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Objective: VIRTUE is an Integrated Project in response to the call on Virtual environment for an integrated fluid dynamic analysis in ship design; Objective 2 Advanced design and production techniques in the Sustainable Surface Transport of the workprogramme Sustainable Development, Global Change and Ecosystems. It constitutes an EU-wide initiative of leading marine CFD players to create a 'Virtual Basin' by integrating advanced numerical fluid analysis tools to tackle multi-criteria hydrodynamic performance optimisation of ships in a comprehensive and holistic approach, aiming to complement model testing in real basins and hence substantially enhance the provision of current services to the marine industry and to nurture development of innovative design techniques and concepts. This coherent and all-embracing hydrodynamic analysis system will help increase the competitiveness of the EU shipbuilding and shipping industries, promote a truly European co-operation with strong structuring and integration effects, strengthen SMEs through involvement in leading edge developments as a means to gaining and sustaining competitive advantage and leadership and enhance quality and safety in waterborne transportation. VIRTUE's scientific and technological objectives to achieve these ambitious goals include to: -improve hydrodynamic testing through improved reliability of CFD tools -Enhance existing CFD tools in terms of performance and accuracy and further validation -Formally integrate numerical tools, using proven approaches, into an environment for complete modelling and simulation of ship behaviour at sea- Provide smooth and versatile communication and data exchange link between marine CFD service providers, such as model basins, and the end user -Provide the means - CFD tools, integration platform and optimisation techniques -to cover the whole range of hydrodynamic problems and to facilitate and support multi-disciplinary design
General Information: It is proposed to investigate and model the properties of highly anisotropic short fibre composites (glass fibre reinforced LCP's and 'long fibre' reinforced thermoplastic materials). These advanced composites are compared to standard short fibre composites. 'Push-Pull' injection moulding is used to process these materials and to come to a quasi-multilayered laminate structure in the parts. The properties of these composites are highly determined by processing parameters, design of part and gating and especially by the local fibre and matrix orientation and fibre length distribution. The proposal is intended as fundamental research to provide novel tool for designing, processing and quality control of highly anisotropic materials. These tools are morphology-based and pay attention to the high gradients in fibre and matrix orientation. These objectives are achieved by three principal tasks: 1. Modelling of the 'Push-Pull' injection moulding process will provide tools to predict fibre and matrix orientation in the layers, that are formed while the melt flows several times through the mould. Crystallisation and viscous heating effects in the solidifying boundary are important for the process-related morphology. 2. Modelling of local material properties (tensors of stiffness and thermal expansion) based on measured local matrix and fibre orientation tensors, local fibre volume fraction, matrix crystallinity and local fibre length distribution. 3. Developing and application of new 2D and 3D image analysis methods to measure morphological parameters of the fibre reinforcement. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy using optical and physical sectioning combined with pattern matching will provide fibre orientation and length data in a one-step 3D analysis. Successful completion should strengthen the European position in the market of these advanced composites by a reduction of the development time for new parts of more than 30 per cent. This will result in a corresponding reduction of product costs. Material properties of advanced composites are improved significantly (e.g. weldline strength by more than 50 per cent) by the new 'Push-Pull' process. Achievements: A new Push-Pull mould was developed to produce different plate geometries with different grades of nylon-6.6 and LCP. Fibre orientation measurements proved that Push-Pull processing can be used to produce highly oriented glass fibre reinforced samples. The influence of non-constant thickness, diverging and converging flow respectively was investigated by fibre orientation measurements and tensile tests in these parts. A range of fibre reinforced samples has been characterized by 2D image analysis, 3D confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and ultrasonic, time of flight measurements. Significant sample regions have been scanned by these techniques.
