A central interest of Caden is the so-called provenance tracking of samples and data. The central requirement is to store data entities (i.e., both data and metadata) and to store parameters of activities (e.g., temperatures, pressures, simulation parameters) in a structured and traceable manner. In addition, entity links must be created to describe a graph topology. The graph can be very complex and non-linear (i.e., contain branches and bifurcations) with a large number of process steps. Another challenge for Caden is the cooperation between different institutions. It is quite common for institutions to have their own individual repositories and metadata schemes, often with little overlap to those of other institutions. Consolidation of process steps (i.e. the fragments of the workflow graphs) across institutional boundaries is often difficult, and as of now there is no way to automate this step (e.g. via machine-processable link). One way to solve this issue is the use of a unified research data infrastructure, such as Kadi4Mat or eLabFTW.

Thermal barrier coatings and repair processes are developed for single crystal materials

In this project, repair processes for high-strength metallic components are developed via cold gas spraying

Optimization of abradable layers for the compressor section of aero gas turbines

Development of thermally sprayed thermal barrier coating systems with improved resistance to rapid load changes

Extension of the temperature application range of zirconia-based thermal barrier coatings by alternative coating processes and modified chemical composition; funded by DFG & FVV

The aim is to develop a new generation of abradable coatings for the high-pressure turbine of aircraft engines

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In this project, additively manufactured components are provided with a thermal insulation layer using novel coating processes

Improvement of repair processes based on cold gas spraying

The coupling of a biomass gasifier with a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) to produce electricity from biomass is being studied within the framework of a joint project of Forschungszentrum Jülich and TU München, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). The objective of this dissertation is the development of new material combination for the fuel electrode with an improved tolerance against contaminants in the fuel gas. The material systems under investigation include cermets based on Nickel and Gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) as well as innovative ceramic materials that exsolve nano-scaled catalyst particles during operation. The materials and components developed at IEK-1 will be tested at TU München using synthetic Syngas with controlled amounts of contaminants, in order to investigate the interaction of each molecule with the material.

The energy transition is one of the most important future projects of our time, in which the generation and use of renewable and sustainable energy is an important driving force for a decarbonized economy. In this context, hydrogen - and especially the so-called "green" hydrogen from renewable energies - plays a crucial role as a "game changer" in the entire energy system. The innovation pool project "Solar hydrogen: highly pure and compressed" aims to improve both the scientific knowledge and the technological maturity of various viable technologies for the conversion of solar energy into hydrogen (H2). As part of an internal Helmholtz funding (HGF), a proton-conducting electrolysis cell is to be developed at IEK-1 to obtain hydrogen that is highly pure and water-free. The energy required for the cell operation will origin from solar sources.

https://energy.helmholtz.de/en/translate-to-englisch-forschungshighlights/translate-to-englisch-solarer-wasserstoff/

Funded by the BMBF as part of the Hydrogen Republic of Germany initiative, the project is working on the specific degradation phenomena of a so-called metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell (MSC) for the reconversion of hydrogen generated via renewable sources. Under the leadership of Bosch and together with the company RJL and the research partners KIT, HS Aalen and HS Karlsruhe, the institutes IEK-1, -2 and -14 are specifically working on the thermal-atmospheric degradation phenomena (material-specific, microstructure-dependent and thermodynamic/kinetic) and the further development of the MSC.

https://www.wasserstoff-leitprojekte.de/grundlagenforschung/brennstoffzellen

Also based on the Hydrogen Republic of Germany initiative, the BMBF-funded project focuses on specific degradation effects that only occur under electrolysis mode. At IEK-1, alternative fuel gas electrodes are being developed for this purpose and marketable manufacturing processes are being advanced. Broad participation of other German industrial partners (Kerafol, Hexis/mPower, Sunfire, Mann+Hummel, Bosch, Horiba FuelCon, SOLIDpower) as well as external research institutions (IKTS, DLR, KIT) and Jülich institutes (IEK-2, -9, -13, -14) ensures a broad approach to understanding and solving the effects that occur.

https://www.wasserstoff-leitprojekte.de/grundlagenforschung/brennstoffzellen

The joint project ReNaRe is part of the technology platform H2Giga. The project is investigating the possibilities of recycling of solid oxide electrolyzer stacks. The focus is on either reuse, remanufacturing or recycling of components. Depending on the stack concept and/or recycling concept, materials or components can be reused directly or have to be reprocessed in a complex way. The focus of IEK-1 is the reuse of the ceramic components of the cell either again in SOCs or in alternative applications.

https://www.wasserstoff-leitprojekte.de/leitprojekte/h2giga

In the joint project ElChFest, we work together with our partners in Karlsruhe to develop a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) based on doped ceria, and optimize the cell as well as the operational parameters. Material-, microstructural and electrochemical investigations will be combined in order to establish a model that allows the calculation of mechanical stresses as a function of the operation point.

