CIDAUT participates in the ECOS Congress presenting its progress in the ECOGATE project

ECOS 2019 is the 32nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems which has been taken place in Wroclaw (Poland) between the 23rd and the 28th of June.

Main topics discussed during the conference have been exergy as a process optimization, ORC, thermal recovery, fuel cells, energy storage, renewable energy, combustion, etc.

Under ECOGATE Project it has been presented a CIDAUT’s paper entitled “Natural gas accumulation technology by adsorption (ANG): set-up of a measurement installation for charge and discharge processes in natural gas vehicles”: This paper gathers a wide study about the storage natural gas (ANG) with a novel technology in this field: adsorbed natural gas (ANG), which enables storing more energy per unit volume at the same pressure as the storage of compressed natural gas (CNG). This innovation allows the use of tanks that work at lower pressure (60 bar) with the consequential advantages: greater flexibility in the design of the tank, greater formability, lower refueling costs, the possibility of home refueling and greater security.

CIDAUT has carried out the characterization of the charging and discharging processes of this type of adsorbed natural gas storage systems in an experimental facility also developed within the scope of the ECO-GATE project.

“The sole responsibility of this publication lies with the author. The European Union is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.”

More info about ECOS conference in: http://www.s-conferences.eu/ecos2019

More info about ECOGATE project: https://eco-gate.eu/

ReFreeDrive Midterm review meeting

ReFreeDrive project reached half of its length last March. This means it was time to hold the Midterm review meeting. To this end, all project members and the Project Officer met last 22nd and 23rd of May in Brussels, at Aurubis facilities.

During the meeting, the main achievements of the project were noted, and the results of the different tasks carried out by each consortium member were discussed. At this point, the motor design stage is finished, so the results obtained give an accurate idea about what can be expected from the final prototypes. Fortunately, all projects KPIs and milestones are being successfully accomplished; hence our expectations remain the highest for the second half of the project.

In the following months the optimized motor designs for both configurations (induction and synchronous reluctance) and power levels (200kW and 75kW) will be manufactured and tested.

Dissemination activities on VULKANO H2020 project

Two new different diffusion actions have been carried out within VULKANO H2020 Project.

The first one was the assistance to the 9th European Combustion Meeting between 14th and 18th of April in Lisbon (Portugal). It was presented the poster entitled: “Natural Gas replacement by syngas in Resource Energy Intensive Industries (REII) burners: numerical CFD evaluation”. This poster gathered the theoretical study for the natural gas substitution by syngas as well as the burner modifications required to achieve the VULKANO objective of co-firing syngas from 10% to 40% of substitution. More than 180 posters in combustion topics were presented by 120 different authors speaking about topics such as: laminar flames, turbulent flames, reaction kinetics, gas turbines, etc.

The second one was the assistance to the 11th Mediterranean Combustion Symposium from 16th to 20th of June in Tenerife, Spain. There, the last part of VULKANO progress was presented in the paper entitled “CFD approach in natural gas hybrid burners adapted for syngas combustion in REII”. This paper goes one step further in the design of new hybrid burners to achieve 100% of natural gas substitution by renewable gases such as process-off-gases and bio-syngases. Both works have been carried out in close collaboration with the Institute of Power Engineering of Warsaw (Poland).

ALMAGIC project last Review Meeting

The ALMAGIC Project, led by CIDAUT and granted by European Commission’s Clean Sky 2 Programme (Contract No. 755515), held its last review meeting on 16th May 2019 at CIDAUT´s premises in Valladolid (Spain).

Coinciding with the end of the project research activities, all Consortium partners and the Topic Leader (MTU Aero Engines) met to analyze in depth the general project results. To this end, during the meeting, the tasks performed along the project were discussed, and their main outcomes were evaluated. A showroom was organized, exhibiting all tested samples, in order to ease the inspection and evaluation of the testing results, encouraging fruitful discussions between the attendees. The meeting ended with a guided tour through CIDAUT’s facilities.

The different tests (corrosion, electrical conductivity, paintability and fatigue testing) performed on the Chromium(VI)-free innovative coatings for Mg- and Al-alloys suggest that there is a clear potential of substitution of these Cr(VI) pernicious coatings in the following years by means of further development of novel coating and paint formulations. From the discussions, the main improvement areas were also defined, as well as future lines of work.

It has been an awesome experience for CIDAUT to take part in ALMAGIC project as leader. Not only the project results have been of great interest for both the project partners and the topic leader, but also strong relationships with the rest of the partners have been built. We are looking forward to exploring future collaboration opportunities in the future and continue progressing in the development of innovative Cr(VI)-free coatings.

New workshop of the MOVBIO project

A new Technical Conference within the dissemination work of MOVBIO Project took place in the Noble Hall of the Intermunicipal Community of Ave, in Guimarães (Portugal) on June 26th.

The event was co-organized by the Ave Energy Agency and the CVR (Center for waste valorization), and topics such as the energy valorization of biomass from agricultural and urban prunings were discussed. A certain emphasis was put on the results of some project activities, good practices for the valorization, the challenges in logistic solutions and the state of the art regarding to the existing technologies for the collection and treatment of this raw material.

