New project ACHIEF aims to improve the Energy Intensive industries

A new project ACHIEF has been added to PNO Innovation’s portfolio in the energy sector. The project presents a great opportunity for moving towards to a more energy and resource efficient Energy Intensive industries (EII) sector.

Novel efficient materials-based solutions

ACHIEF project has received a grant of €5,8 million from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme to develop novel efficient materials-based solutions enabling to meet extreme and fluctuating conditions currently employed in Energy Intensive Industries (EII). The solutions will be developed through the utilization of an Artificial Intelligent combined approach for the design of innovative materials and protective coatings with improved high-temperature strength, creep and corrosion characteristics.

The sector of EII, rooted in many strategic value chains, is one of the cornerstones of the EU economy. Process industry, however, stands for more than 1/3 of global energy demand and nearly 40% of CO2 emissions. In this context, innovative high-performance materials can improve the energy performance of EIIs compared to that attained with traditional materials by enabling equipment and components to perform longer under the high-temperature environments reached in industrial processes, improving productivity, avoiding down time and increasing the overall efficiency of the production plant.

The ACHIEF project

PNO will partner up with 10 other partners to bring to life the ACHIEF project’s methodology that is expected to highly impact the EII industrial sector: significant energy efficiency improvement, reduction of CO2 emissions and resource utilization, increased lifetime of the equipment. The ACHIEF project has defined a set of very ambitious objectives that aim to make a positive contribution:

  • Develop innovative high-temperature strength and creep resistance materials based on novel High-Entropy Alloys (HEAs) for improved performance of EII,
  • Develop novel protective Polymer Derived Ceramic coatings with improved high-temperature erosion and corrosion resistance,
  • Develop high performance coatings based on HEA-nanocomposites with improved high-temperature wear and thermal fatigue resistance,
  • Design and develop a new high Chromium steel grade with creep resistance 15% improved and
  • Implement advanced high-performance temperature sensors based on Fiber Bragg Grating technology and corrosion sensors based on Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy technique.

ACHIEF consortium

Eleven partners from 7 countries in Europe covering the RTO and industrial worlds are forming the ACHIEF consortium. Among them are key partners such us Tecnalia (TEC), Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Türkiye Petrol Rafinerileri A.Ş. (TUPRAS), ARCELOR MITTAL SESTAO (ARCELOR). An implementation plan is presented in the form of 9 work packages, 6 of which are technical in nature.

PNO will be leading the Communication, dissemination activities & Technology transfer and valorisation of innovations. As a key advisor to the Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency association (SPIRE), PNO will strength the links with relevant stakeholders within the SPIRE sectors (e.g. steel, chemicals, engineering).

For a very first time, the ACHIEF consortium is gathering to officially launch the project on 14 October 2020. Partners will discuss the first set of tasks and milestones that will pave the way to a successful beginning of the project.

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