General Information: Water jet cutting is a very young technology that offers due to its possibilities the opportunity to cut nearly every material. Especially difficult-to-machine materials like composites (metal matrix), austenitic steel, titanium and aluminium as well as xome ceramics can be cut. Water jets are a non-thermal cutting tool, so that no heat-affected zone occurs and also heat sensitive materials can be cut. Aim of the project is to improve the quality of cut to minimise or avoid further machining operations. Criteria will be chosen to characterise the quality of the cutting result. Working groups will run parallel R and D activities in relation to the main parameters that influence the quality of the cutting results. These results will lead to an improved knowledge of all partners to produce more efficient quality cuts. Achievements: Quality criteria as well as measuring procedures were chosen to characterise the quality of the cutting result. All samples were measured in one lab to guarantee comparability of results. Extensive know-how about the influence of process parameters on the cutting quality was delivered. Extensive cutting tests at several facilities (industrial and research) were conducted. Quality criteria were measured and evaluated. On the basis of extensive quality data a first technological model for the prediction of the roughness of the shoulder of the cut was developed. The model showed encouraging agreement with experimental data. Aluminium and glass samples have been cut using a range of suspension type, abrasive water jet cutting machines. Analysis of major process parameters have shown clear trends which seem generally apply to both the cutting of aluminium and glass. Ideally, it should be possible to determine surface roughness by either increasing abrasive concentration or reducing traverse speed. Different abrasive cutting heads were tested in order to understand the influence of the mixing chamber design on the cut quality. Six different abrasive cutting heads were tested. After analysing the 6 abrasive cutting head designs and discussion of results, a new abrasive cutting head was developed. Innovative aspects of the cutting head are: - autocentering of water nozzle and focusing nozzle - reduced angle of the entrance of the focusing tube and increased length - mixing tube and focusing tube are monobloc. First tests with the so called 'Euro cutting head' showed improved cutting quality. The influence of process parameters on the accuracy of the cut contour, by analysing the squareness at the top and the bottom of the workpiece as well as dimensions of overshoots at incontinuities, like angles, was investigated. Such criteria are of great interest for manufacturers of cutting systems to qualify the accuracy of cutting systems.
General Information: Energy storage by Hydrogen absorption in metals and alloys is becoming increasingly important technology today. Electrochemical Hydrogen storage has been realized in the rechargeable Nickel/metal hydride (Ni/H) cells which are beginning to penetrate the market for portable and consumer appliances. Ni/H-batteries have 50 per cent more energy density than comparable Nickel/Cadmium (Ni/Cd) batteries. But their use is as yet limited to low drain applications. The high drain requirements of batteries for motive power or portable power tools cannot be satisfied by existing Ni/H technology. These markets are available to Ni/Cd batteries, but the use of these cells will become increasingly constrained by environmental factors. Automotive manufacturers have hesitated to use Ni/Cd batteries in traction applications because of lack of efficient and environmentally compatible recycling for this system. The proposed research therefore is directed towards the development of new environmentally compatible materials to enable new, competitively priced and high performance Ni/H cells to be developed to meet the growing needs of the market. The major objectives of the R and D project will be: 1. Development of suitable, cost effective, and environmental compatible materials optimised for electrochemical Hydrogen-storage meeting the high performance requirements of power tools and electric vehicles. 2. Establishment of the technology for the production of the Hydrogen storage materials and big Ni/H-batteries on a commercial basis. 3. To assess the potential for an effective commercial recycling operation and to develop the basis for a closed loop recycling process. A successful outcome of this project will facilitate the production of high performance, cost effective, and environmentally acceptable batteries which can be recycled in a closed loop environmentally safe process. At the end of the project the full commercial development of the battery technology will require a further two years. Achievements: Hydrogen storing alloys were shown to offer a chance of further improvements. This is valid mainly for the high load performance. It was demonstrated that the use of new materials could improve the discharge rate capability by more than 50 per cent compared to the standard materials currently being used. Though there still is a gap to the well established Ni/Cd-system the materials developed showed that NiMH-cells with improved materials can meet most of the power demands set by industrial applications today. The power capability of the new electrode materials was demonstrated with a new high power battery with high efficiency. Due to the high gravimetric and volumetric power values the hydride vehicle is the preferred application if this new battery.
