API src

Found 128 results.

Other language confidence: 0.5960761793124975

Ballastwasser Behandlung: Nachhaltige Ballastwasseraufbereitung (BAWAPLA)

Maritimer Transport ist von enormer Bedeutung für Europa und den Rest der Welt. Über 90% des Außenhandels der Europäischen Union wird per Seetransport abgewickelt. Mehr als eine Milliarde Tonnen an Fracht werden pro Jahr in den Häfen der Mitgliedstaaten auf- und abgeladen. Der Schiffstransport ist gemessen am Volumen die wichtigste Beförderungsart. Mit dem Seetransportgeschäft begann auch der Transport von Organismen im Ballastwasser von Schiffen. Der internationale Transport von drei bis zu zwölf Milliarden Tonnen Ballastwasser jährlich führt zur Ansammlung von ca. 100 Millionen Tonnen von Ablagerungen in den Schiffen. Die Beseitigung des entstandenen Schlamms verursacht enorme Kosten (ca. 30.000 € für ein kleines Frachtschiff). Neben den wirtschaftlichen Aspekten wird das Ballastwasser als hauptsächlicher Verursacher für die Umsiedlung von Aquaspezies über biologisch-geografische Grenzen hinaus verstanden. Schätzungsweise werden täglich 10.000 Pflanzen- sowie Tierarten per Schiff in die ganze Welt transportiert. Aufgrund des wachsenden Welthandels wächst auch die Bedrohung der Ökosysteme durch invasive Lebewesen. Die immer kürzeren Fahrtzeiten erhöhen die Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit der Bioinvasoren. Die automatische und zuverlässige Reinigung des Ballastwassers im Tank mithilfe einer neuen Hybrid-Technologie (UV, Filter, Elektrolyse), die einen seewasserbetriebenen Generator nutzt, ist das gemeinsame Ziel der Projektpartner. Durch die Produktion von aktiven Substanzen mit der Elektrolyse aus dem Meerwasser wird vermieden, gefährliche und ätzende Chemikalien an Bord mitzuführen.

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.

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.

Twinning European and South Asian river basins to enhance capacity and implement adaptive integrated water ressources management approaches (BRAHMATWINN)

BRAHMATWINN will enhance capacity to carry out a harmonised integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach as addressed by the European Water Initiative (EWI) in headwater river systems of alpine mountain massifs already impacted from climate change, and to establish transfer of professional IWRM expertise, approaches and tools based on case studies carried out in twinning European and Asian river basins. With altogether eleven work packages (WP) the project addresses all important IWRM issues in a balanced way, including conflict resolution in the trans- boundary twinning Upper Danube River Basin (UDRB) and the Upper Brahmaputra River Basins (UBRB) in Europe and South Asia respectively. In altogether seventy work tasks of the jointly identified WP social and natural scientists in cooperation with water law experts and local stakeholders will realize the project outcomes: (i) an integrated holistic approach and assessment of the transboundary UDRB and UBRB for sustainable IWRM; (ii) integrated indicators to quantify the natural environment and human dimension, selected to assess IWRM vulnerabilities; (iii) an integrated water resources management system (IWRMS) comprising the DANUBIA hydrological model, the river basin information system (RBIS) and the network analysis, creative modelling decision support system NetSyMod; (iv) a set of what-if scenarios, evaluated using the DPSIR approach, and associated adaptive IWRM options tested by means of the IWRMS to mitigate impacts of likely climate change; and (v) IWRM action plans based on the stakeholder negotiation and the governance assessment. The project consortium of altogether fifteen partners from Europe (10 partner) and Asia (5 partner) shares the financial grant requested proportionally and will guarantee the generation of the necessary synergism required to represent the complex system component interaction and to carry out the required knowledge transfer between Europe and Asia.

Solar Steam Reforming of Methane Rich Gas for Synthesis Gas Production (SOLREF)

Project main goals: The main purpose of this project is to develop an innovative 400 kWth solar reformer for several applications such as Hydrogen production or electricity generation. Depending of the feed source for the reforming process CO2 emissions can be reduced significantly (up to 40 percent using NG), because the needed process heat for this highly endothermic reaction is provided by concentrated solar energy. A pre-design of a 1 MW prototype plant in Southern Italy and a conceptual layout of a commercial 50 MWth reforming plant complete this project. Key issues: The profitability decides if a new technology has a chance to come into the market. Therefore several modifications and improvements to the state-of-the-art solar reformer technology will be introduced before large scale and commercial system can be developed. These changes are primarily to the catalytic system, the reactor optimisation and operation procedures and the associated optics for concentrating the solar radiation. For the dissemination of solar reforming technology the regions targeted are in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. The potential markets and the impact of infrastructure and administrative restrictions will be assessed. The environmental, socio-economic and institutional impacts of solar reforming technology exploitation will be assessed with respect to sustainable development. The market potential of solar reforming technology in a liberalised European energy market will be evaluated. Detailed cost estimates for a 50 MWth commercial plant will be determined.