11/2022 – 10/2025

IEK-2, VITO, Marion Technologies S.A., Coatema GmbH, TU Eindhoven, QSAR Lab,

Fundacion IMDEA Energia, CNRS, Fiaxell Sarl

EU Kommission (Horizon Europe)

Dr. Christian Lenser

The NOUVEAU project, funded by the European Commission, involves a wide range of partners from industry and (non-)university research institutions on an inter-European level for a sustainable design of solid oxide cells (SOCs). The aim is to be able to develop new cells and stacks with significant savings in the use of rare earth elements, precious metals and chromium by applying modern coating technologies and modeling as well as more sustainable design and recycling strategies. Within the contribution of Forschungszentrum Jülich, the focus is on replacing previously used high-chromium stainless steels for use as interconnects by low-cost conventional steels with reduced chromium content made possible by the application of a suitable coating. The characterization of the resulting composites as well as the investigation of their resistance to corrosion and chromium evaporation is carried out in close cooperation between IEK-1 and IEK-2.

The project Machine learning for solid oxide cells deals with the application of machine learning to the process of tape casting, which is one of the main manufacturing processes for solid oxide fuel and electrolyzer cells. However, gas separation membranes and solid-state batteries are also manufactured in part using this process. By means of tape casting, ceramic or metallic slurries, consisting of the respective powders, organic or aqueous solvents and organic stabilizing additives, can be cast into two-dimensionally extended thin layers. Layer thicknesses vary from a few micrometers to about 2mm and microstructures range from dense to porous after sintering. Through the ML4SOC project, ML methodologies will be applied to ceramic tape casting for the first time. The project will be performed in a closed cooperation with the U Picardie in France, which takes care of the ML together with the IEK-1, the prototyping company KMS Technology Center from Dresden, which develops and builds tape casting benches. At IEK-1, tape casting has been used as a ceramotechnical method for 25 years, and in this project ML is to be used to improve the tape casting process, which has functioned by trial-and-error until now. The substrate of a fuel gas electrode-supported solid oxide cell was selected as the first hands-on component.

As a major contributor to the global CO₂ emissions, the commodity chemical industry should be urgently coupled with renewable electricity to become independent from fossil fuel resources. As a EIC Pathfinder project, ECOLEFINS aims at establishing a new, all-electric paradigm for the electro-conversion of CO₂ and H₂O to light olefins- the key-intermediates for polymers, and other daily life chemical products. The project will introduce ceramic electrochemical devices while putting forward cutting-edge nanotechnology and engineering for the development of efficient electrodes and short-stacks in order to deliver RES-powered artificial photosynthesis of CO₂ to valuable chemicals.

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101099717

Here is the official website of the ECOLEFINS project http://ecolefinsproject.eu/

Electrolysis technologies suffer from limitations in terms of cost, efficiency, stability, scalability, and recyclability. This is mainly due to the lack of understanding and identification of electrolyzer degradation mechanisms. ELECTROLIFE aims to increase the efficiency performance of electrolyzers and extending the useful life of these systems. This grand goal will be achieved through dedicated test campaigns combined with multiphysics simulations of superimposed degradation mechanisms, prototyping of cells and stack components, as well as construction of dedicated test benches. In addition to standardized test protocols, diagnostic and stack health models will be developed to reduce the degradation rate, enabling the implementation of predictive control systems. ELECTROLIFE will demonstrate the implementation of durable stacks and will be a booster of the green hydrogen technologies use to support decarbonization of European global industry.

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101137802

The aim of this project is to identify the cause of the significant permeation rate at low electron conductor fractions in CGO-based composite membranes with spinels as electron conducting phase and to use the comprehensive understanding of the physical properties thus gained so that the ambipolar conductivity (and thus the permeability) of this material system can be maximised. We assume grain boundary phases or positively acting space charge zones at phase boundaries as the cause. The success of the material development will be tested in a membrane reactor on tablets as well as on thin, supported membrane layers with catalytically active surface layers as a function of temperature and pO2 gradient (driving force).

