cooling process in order to provide cooling for air-conditioning. In the heating season the solar system is used to provide direct heating. The proposed project therefore aims to demonstrate the technical feasibility, reliability and cost effectiveness of these systems, specially conceived as integrated systems to be offered on the market as complete packages which will make better use of the available solar radiation as present systems.

Das Energiewende-Szenario 2020 - Ausstieg aus der Atomenergie, Einstieg in Klimaschutz und nachhaltige Entwicklung, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies for Road Transport (HyTRAN)

Two innovative integrated Fuel Cell Systems for automotive application will be developed within specific Technological Platforms (TPs): TP1 POWERTRAIN: development of a system for traction power by an 80 kW direct hydrogen PEM fuel cell system implemented on a passenger car. TP2 APU: development of 5 kW Auxiliary Power Unit for both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, including microstructured diesel oil steam reformer, clean-up reactors, an innovative reformate hydrogen stack and balance of plant components. These objectives will be reached via R&TD activities that will address the most critical technical bottlenecks which currently hamper wide market penetration of PEM fuel cell systems for road transport, while accounting some of the key market and policy drivers and barriers. Particularly, the following innovative components will be developed: A 80 kW direct hydrogen stack with strong weight and volume reduction, increased efficiency, durability and start-up time, with innovative MEAs embodying sealing layers (7-layers MEAs); A 5 kW reformate stack, including innovative electrocatalyst and MEA elements tolerant to very high CO concentrations and low-resisitivity bipolar plates; A highly efficient, clean and compact micro-structured diesel steam reformer and gas purification unit; Variable displacement compressors with reduced noise level; Innovative humidification/dehumidification apparatus; Heat exchanger and radiator customised for the different applications; Specific targets for both platforms will be achieved via a system approach leading to development and validation of the concepts (POWERTRAIN: in a passenger car; APU: dynamic test validation in bench) with high well-to-wheel efficiency (low fuel consumption), easy and optimised packaging and on-board integration.

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