Descripción del proyecto
Tecnología innovadora para la conversión de calor residual
Si bien el cambio climático, el aumento del consumo de energía, el deterioro de la calidad del aire y el agotamiento de los recursos naturales constituyen retos económicos y sociales fundamentales de la sociedad contemporánea, la energía térmica residual liberada a la atmósfera es una fuente de energía limpia, sin combustible y barata. El 70 % de la energía generada diariamente es calor residual. Aunque las celdas termoeléctricas y termoelectroquímicas son tecnologías empleadas para convertir el calor residual en energía eléctrica, todavía no existe una tecnología para la recuperación viable de calor residual de baja calidad. El proyecto TRANSLATE, financiado con fondos europeos, desarrollará una tecnología de plataforma de nanofluidos de prueba de concepto basada en el flujo de iones en nanocanales. El trabajo tiene como objetivo innovar en la recolección y almacenamiento de energía versátil y sostenible.
Objetivo
Increasing energy consumption, the depletion of natural resources, climate change and decreasing air quality are among the biggest economic and social challenges that we face today. At the same time, waste heat energy discharged into the atmosphere is one of the largest sources of clean, fuel-free and inexpensive energies available, with 70 % of all energy generated on a daily basis being lost as waste heat. Although technologies for converting waste heat into electrical energy have been around for a long time, such as thermoelectric and thermo-electrochemical cells, there is still no environmentally sustainable and efficient technology platform available for the viable harvesting of low-grade waste heat. There is therefore a clear need to develop an energy harvesting and conversion technology which has the potential to exceed the efficiency of current state-of-the-art devices whilst also utilising Earth-abundant materials. The central aim of TRANSLATE is therefore to develop a new proof-of-concept nanofluidic platform technology based on the flux of ions in nanochannels; leading to a breakthrough in versatile and sustainable energy harvesting and storage.
Three breakthrough science and technology targets have been identified: 1) optimisation of ion movement and ion separation in nanochannels made from Earth-abundant materials, 2) the development of a sustainable and efficient heat-to-electrical energy platform and 3) the creation of a novel continuous operation energy harvesting power source with a high power/energy density and conversion efficiency.
Expertise in materials science, nanofluidics, nanofabrication, thermoelectricity and electrochemistry is integrated on a pan-European level to achieve the overall aim of the project. The knowledge developed in TRANSLATE has the potential to reduce energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions on a local and global scale, thus improving citizens' quality of life and benefiting society.
Ámbito científico
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- natural scienceschemical scienceselectrochemistry
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energy
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringair pollution engineering
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaConvocatoria de subcontratación
H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2019-2020-01
Régimen de financiación
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinador
T12 YN60 Cork
Irlanda