RESEARCH NEWS
Imperial scoops over £ 1m Royce grant for various energy research projects in the UK
Several Imperial College ( London ) academics in the UK have been awarded new grants for energy research projects funded by the Henry Royce Institute , write Michael Leverentz and Kayleigh Brewer .
The funding , from four separate calls , including the Materials Challenge Accelerator Programme and Industrial Collaboration Programme , will support researchers investigating materials for the large-scale use of hydrogen in energy , sustainable packaging and improving the lifetime of fuel cells .
Professor Neil Alford MBE FREng , Royce Research Area Lead and Professor of Physical Electronics and Thin Film Materials , Imperial College ( London ), commented : “ I am delighted that Royce has supported these excellent proposals , all of which support the drive to Net Zero and sustainability . Importantly , they all align with a key strategy for the College in supporting the Transition to Zero Pollution .”
A selection ( although not all ) of the winners , and projects , are listed below :
■ Professor Finn Giuliani : Caloric cooling exploits materials engineered to change the temperature in response to an applied external field . This applied external field could include materials that respond to magnets , electricity or stress . These materials can be functionalised into devices , which can be integrated into solid-state cooling systems that are energy-efficient and free from refrigerant gases . Magnetic cooling can be very energy-efficient . However , to practically realise these advantages , the materials must be produced in very thin , defect-free slices . Professor Giuliani will investigate how these can be produced
Dr . Peter Petrov will investigate water vapour corrosion of metallic and ceramic components in hydrogen-fuelled engines .
as quickly and efficiently as possible .
■ Dr Peter Petrov : Led by Cranfield University , the SAUNA project investigates the water vapour corrosion of metallic and ceramic components in hydrogen-fuelled engines . Increased water vapour can lead to unexpected corrosion mechanisms , compared to conventional fuels . Consequently , different , more corrosion-resistant , materials might have to be used in future engine designs . Currently , a testing capability to cover temperature and water vapour ranges required by automotive and aerospace industries has yet to exist in the UK . Imperial College London will partner with Cranfield to characterise the chemistry and microstructure of the corrosion products developed after the water vapour corrosion experiments .
■ Professor Eduardo Said Gutierrez : Sintering , the processing of ceramics and refractory metals , is an energyintensive process with an associated carbon footprint . Despite the advances in the field , fundamental knowledge of the
mechanisms that control densification and microstructural evolution is limited . Professor Eduardo Said Gutierrez will develop a furnace dedicated to the insitu analysis of field-assisted sintering . The findings will enable the sintering of a broader range of compounds , including atmosphere-sensitive materials for energy applications like batteries or solid-state cooling , fuel cells , shielding for fusion and fission or high-temperature catalysis .
■ Dr Emilio Martinez-Paneda : He and his team will exploit Royce ’ s newly developed gaseous hydrogen charging facilities to shed light on one of the biggest challenges to enabling the large-scale use of hydrogen in energy applications : quantifying the ingress of hydrogen into metallic alloys and its deleterious effects on the structural integrity . These hydrogen-metal interactions are typically addressed using electrochemical methods due to the simplicity and convenience of introducing hydrogen in metals from aqueous solutions . However , to meet the increasing demands for hydrogen as a clean energy vector , the challenge is to transport large volumes of hydrogen gas at high pressures . The team aims to implement a robust test protocol to quantify and compare hydrogen ingress into metallic alloys from various aqueous and gaseous environments . n
ALLIES project
ALLIES ( Digital Training Tools in Steel Structure Integrity ) is a 24-month project ( from February 2022 to January 2024 ) funded by the ERASMUS + programme . ALLIES focuses on the development of new digital tools to offset the lack of skills of engineering professionals in the use of digital tools for design , analysis and inspection of metal structures .
The project seeks to contribute to the reduction of the skills mismatches between the labour market requirements and graduates , through the development of a new modular postgraduate course . This will target steel structures construction , using new online innovative digital tools for teaching , learning and assessment , as well as strengthen higher education teachers ’ digital skills . It therefore promotes digital transformation by developing innovative digital pedagogies to improve and harmonise online teaching .
ALLIES is expected to have a considerable impact on its target groups , which include teachers from universities and professionals ( graduates of mechanical , civil and industrial engineering ) both during and after the end of the project . The project targets two types of specialisations , ITC and steel structure integrity , to boost digital education in engineering sciences .
The project consortium involves seven partners from six European countries with a recognized experience in Higher Education ( HE ) and Welding . The four university partners are : University of Craiova ( Project Coordinator – Romania ); Budapest University of Technology and Economics ( Hungary ); Politecnico di Bari ( Italy ) and Instituto Superior Técnico ULisboa ( Portugal ).
Other partners are the European Federation for Welding , Joining and Cutting ( Belgium ); The Italian Institute of Welding ( Italy ) and Augmented Training Services SL ( Spain ). n