CIDAUT Foundation expose the lecture entitled: “Gasification as an alternative for the valorization of pruning biomass”, in which different options of energy valorization of the pruning biomass were using thermochemical processes for the decomposition of said biomass in gaseous streams. These biomass gases could be used as fuels in cogeneration applications or, after their reforming and purification, as high added value renewable gases such as hydrogen.

During the technical conference, a Round Table was also carried out with the participation of specialists and professionals from the sector, including Coelho Guedes (BriquetasRaro), Eduardo Ferreira (UM / VIMASOL) and Primitivo Málaga (GEBIO / BIOHOT), this session was moderated by the Executive Director of the CVR, Jorge Araújo.

In this forum, topics such as the demand and supply of the product, the relationship between producers and consumers, the logistical and economic viability challenges for the energy valorization of biomass and the future of the sector were discussed.

In the afternoon, a briquette manufacturing demonstration session was held at the facilities of the CVR (Center for Waste Valorization), as a demonstration of the research actions developed within the MOVBIO project.

http://www.movbio.eu

                                                        

 

Meeting of BIOURB NATUR consortium in Bragança

The consortium team of the project Biobuilding diversity, bioclimatic architecture, sustainable rehabilitation and its application in natural areas” held a new meeting in the “Balcão Único” building of Câmara Municipal de Bragança on May 27th.

Representatives of all the partners attended the meeting with the presence of the Regional Energy Agency of Castilla y León (EREN, Main Beneficiary) Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), CIDAUT Foundation, Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León (FPNCYL), Construction Institute of Castilla y León (ICCL) and Municipality of Bragança.

The main objective of the meeting was to review the progress of the technical activities, as well as the communication and the project coordination activities.

Within the project, five specific buildings located in natural parks in Castilla y León (Spain) and three located in Montesinho Natural Park (Portugal) are being rehabilitated with bioclimatic solutions in order to get better comfort and higher energy efficiency. The monitoring phase, conducted by CIDAUT, is just starting at this date. The project is co-financed by the programme of cooperation INTERREG V-A Spain-Portugal (POCTEP) 2014-2020 and will be further developed until December 2019.

Regarding Communication Activities, several technical workshops, informative sessions and a promotional video film are being developed.

http://www.biourb.net

                                             

CIDAUT continues its development in hydrogen technologies

On May 17th, CIDAUT had the pleasure of attending to the International Sustainable Mobility Forum (FIMS) in Entroncamento (Portugal) in such an incomparable setting as the National Railway Museum. CIDAUT participated as a speaker in the meeting entitled Hydrogen-based emission-less mobility and transportation solutions

This forum aims to promote a meeting of the supply and demand of innovative hydrogen and fuel cell solutions in transport systems in the context of emissions-free mobility. The event brought together suppliers of technology solutions, industry, transport management entities and fleet owners, urban planners, land managers and decision makers – among others – promoting mutual updating on opportunities and challenges related to the use of hydrogen. Hydrogen ecosystems, such as production, storage, distribution, refueling and end-use, are presented through innovative pilot projects carried out in the context of European projects and strategies.

The forum “Hydrogen-based Low Carbon Transport and Mobility Solutions” aims to present functional options in the area of hydrogen and fuel cells demonstrated in European cities and regions, present innovative technological solutions and discuss methodologies to accelerate the deployment and implementation of hydrogen and technologies in the mobility and transport sectors.

It was attended by the Secretary of State for Mobility Protuguese, José Mendes, as well as representatives of the regional authorities of Medio Tejo and Cities, regions, Hydrogen and fuel cell associations, investors, industry, mobility and other stakeholders with a keen interest in the hydrogen sector and its outcomes and interested to learn more about the local Hydrogen Clusters and willing to develop partnerships.

Continuing with the European events on Hydrogen, CIDAUT also attended on June 25th the kick-off meeting of the Intelligent Platform S3 European Hydrogen Valleys Partnership held in Brussels. CIDAUT was invited by the Regional Energy Agency (EREN). This platform is established in Normandy, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, Northen, Netherlands and Aragon, and aims to strengthen interregional cooperation across the EU on S3 common areas to co-develop investment projects for the modernization of the European industry.

During the meeting there was an introduction of the Partnership mission, after which there was a round of presentation of the present regions in the kick-off meeting and their interest in hydrogen technologies. Finally, a presentation of the analysis of the preliminary mapping questionnaires was made which will sent to the different regions whose results and it will be presented at the next meeting to be held on October 15th.

This event was held coinciding with the celebration of the H2020 Energy Infodays that took place from June 24th to 26th. CIDAUT attended on June 26th where the topics on Research, Innovation and Market uptake projects on Clean Energy were presented.

ReFreeDrive project reaches 18 months

Last March ReFreeDrive project, coordinated by CIDAUT, reached the half of its length. The ReFreeDrive project is focused on contributing to avoid the use of rare earth magnets through the development of a next generation of electric drivetrains, ensuring the industrial feasibility for mass production while focusing on the low cost of the manufacturing technologies.