Since the publication of the ACARE goals, the commercial and political pressure to reduce CO2 has increased considerably. DREAM is the response of the aero-engine community to this pressure. The first major DREAM objective is to design, integrate and validate new engine concepts based on open rotor contra-rotating architectures to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions 7Prozent beyond the ACARE 2020 objectives. Open rotors are noisier than equivalent high bypass ratio turbofan engines, therefore it is necessary to provide solutions that will meet noise ICAO certification standards. The second major DREAM objective is a 3dB noise emission reduction per operation point for the engine alone compared to the Year 2000 engine reference. These breakthroughs will be achieved by designing and rig testing: Innovative engine concepts a geared and a direct drive contra-rotating open rotor (unducted propulsion system) Enabling architectures with novel active and passive engine systems to reduce vibrations These technologies will support the development of future open rotor engines but also more traditional ducted turbofan engines. DREAM will also develop specifications for alternative fuels for aero-engines and then characterise, assess and test several potential fuels. This will be followed by a demonstration that the selected fuels can be used in aero-engines. The DREAM technologies will then be integrated and the engine concepts together with alternative fuels usage assessed through an enhanced version of the TERA tool developed in VITAL and NEWAC. DREAM is led by Rolls-Royce and is made of 47 partners from 13 countries, providing the best expertise and capability from the EU aeronautics industry and Russia. DREAM will mature technologies that offer the potential to go beyond the ACARE objectives for SFC, achieving a TRL of 4-5. These technologies are candidates to be brought to a higher TRL level within the scope of the CLEAN SKY JTI. Prime Contractor: Rolls Royce PLC; London; United Kingdom.
The SustainComp project aims at the development of a series of completely new wood-based sustainable composite materials for use in a wide array of market sectors, ranging from the medical, transportation and packaging to the construction sector. A primary goal is to substitute fossil-based materials used in these sectors. The performance of today's biocomposite materials is not sufficient for a range of applications. The approach is to better utilize the inherent properties of cellulosic fibres and nanocellulose fibrils in such materials. The project encompasses the whole chain from production of modified fibres and nanocellulose through compounding and moulding to the final ecodesigned product for a number of product families. These new materials will integrate today s large enterprises on the raw material and end-use sides (e.g. pulp mills and packaging manufacturers) and small and medium sized enterprises on the composite processing side (e.g. compounders and composite manufacturers). It is envisioned that this will help the transformation of the traditional Forest Products Industry to more highly value added materials through the adaption of a set of advanced technologies such as the production of nanocellulose in larger scale, tailoring of fibres and nanocellulose, wet commingling, nanostructuring, layer by layer deposition and fibre spinning using nanocellulose fibrils. More specifically the objective is to demonstrate new products within the following product families: - Nano-reinforced foams (to replace styrofoams in the packaging and construction sector) - Moulded type of compounds, to introduce cellulose reinforced renewable biocomposites in the transportation and construction sectors - High throughput nanostructured membranes with designed selectivity for small-scale liquid applications in the medical field to large scale municipal applications This project conforms to the envisioned composite program in the Forest Technology Platform. Prime Contractor: Innventia AG; Stockholm; Schweden/Sverige.
The overall objective of the current project is to make a significant contribution to the dissemination of PV in order to improve the sustainability of the European energy supply, to reduce environmental hazards such as global warming and to strengthen the economical situation of the European PV industry. The main project objective is the demonstration of PV modules using solar cells which are substantially thinner than today s common practice. We will reduce the current solar cell thickness from typically 200-250 mym down to 100 mym. Assuming a projected kerf loss of 120 mym for 2010, this will enable more than 50Prozent additional wafers to be cut from each silicon ingot. Additionally, by using advanced solar cell device structures and module interconnection technology, we target to increase the average efficiency for these thin cells up to 19Prozent for mono-crystalline and 17.2Prozent for multi-crystalline silicon and to reach a module-to-cell efficiency ratio above 90Prozent. The processing and handling of wafers and cells will be adapted in order to maintain standard processing yields. Including scaling aspects, this corresponds to a module cost reduction of approximately 30Prozent until 2011 and 1.0 /Wp extrapolated until 2016. Furthermore Si demand can be reduced from 10 to 6 g/Wp providing a significant effect on the eco-impact of PV power generation. The partners of this project form an outstanding consortium to reach the project goals, including two leading European R&D institutes as well as five companies with recorded and published expertise in the field of thin solar cells. The project is structured in 5 work packages covering the process chain from wafer to module as well as integral eco-assessment and management tasks. The expected impact of the project is a PV energy cost reduction of approximately 30Prozent, a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and an improved competitiveness of the European solar cell, module and equipment manufacturers.
