Objective
The high temperatures (> 400øC) of many industrial processes within the petrochemical, electricity generating and other sectors are well known to cause embrittlement and cracking of metal surfaces. The primary mechanism is the diffusion of impurities such as carbonitrides and alternative metallic solid phases towards grain boundaries in the metal structure. Failure to receive prior warning of materials failure in this manner results in several days of plant downtime which can cost over 75 kECU per day within the petrochemical industry. Current methods of grain boundary analysis, including metallography and electron spectroscopy techniques, are laboratory based and involve the removal of samples., which in itself requires downtime. There are no existing techniques available which can operate on-line. Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) involves vaporisation by a pulsed laser of a mg amount of surface material to create an energised plasma. Emission spectra from this plasma can be analysed to detect the presence of most elements, and LIBS has been developed for a number of analytical applications within the nuclear and steel industries, and also for analysis of soils and geological samples. This project will develop LIBS as an on-!ine technique for the mapping of elemental composition in the region of grain boundaries at heat affected zones. Several problems are presented; - Satisfactory spatial resolution must be achieved. Ideally a resolution at sub-micron level is necessary, but there are limits to the minimum achievable laser spot size. Lateral approaches will be used to obtain a useful 2D resolution -The spectrometer will be subject to a strong thermal radiation flux from the exposed hot sample surface. Ruggedisation will be required in order to protect the components of the spectrometer. - Interpretation of results is a complex procedure, particularly as chemical composition must be deduced from elemental composition at a particular point. Advanced data processing and intelligence features will be developed in order to aid interpretation of the spectra and decrease the skill level required for operation to that of non-expert users. The project will involve; initial specifications; laboratory experiments; development of control/alignment systems; signal processing and intelligence features; design, development and construction of prototypes; and an end-of-project testing programme. The consortium assembled for this project include two SMEs who will be involved in design and development of the prototype spectrometer, a laser system sales company with knowledge of end user requirements, a research institute with specific expertise in LIBS, a research institute with expertise in data processing and intelligence, and a large end user within the petrochemical industry. Use of the spectrometer by end users in the petrochemical, electricity and other industries will have significant benefits, particularly in terms of reduced downtime. It is estimated that the total economic impact of the project on the EU economy in the five years after market introduction will be in excess of 455 MECU.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture grains and oilseeds
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering signal processing
- natural sciences physical sciences optics laser physics pulsed lasers
- natural sciences computer and information sciences data science data processing
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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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.
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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
2825-114 MONTE DA CAPARICA
Portugal
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