ReFreeDrive project is expected to achieve an incremental reduction in total motor and power electronics system costs through optimised design for manufacture, increasing the performance of both electric motors and power electronics. Specifically, ReFreeDrive project aims at achieving a motor torque increase of 30% while halving motor losses, increasing power density in power electronics by 50% and reducing production costs around 15% against similar solutions (Reference: Tesla Model S60).

On the occasion of the 18 months since the beginning of the project, its partners met on 20th and 21st March at Brussels for a new General Assembly meeting. During the meeting, the tasks carried out by the partners during the last six months were reviewed, and the status of the different Work Packages was analysed in order to define actions for the second half of the project, when the 8 e-Drives (200kW and 75kW) will be manufactured and tested.

Also on these days CIDAUT attended the joint GV04 dissemination event, which took place in Brussels, too. The workshop presented the innovations that are currently being developed by three EU-funded projects under the European Green Vehicles Initiative (EGVI): ModulED, ReFreeDrive and DRIVEMODE. This event allowed exploring synergies between the three projects in order to maximize the outcome of the innovations under development within each one of them.

More than 100 people showed interest in the event and around 75 of them attended the workshop (36 people belong to the project consortia, while 68 people are external audience), many of them belonging to leading edge organizations in the field of electric drivetrain design and innovation.

CIDAUT highlights “The role of hydrogen in the energy transition”

The current decarbonisation policies place hydrogen in the spotlight of sustainable energy development. This aspect is reinforced by the fact of the need for large-scale energy storage to manage an electrical system with high renewable production where hydrogen plays a fundamental role. In addition, on February 11, the “Hydrogen Roadmap Europe” was published by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, which highlights the need to use hydrogen to achieve high decarbonisation rates and reduce CO2 emissions by 80%.

CIDAUT as a national reference in the field of hydrogen technologies participated in the technical conference of February 28, 2019: “The role of hydrogen in the energy transition”, which was developed within the program of activities of the International Fair of Energy and Environment (GENERA) held in Madrid.

This conference helped to highlight the key role that hydrogen will play in the energy transition and to define the actions that must be carried out to achieve the development of these technologies in Spain. During the conference, attended by the Secretary of State for Energy, José Domínguez Abascal, the current decarbonisation policies were discussed and the need for the implementation of hydrogen technologies in the European context of energy transition was exposed.

In the first round table of the day, the representatives of the main Ministries and national entities related to Energy, Industry, Science and Innovation debated on the importance of hydrogen to reach a carbon-free energy system.

In a second part of the conference, institutional partners of the AeH2 presented the “Main initiatives of the hydrogen sector and fuel cells in Spain”. As one of the partners, CIDAUT exposed its extensive experience in R&D projects within the field of hydrogen technologies and stressed its commitment to the future of hydrogen as an energy vector and decarbonization factor.

But this was not the only event that took place in Madrid on hydrogen. On March 1, the National Infoday of the Call 2019 of the FCH 2 JU was held in the Assembly Hall of the Center for Industrial Technological Development, CDTI. CIDAUT attended the Infoday where we could know firsthand all the information related to the call.

During the Infoday, Ms. María Luisa Revilla, from the Department of Social Challenges of the CDTI, presented the objectives and general vision of the FCH 2 JU and the H2020, as well as the rules for participation and presentation of proposals within the framework of H2020. The infoday was attended too by Mr. Carlos Navas, Head of the Strategy and Market Development Department of the FCH 2 JU, who presented the strategic vision and role of hydrogen in the European energy transition. In addition, he presented the topics included in this call and the keys for the presentation of proposals. The budget of this call is 80.8 million euros and 17 topics are considered: 5 related to transport, 8 with energy, 3 cross-cutting or cross-sectoral themes and 1 general. Finally, Mr. Antonio González, vice president of AeH2 and president of PTE HPC, explained the current situation of hydrogen technologies and fuel cells in Spain, explaining the key role they will play in the energy transition towards a carbon-free system.

CIDAUT participates in the VII GASNAM Congress presenting its progress in the ECOGATE project

On April 10 and 11, the 7th GASNAM congress was held in La Nave (Madrid), under the slogan “Renewable gas: innovation for sustainable mobility”. The congress had more than 50 national and international speakers, more than 30 tables of work, lectures and the largest exhibition of natural and renewable gas vehicles in Europe.

During this congress, CIDAUT has presented an innovative adsorbed natural gas (ANG) storage system that has been implemented in a dual-fuel van, as a pilot test within ECO-GATE project.

The storage of adsorbed natural gas (ANG) allows storing more energy per unit volume at the same pressure as the storage of compressed natural gas (CNG). This innovation allows the use of tanks that work at lower pressure (60 bar), with the advantages that this entails: greater flexibility in the design of the tank, greater formability, lower refueling costs, the possibility of home refueling and greater security.

CIDAUT has carried out the characterization of the loading and unloading processes of this type of adsorbed natural gas storage systems in an experimental facility also developed within the scope of the ECO-GATE project.

“The sole responsibility of this publication lies with the author. The European Union is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.”