Objective
Solar energy metals treatment applications.
Research results included:
- The successful demonstration of solar beam modification of hard coatings.
- The development of several surface-hardening methods for metals using the solar furnace.
- The open-air hardening of different types of steel and cast iron specimens.
- Steel tempering in water using the solar furnace.
Solar photocatalytic water detoxification.
- It was found that solar detoxification can destroy hazardous contaminants dissolved in water, and must now be considered as a clean and ecological alternative to conventional wastewater technologies.
- The feasibility of the process has been fully demonstrated and the commercial applications seem to be not to far off.
A new field of solar technology has opened and in Europe the PSA is prepared for its development for commercial application.
Adaptive control development.
Some notable achievements were:
- The adaptive control system developed during this work for solar collector field experiments is unique in Europe.
- A finite element model of the Acurex field was developed, tested and validated. This model can reliably predict the dynamics of a parabolic-trough solar collector field.
- Simplified transfer function models, portraying the resonant characteristics of the solar collector field were developed. These models can be employed in the design of future collectors.
- A proposed adaptive control scheme incorporating resonance compensation demonstrated capacity for fast response outlet temperature control.
Ceramic materials testing.
Significant achievements included:
- The alignment of the Solar Furnace concentrator using the 'on-axis' and 'laser ray-tracing' methods for focus characterisation.
- Test for subjecting Zirconia Y-PSZ specimens to the non-contaminant thermal shock of the Solar Furnace with several different flux densities.
- The surfaces of mono and polycrystal Zirconia Y-PSZ specimens were partially melted after thermal shock in the Solar Furnace. This non-contaminant step is essential for further studies of the condensed material at very high temperatures.
This project enabled 12 research organisations from 7 EU Member States to use the Plataforma Solar de Almeria (PSA) facility. Project teams used the facility for a total 9,237 hours (230 weeks) - representing 29% of the site's total capacity - between 1990 and mid-1993. Users from the project constituted some 20% of the total institutions working on the site during the project.
Project teams reported that the results of their research have been an important catalyst in the advancement of European environmental policy. The results appeared in 121 publications and were presented at 44 scientific conferences.
Project participants used the Almeria facility to undertake four research projects: solar energy applications for metals treatment; solar photocatalytic water detoxification; adaptive control development; and ceramic materials testing.
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.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy solar energy
- engineering and technology environmental engineering water treatment processes wastewater treatment processes
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering control systems
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences meteorology solar radiation
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
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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.
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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
28040 MADRID
Spain
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.