EIRES Lunch lectures | 2023

Topic:
Material challenges for Fusion reactors

Organized & led by Principal Scientists:

• Adriana Creatore - TU/e | EIRES & Department of Applied Physics and Science Education
• Silvia Gaastra-Nedea - TU/e | EIRES & Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Henk Huinink - TU/e | EIRES & Department of Applied Physics and Science Education

Speaker:
Roger Jaspers - TU/e | Applied Physics and Science Education - Group chair: Science and Technology of Nuclear Fusion

Introduction:
The landscape of nuclear fusion research has evolved significantly and is now entering a new phase: Notably, we are witnessing the construction of advanced fusion devices geared towards achieving power multiplication within the next decade. Furthermore, the fusion arena has recently seen a surge in privately-funded initiatives, attracting substantial investments amounting to billions of dollars. Additionally, the field has welcomed several technological innovations, of which the new generation of High Tc superconducting coils probably have the largest impact by offering possibilities for more compact reactors.
However, amidst this remarkable progress, the formidable material challenge still persist: to successfully demonstrate a fusion power plant, we must overcome the hurdles posed by exceptionally high heat flux, intense neutron flux, and the stringent demands of the fuel cycle. Addressing these material issues represents the highest priority in our pursuit of nuclear fusion as a viable energy source.
In this presentation, we will delve into the current state of fusion research, emphasizing the material challenges. Specifically, we will explore the effort and research of TU/e (in collaboration with DIFFER) to overcome these critical material obstacles.

Topic:
Necessity for better membranes in water electrolysis and CO2 electrolysis

Organized & led by Principal Scientist:
Niels Deen - TU/e | EIRES & Department of Mechanical Engineering

Speaker:
David Vermaas - TU Delft | Associate Professor TU Delft/Transport Phenomena (TP) | Faculty of Applied Sciences, department of Chemical Engineering

Introduction:
In the transition towards renewable energy, efficient and scalable conversion of electricity into fuels and chemicals is a crucial though challenging step. Electrolysis of water and/or CO2 can generate hydrogen and carbon-based pre-cursors to supply sustainable products to hard-to-abate sectors. This includes the use of carbon-based chemicals (e.g. for plastics) and e-fuels (e.g. for long-distance transportation). While water electrolysis is developed (and applied) for many years, the scale required for the current energy transition is enormous. Membranes play an important role in this technology, both for PEM electrolysis and AEM electrolysis.
In CO2 electrolysis, upscaling brings the additional challenges of water management and CO2 utilization. David will present the large impact of CO2 crossover in CO2 electrolyzers, and the indirect energy required for the regeneration of electrolytes and necessary CO2 capture. Again, the choice of the membrane and system configuration is critical, with a particular role for bipolar membranes. Bipolar membranes inhibit the CO2 crossover and allow earth-abundant electrode material, but require further development in terms of limiting current and catalyst-interaction. He will discuss the opportunities for membranes and system development towards efficient and scalable water/CO2 electrolysis.

Topic:
The digital transformation of the energy system and its implications

Led by:
Koen Kok - TU/e | Department of Electrical Engineering - Electrical Energy Systems (EES)

Organized by Principal Scientists:
Guus Pemen - TU/e | EIRES & Department of Electrical Engineering
Lisanne Havinga - TU/e | EIRES & Department of the Built Environment

Speaker:
Peter Palensky - TU Delft | Faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science - Department Electrical Sustainable Energy (ESE)

Introduction:
The power system experiences massive changes: Decarbonization, Decentralization, and Digitalization are the most prominent ones. The digital transformation is both, a solution to upcoming problems, but also a potential challenge.
This lecture will introduce you to the changes that our future power system will need to master, to the most important aspects of the digital transformation, and also present examples where digital technology already shows impact to power systems.

Topic & Program:
Recent advances in materials for sorption-based thermal batteries 

Organized by:
EIRES | Focus Area - Systems for Sustainable Heat

Led by Principal Scientists:
Henk Huink - Silvia Gaastra-Nedea

Speakers

• Dr. Alenka Ristić - Laboratory for Adsorbents, Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Nataša Zabukovec Logar - Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technolog, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana and University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia

Introduction:
Thermal batteries hold a great promise to reduce the dependence of space heating and cooling on fossil fuels. The minimization of the mismatch between the thermal energy production (e.g. solar, waste heat) and its consumption relies on only a trivial amount of heat loss in sorption-based thermal batteries over longer periods of time. The process is based on the reversible sorption of vapours in porous solids, which is associated with the endothermic (desorption) and exothermic (adsorption) phenomena. The efficiency of this kind of thermal energy storage technology is determined by the performance of the sorbent used, which should, in addition to high thermal stability and good cycling performance, enables high sorption capacity of working fluid at low relative humidity and low regeneration temperature, if renewable solar energy is to be exploited.

Topic & program:
Sustainable Chemicals Production in 2050: Where, what, when?

Organized by:
EIRES | Focus Area - Engineering for Sustainable Energy Systems

Led by Principal Scientists:
Niels Deen - John van der Schaaf

Speaker:
John van der Schaaf - TU/e | Chemical Engineering and Chemistry & EIRES 

Introduction:The coming decades we face a huge transition from fossil to renewable based economies. In the presentation an energy based analysis is made to determine which chemical processes should be done where, which resources we should use, how we should perform these processes, and what the implications are for equipment, materials, and chemical process design.

Topic & Program:
Market & technologies for high-temperature industrial heat pumps 

Organized by:
EIRES | Focus Area - Systems for Sustainable Heat

Led by Principal Scientists:
Henk Huink - Silvia Gaastra-Nedea

Speaker:
Simon Spoelstra - TNO Energy Materials Transition

Introduction:
The industrial sector is worldwide responsible for roughly one third of the global GHG emissions. The use of heat represents 70-80% of the energy use of the industrial sector. At the same time, industry emits large amounts of waste heat to the ambient atmosphere. Industrial heat pumps are a technology that recovers and upgrades this waste heat to useable process heat. This presentation will give an overview of the industrial heat pump market and the technologies available and under development to meet the requirements of industry.

Topic & program:
Interactions of burning particles with a turbulent flow: problems and methodology

Organized by:
EIRES | Focus Area - Engineering for Sustainable Energy Systems

Led by Principal Scientists:
Niels Deen - John van der Schaaf

Speaker:
Benedicte Cuenot - CERFACS and TU/e | Thermo-Fluids Engineering (TFE)

Introduction:
The interaction of a cloud of particles with a turbulent flow is a complex subject which depends on many parameters of the particles such as their density, their statistical distribution of size, their inertia, or their shape. These parameters impact the particle trajectories which, combined with the higher or lower number density in the cloud, lead to different regimes of interaction with the flow and different structures of the concentration field of the particles. When these particles undergo exothermic chemical reactions, as in the case of burning iron particles, the interaction with the flow is further influenced by the temperature of the particles and of the carrier phase.
In this lecture, Benedicte Cuenot will outline the details of the physical mechanisms of burning particles in turbulent flow that result in the interactions mentioned above. She will then present the methodology for modelling and simulating these phenomena in the contexts of Direct Numerical Simulation and Large Eddy Simulation. Current challenges and research topics will finally be addressed.