Objective
The European SME haulage industry is under unprecedented pressure due to fuel price increases and environmental pollution. If crude oil prices average $80 a barrel in 2008 as predicted, prices will have risen 154% since 2003. In real terms, fuel prices have risen 42% in the last 4 years. Fuel constitutes 30% of the operating costs, therefore costs are increasing at nearly twice the rate of inflation. The haulage industry in Europe emits over 922.6 M tons of pollutants every year which is not sustainable. The industry faces increased taxation and legislation, impacting on profitability. The average profit margin for a haulage firm is between 0% and 2%, down from over 3.5% in 2003. The problems above are worse for the refrigerated transport industry because refrigerated vehicles consume extra fuel to run the refrigeration plant. The industry is in desperate need of any technologies that can help reduce operating costs and restore profitability. This is important because 72.5% of freight in Europe is moved by road. Low-resistance tyres and aerodynamic packages are helping but technologies specifically directed at refrigerated vehicles are required. This project is motivated by the fact that even correctly operating refrigeration systems leak refrigerant which causes a reduction in coefficient of performance. This in turn raises the compressor duty cycle and further increases fuel consumption. Refrigerants are hydroflorourocarbons which have a high global warming potential and so contribute further pollutants. We will develop a refrigerant leakage monitoring system based on a network of low-cost surface acoustic wave sensors. This will enable the refrigerant charge of a system to be maintained at the optimum level so that it operates at the design maximum COP. The benefit of this system will be a decrease in operating costs equivalent to approximately a 5% reduction in fuel consumption equating to a saving of €2250 per annum for a refrigerated trailer.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering thermodynamic engineering
- social sciences sociology governance taxation
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-SME-2008-1
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
ME18 5HD Maidstone
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.