The project will develop an electrochemical membrane reactor that performs H₂O/CO₂ co-electrolysis at medium or high temperature with co-ionic (H⁺ and O₂-) ceramic conductors (ci-EMRs) for efficient conversion/storage of renewable energy into synthetic fuels. The main focus is on the temperature range of 400-500°C, where the anionic electrolysis of H₂O to H⁺ and the conversion of CO₂ on the other side of the membrane, produces chemicals/energy carriers such as methanol, methane, or at higher temperatures, synthesis gas. The functional layer is a 10-40 µm thick, ceramic proton-conducting membrane that transports H⁺ through the grid at higher temperatures. On the German side, the focus will be on the development of the membrane structures, as well as the development of improved proton-conducting ceramic materials and suitable starting powders. The main focus will be on the production of the ceramic membrane structure using 3D printing. This technology is by no means state of the art for the necessary, highly complex ceramics, but it promises enormous potential in terms of cost-effective adjustment of an optimal microstructure. For comparison purposes, structures will be produced by sequential film casting. The Greek side will work on process engineering and application-oriented electrochemical characterisation in the project. This project addresses the problem of energy storage with a growing share of renewable energies in the German energy system (Energiewende). The aim is to develop alternative and efficient processes for the production of synthetic fuels. If successful, the processes will also be highly innovative for the production of important basic chemicals. The project topic involves some risks and is therefore not yet being pursued to any great extent by industry.

Forschungszentrum Jülich - Press releases - 3D Printing to Make Synthetic Fuels More Efficient and Cheaper (fz-juelich.de)

The aim is to use additive manufacturing to produce a membrane component that ensures optimised gas flow and has few, well-defined joints. The connection of supply lines to the component is also realised. The developed product is quantitatively evaluated on the basis of its performance with regard to the separation of pure oxygen from the air. Subsequently, the product is available for academic and/or industrial research on membrane reactors.

In order to sustainably meet the world's ever-increasing demand for energy and material goods, the use of renewable resources is needed in the fuel and chemical industries. This will be essential to maintain the prominent position of the European chemical industry and to achieve the ambitious EU 2030 targets on climate change, process efficiency and safety. 46 and 36% of energy consumption in Germany and the Netherlands, respectively, is attributable to industry. Improving industrial energy efficiency is therefore an important task for research. The "Amazing" project directly addresses several funding priorities of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The focus is on the sector-specific energy optimisation of existing industrial processes as well as the efficient use of secondary forms of energy and the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. However, the direct use of renewable electricity in the chemical industry (power to chemicals) is not easy, as the majority of the heat needed to carry out chemical reactions is generated by burning fossil fuels. Replacing large-scale high-temperature cracking processes with electrically driven thermocatalytic activation of alkanes to produce chemical building blocks (e.g. alkenes) is a promising way to reduce CO₂ emissions. An alternative to the energy-intensive standard process is to combine mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) membranes with metal-supported catalysts. In the Amazing project, we aim to develop additive manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing to develop self-supporting catalytic membrane reactor systems that exploit the full potential of RDH membrane reactors. The additive manufacturing routes used promise easy upscaling to full commercial systems.

EU transport and power generation accounts approximately each for one-third of all CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. While current decarbonisation measures are focused principally on two alternatives: electrification and fuel switching, these are not suitablefor the harder-to-abate sectors, such as heavy-duty road transport or decentralised energy production due to payload, autonomy and/or fuel supply requisites, among other issues. In fact, these sectors still rely on fossil fuels for 94% of its energy needs, constituting one of the main challenges to comply with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. These sectors require a system that allows to exploit the advantages of the use of liquid fuels, as are high energy density, fast refilling and easy transport, but bypassing the efficiency limitations and eliminating CO2 emissions. In addition, to tackle the alarming increase of GHG emissions and the rise of global temperature, it is necessary to deploy an effective solution in the short-medium term. Therefore, it is key not to depend on the construction of new infrastructures and be able to use the existing ones for the transport, storage and supply of liquid fuels. The main objective of ALL-IN Zero is to develop a multi-fuel system to generate electrical and mechanical power with zero emissions. This system will feed low, zero carbon or carbon-negative fuels like ammonia, natural gas, biogas or alcohols, into a Compact Membrane Reactor producing a common intermediate temporary energy vector to be consumed in situ by power generation systems such as internal combustion engines and fuel cells. ALL-IN Zero will accelerate decarbonisation earlier than other technologies, using available productive and supply chains, SoA technologies, and upstream and downstream treatments for mobile and stationary solutions.

https://allinzero.eu/