Many people think of ceramics in terms of dinner plates, kitchen cabinets and sinks. But ceramics are an integral part of electrical, electronics, medical, automotive and other technical applications. Such advanced ceramics represent over $ 100 billion in the United States alone, and demand is growing.
Majid Minari, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ira A Fulton Engineering School at Arizona State University, says: “Metals and polymers are successful where they fall.” “Ceramics can withstand extreme temperatures such as heat exchangers in power plants and the harmful contents of batteries and fuel cells. So they are very important to most of our energy systems.
Traditional production methods limit advanced ceramics to relatively simple, balanced geometries. Additional manufacturing technologies will enable the production of ceramic equipment in the energy sector in the complex shapes and structures necessary for innovation. Photo courtesy Shutterstock
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Advanced ceramics can be expensive and time consuming. Traditional production methods such as molding, molding, and assembling also produce relatively simple, balanced results. These limited geometries hinder the technological innovation needed to move the energy sector forward.
Conversely, additional manufacturing (or 3D printing) techniques can use computational design to produce low-cost ceramic equipment in any conceivable shape or configuration. Minary is very interested in the potential they represent, so he has been working to make these methods a reality.
“The idea began at one of my meetings with Corson Kramer, of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, about the importance of discussing this in an extensive article,” Minary said. We knew we needed to bring together an international team of experts.
Thus, dozens of officials from national laboratories, institutes, and universities in the United States, Germany, and Italy exercised their skills. The effort took more than a year to complete, and the result – “More Ceramic Materials for Power Applications: Road Map and Opportunities” – was published in the Journal of the European Ceramic Society.
The paper focuses on materials selection and processing for the energy sector ceramics, and explores both traditional approaches and new opportunities for new production technologies. The units are equipped with batteries, super capacitors, fuel cells, smart glass, catalyst converters, heat exchangers and turbines, as well as nuclear fission and hybrid power.
Energy systems are mainly formed by the interaction of liquids or gases with solids, and the surface area is important for these interactions. Large screen areas often indicate high efficiency, especially available sizes – such as a battery or catalyst switch.
“Sometimes conflicting assets are also needed. “For example, high-pressure, high-temperature heat exchangers require thin walls for better heat transfer, but the walls must be mechanically strong to withstand high pressures.
Therefore, complex geometries are necessary to increase the surface area while maintaining the mechanical stability of the device. New additional production technologies provide these complex rotations with the ability to produce ceramics reliably and affordably.
Minari says the new paper has made extensive adjustments to avoid explicit complex technical details. The authors want to create a source for academia but also for industry, policy makers and funding agencies.
“We are highlighting the research and development advances needed to achieve manufacturing technologies for more efficient and reliable energy systems,” he said.
Minari said a team of experts from various sectors is needed to address these challenges, and expects the ASU to draw on a wide range of knowledge and resources focused on ceramic materials, processing and manufacturing.
“Working at Fulton Schools, such as the School of Materials, Transportation and Energy Engineering and the new School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, is well positioned to put this university at the forefront of developing technologies that will address urgent needs.”