SUCCESS - successful travel awareness campaigns and mobility management strategies (MAX)

Objective: Mobility Management (MM) and Travel Awareness (TA) have many advantages as soft policy strategies: they are flexible, adaptable, rapid to implement and offer value-for-money. Many sustainable transport research projects have covered MM and TA, but in isolated projects, limited to larger cities and pilot demonstrations. SUCCESS now offers the chance to link these two areas and exploit their synergies, based on its research areas: A Innovative Approaches in TA B Behaviour Change Models and Prospective Assessment C Quality Management and MM For Smaller Cities D Integrating Planning and MM. They will be linked via horizontal WPs: WP 1 State-of-the-art analysis WP 2 Conceptualisation and specification of research activities WP 3 Monitoring investigations and implementation WP 4 Compiling results WP 5 Dissemination and WP 0 Project Management, Quality Control and Evaluation run in parallel for the duration of the project. Organising the work in this way will deliver excellent results.

Realising Reliable, Durable Energy Efficient and Cost Effective SOFC Systems (Real-SOFC), Realising Reliable, Durable, Energy Efficient and Cost Effective SOFC Systems (REAL-SOFC)

Objective: The aim of the proposed Integrated Project is to solve the persisting generic problems with planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) in a concerted action of the European fuel cell industry and research institutions. Main topics addressed include decreased ageing, cost effective materials, low cost components and manufacturing processes, highest electricity generation efficiency in pressurised operation and waste heat utilisation. In close co-operation between industry and research institutions the following steps are accomplished: *improved understanding of ageing in planar SOFC stacks considering all modes of operation, including pressurised, long-term testing over 10.000 hrs., thermal cycling up to 100 cycles, and the influences of fuel composition; these results will flow into *adaptation of materials and protective coatings in order to reduce ageing to well below 0,5Prozent/1000 hrs., introduction of requirements from pressurised operation to materials and cell development; the modified materials then are used in *manufacturing of improved components under commercial conditions and subsequent characterisation in long- term and cycling tests. Two proofs-of-concept including laboratory equipment tests will address * the pressurised operation of stacks coupled with gas turbines (including pressurised stack development in the 5 and 50 kW range) and *the utilisation of the high-value waste heat for industrial processes , namely sorption cooling. The project addresses the topics of Life Cycle Analysis as an essential tool for assessing the environmental impact and recycling of the materials used, industrial standardisation as a means of lowering costs, and training and dissemination as a tool of human resource management and gender equality. The structure of the project is similar to the U.S. American SECA programme targeted at decisive cost reductions in SOFC systems.

Compact direct (m)ethanol fuel cell for portable application (MOREPOWER)

Objective: The objective is to develop a low-cost, low temperature, portable direct methanol fuel cell device. It will also offer limited operation on ethanol fuel and will be of compact construction and modular design. The development will include novel proton exchange membranes, anode and cathode electro catalysts and fully optimised multilayer membrane electrode assemblies. New low-cost proton exchange membranes will be developed to reduce the methanol crossover rate through the electrolyte to levels significantly lower than that of currently available materials (e.g. Nafion). New electro catalyst materials will be developed to enhance the low temperature methanol (and ethanol) electro-oxidation activity of the anode. Catalyst development for the cathode will focus on enhancing the oxygen reduction activity of platinum electro catalyst and increasing its selectivity to enhance methanol tolerance. The structure of the electro catalyst and electrode layers will be optimised to promote efficient operation at low temperatures with practical flows and pressures. System optimisation, simplification and miniaturization will be carried out. The final performance objectives will be: single cells operating at 0.5V / cell at 0.2 Acm-2 at 30-60 C (in atmospheric pressure air). Prototypes of 100 and later 500 W stacks, operating at low temperatures with aimed electrical characteristics of 40 A/12.5 V, will be the targets of the project. The effective operation at this low temperature is particularly challenging. Additionally a conceptual study for up-scale will be supplied. A narrow collaboration between research centres and industry will make possible a rapid exploitation of the new components and system developments. A SME will be responsible for the integration and will deliver the prototypes. The potential market for portable fuel cells includes weather stations, medical devices, signal units, auxiliary power units, gas sensors and security cameras.

European Concentrated Solar Thermal Road-Mapping (ECOSTAR)

Objective: The European Union has adopted the potential of Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (CSP) to contribute significantly to the achievement of a truly sustainable energy system in the medium-to-long term in Europe. Thus, the EC currently supports the implementation of three pilot solar thermal power plants. Besides continuous implementation of this technology, cost targeted innovation approaches are needed to achieve cost-competitiveness of this technology in the medium-to-long term. Up to now a variety of different and competing approaches have been promoted by the fragmented research base in Europe. The major objectives of the ECOSTAR co-ordinating action are: - to identify the European innovation potential with the highest impact on CSP-cost reduction, - to focus the European research activities and the national research programs of the partners involved onto common goals and priorities, - and to broaden its basis of industrial and research excellence, capable to solve the multidisciplinary CSP specific problems. High level commitment of six large research centres from Germany (DLR), Israel (WIS), France (CNRS-IMP),Spain (CIEMAT), Switzerland (ETH) and Russia (IVTAN) each with long-year experience in the subject and most of them conducting a significant program on concentrating solar technologies and operating their own facilities express the readiness to combine their national expertise to achieve these goals. This group has teamed-up with the international association of power and heat generation (VGB Powerless),which includes many of the European players in the power sector, to ensure by an independent industry assessment, that the identified innovation pathways are feasible from an industry perspective, to disseminate them to the power sector, and to support the identification of further expertise needed.

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.

1 2 3 4 5 … 11 12 13