CFB800 – An effective option for cleaner coal plants
Cleaner, cheaper, more effective, secure and independent. Have you ever heard about "Circulating Fluidised Bed" (CFB) technology?

OXYMOD – Cleaner power thanks to mathematics
Mathematical modelling has in recent years proven to be a useful and cost-cutting tool for designing and modernising coal-fired power plants. The OxyMod project – supported by the European Union (EU) Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) – has striven to extend existing combustion modelling capabilities to oxy-fuel combustion conditions. This should lead to preparation and pre-engineering of large demonstration power plants in Europe using modern and clean oxy-fuel CO2 capture technology in the near future.

LIGPOWER – Cost-saving cleaning in power plants
Lignite is a soft brown fuel with the characteristics of coal and turf combined. It also plays an important role as a competitive energy source in the power generation of many European countries. However, the specific properties of lignite lead to relatively low softening and melting temperatures, resulting in deposits forming in the boiler during combustion. Machines known as sootblowers have traditionally been used to alleviate the situation but were not entirely effective. A new solution was urgently required.

HUGE – How underground coal fires are spurring clean energy
Coal is seen today as the ugly sister of power sources: it is old-fashioned, dirty, costly to mine, and the most easily accessible supplies are close to exhaustion. But a research project could change that by offering a mining prospect that is safe, based on abundant resources, and promises clean fossil fuel energy for generations. And it would do that by igniting a coal seam deep underground.

NEMAEQ – Automated and profitable mining equipment
Coal mining in Europe can occur at a depth of 1400 metres where both the rock temperature and pressure are significantly greater than in the shallow deposits in Australia and America. To compete, European coal producers need to be highly productive. And the only way to improve productivity is through the mechanisation of all processes and optimal automation of the mining equipment.

COMTES – Cleaner coal, extra energy
Coal technology has advanced over the years and twice as much electricity is generated from one kilogram of hard coal today than in the 1950s. Soot and gas from coal-fired power stations has been slashed, reducing the impact on climate change. But coal is still seen as a dirty power source, and inefficient to boot. Now, however, a European Union (EU) research project is looking at ways to build a new next generation of fossil based power stations,like coal-fired and gas-fired, by developing nickel-based materials and components that withstand higher temperatures. This could cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to a third and at the same time generate a third more electricity than conventional power plants.

SAFETECH – Improving safety in coal mines
Coal mines tend to be located deep underground which can result in adverse environmental conditions. High levels of heat and humidity create more arduous working conditions and can hamper the ability of rescue workers to safely carry out operations during an emergency.

WAVIMETER – The smooth way to produce high quality steel
When we see advertisements for the latest car models, one of the aspects which undoubtedly entices us is the sleek, glossy appearance of the vehicles. As we run our hands over their painted surfaces in the showroom, the perfect smoothness is a pleasant feeling that we take for granted. But that smoothness is not always easily achieved.

DP GRADES – On the road to safer steel
Next time you are speeding down the motorway spare a thought for the metal box around you - scientists have spent the last decade refining, strengthening and improving it. In a bid to increase passenger safety, fuel economy, and vehicle performance, researchers across Europe have developed a new grade of steel, meeting the ultimate vehicle challenge of low weight and high strength.

ENHANCED – Extending the life of the blast furnace with sustainable results
The lifetime of a blast furnace, which is essentially an oven that produces industrial metals, has a big impact on the competitiveness of a steel plant due to the high investment costs associated with its renewal. It is vital to keep an eye on the hearth or bottom of the furnace as its condition is key and directly influences productivity, hot metal quality and the overall performance of the blast furnace. Therefore, it is necessary to understand phenomena in the hearth, envisage potential changes and develop advanced supervision systems.

HIGH-PICK – Pickling innovations with high productivity and cost savings
Pickling is a treatment used to remove impurities, such as stains, rust or scale from metal surfaces. However, as it is so powerful, pickling is difficult to control. If not strong enough, part of the stain will remain which is known as under-pickling. If too strong, the surface will be damaged which is called over-pickling.

PRECO – Innovative construction technique cuts costs and building time
Infrastructure is a funny thing. No one notices it when it operates smoothly. But one little problem is all it takes for it to move to the top of everyone's list of annoyances. While anyone can appreciate why yearlong detours caused by construction lead to high levels of frustration, few pause to reflect that without infrastructure, European citizens' great privilege of being able to move freely across the EU's 27 member states' borders to live and work would be nothing but an idealistic fantasy. Perhaps more than any other structure, bridges - which literally span gaps and traverse barriers - represent that privilege. Yet their construction in particular is notorious for taking years. And even then end results oftentimes have an awkwardly heavy design.

ULCOS – A high-tech consortium to forge greener steel
From the frames of our buildings and bridges, to the moving parts of machines massive and minute, steel is almost literally the backbone of the modern world. The principles of steelmaking have changed little over the centuries, using blast furnaces to smelt the iron ore with charcoal. But the process is dirty, producing 'top gas', which contains nitrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2). Now, however, a European Union research project is offering the prospect of greener steel by revolutionising blast furnaces.

FIRE SAFETY – New fire codes improve safety of buildings across Europe
Imagine that in the corner of a room is a garbage bin where someone has just tossed a lit cigarette. The embers of the cigarette catch on bits of paper, and a small fire starts. Smoke starts to rise from the container. Now imagine the difference it makes whether this room is an indoor swimming pool or a large storage shed: the danger presented by the fire is vastly different.

EWRCOOL – Innovative roll cooling systems with cost savings
Rolling is the process of forming substances such as metals into shapes that are small in comparison with their length. Examples of rolling end products include bars, sheets, rods and rails. Rolling may be done while the steel is hot, a process known as hot-rolling. However, when cycling between hot and cooled conditions, the roll surface where the steel is pressed can deteriorate. To deliver optimal performance, ways to best preserve the original roll surface were much needed.

MEPMO – Improving quality, reducing wastage in steel production
Steel, in a variety of forms, is an essential material in today's world. It plays a key role in areas ranging from construction, to transport, to domestic goods. But there is more to steel than meets the eye. As engineering and manufacturing techniques grow ever more sophisticated, our expectations of the steel we use grow increasingly varied, specialised and demanding.

HISTWIN – Smarter steel designs to boost wind tower power
In recent years, wind power has grown from a quirky sideline to a key player in Europe's energy mix. Today's wind towers can reach 200 metres high, with rotor diameters of more than 100 metres, generating up to 7.5 megawatts of power. They are 10 times the size of those built 30 years ago, generating 100 times the power. As the towers get bigger and stronger, new challenges arise, particularly how to make the tower and blades robust enough to cope with the forces gusting their way.

SMARTFIRE – Reducing energy consumption in steel mills
The reheating process in steel mills prepares metal stock, such as steel plates for hot rolling by heating them to a target temperature. The hot steel can then be deformed by successive sets of rolls to achieve the desired final size and shape.

STRAINHARD – Testing the crash behaviour of economical lightweight steels
The demands of the automotive industry for weight saving design have led to the construction of lightweight auto bodies. However, at the same time, drivers want greater comfort and safety but this need calls for additional weight. As a result of this demand, high-strength lightweight steels have been developed to improve vehicle passive safety, decrease weight and lessen fuel consumption.