SUNBIOPATH - towards a better sunlight to biomass conversion efficiency in microalgae - is an integrated program of research aimed at improving biomass yields and valorisation of biomass for two Chlorophycean photosynthetic microalgae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Dunaliella salina. Biomass yields will be improved at the level of primary processes that occur in the chloroplasts (photochemistry and sunlight capture by the light harvesting complexes) and in the cell (biochemical pathways and signalling mechanisms that influence ATP synthesis). Optimal growth of the engineered microalgae will be determined in photobioreactors, and biomass yields will be tested using a scale up approach in photobioreactors of different sizes (up to 250 L), some of which being designed and built during SUNBIOPATH. Biomethane production will be evaluated. Compared to other biofuels, biomethane is attractive because the yield of biomass to fuel conversion is higher. Valorisation of biomass will also be achieved through the production of biologicals. Significant progress has been made in the development of chloroplast genetic engineering in microalgae such as Chlamydomonas, however the commercial exploitation of this technology still requires additional research. SUNBIOPATH will address the problem of maximising transgenic expression in the chloroplast and will develop a robust system for chloroplast metabolic engineering by developing methodologies such as inducible expression and trans-operon expression. A techno economic analysis will be made to evaluate the feasibility of using these algae for the purposes proposed (biologicals production in the chloroplast and/or biomethane production) taking into account their role in CO2 mitigation.
The baking industry includes companies that make value added products including bread, buns, rolls, doughs, desserts, crusts, pastas, cookies, biscuits, crackers etc. that are either baked or frozen. The use of refrigeration technology has made a bakery's location independent of its customers, thereby broadening the geographic market potential and contributing to the growth of this sector. However, this development does have a cost. Bakeries are energy intensive, using large amounts of electricity and natural gas to operate the refrigeration system, compressed air system and ovens. These energy costs are rising and becoming a significant portion of the ingredient costs of baked goods. About 10Prozent of the total electrical and thermal energy consumption of all craft enterprises originates from the bakery sector. Accordingly there are many possibilities for energy reduction and therefore to permanently reduce the costs for the enterprises and thus to make a sustainable contribution to climate protection. Making changes in the energy use patterns of bakeries would be the fastest way to affect the energy profile of bread, because bakery is responsible for 70 and 80Prozent of the total energy consumption in conventional and organic bread production, respectively. Overall aim of the NanoBAK-Collaborative Project is the efficient energy management in the baking industry. Specific aim of this project is the development and demonstration of a novel marketable climatic chamber with an innovative, energy-saving nano-aerosol humidification system. Lab tests have shown that the energy consumption using ultrasonic humidification is significantly lower than for conventional humidification. The innovative ultrasonic humidification of the NanoBAK Project saves up to 50Prozent of energy compared to conventional humidifiers. Furthermore the quality of the bakery goods is of high value, so that the ultrasonic humidifier is profitable both energetically and qualitative.
Objective: The present proposal aims at the development of innovative multidisciplinary sets of tests and indicators for toxicological profiling of nanoparticles (NPs) as well as unravelling the correlation between the physicochemical characteristics of NPs and their toxic potential on various organs of the human body. For a comprehensive understanding of the complex data to be obtained on toxicology of NPs, based on in-vitro and ex-vivo studies, we will employ conventional toxicology combined with the methodologies of toxicogenomics, metabonomics, Knowledge Discovery from Data (KDD) and Data Mining (DM). This research program is focused towards understanding the relation of size and surface chemistry on the deposition, uptake, translocation, and toxicity of a few s elected industrially important NPs as well as novel synthesized NPs, whose size and surface chemistry will be methodically modified. Since it was shown that the penetration of NPs into the human body proceeds principally through inhalation or orally, whereas penetration through healthy skin is restricted, we have chosen lung and intestine as the primary interacting tissues/organs with NPs, while liver, kidney and the immunological system have been selected to be the secondary major sites of interaction, following the penetration of NPs into the blood circulation. The interaction of the NPs with these different target organs will be studied by making use of alternative methods to animal experimentation by employing in-vitro cell systems as well as ex-vivo studies based on precision-cut slices of lung, liver and kidney. The present proposal addresses the needs of the European society for assessing the risk of occupational and general population exposure to industrially manufactured NPs. It will generate new knowledge on potential health risk or the absence of it, providing objective arguments for recommendations and regulations.
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