Dear ACHIEF community,
 
After several years of intense research and innovation action, we find ourselves at the end of an extraordinary project dedicated to enhancing energy efficiency and reducing CO₂ emissions in energy-intensive industries (EIIs).
 
The ACHIEF project has successfully reached its conclusion, culminating in the development of new high-performance materials and protective coatings that significantly extend the lifespan of equipment and components used in these critical sectors.
 
To date, our multifunctional team has developed an integrated AI tool that leverages generative models and simulations to create high-performance materials, evaluating their performance under extreme conditions. The three primary materials developed are polymer-derived ceramic coatings, high-entropy super alloys (HESA), and advanced Cr-steel grades. Thus, their quality was evaluated by incorporating advanced sensors, high-temperature and strain Fibre Bragg Gratings (FBGs), and electrochemical-based probes.

In this context, TUBOS REUNIDOS has produced tubes with the new material that have been characterised confirming their potential to increase creep resistance. CONSTELLIUM, ARCELORMITTAL and TUPRAS have validated these materials and sensors in real-world scenarios, demonstrating their potential to enhance equipment lifespan and operational efficiency.
 
The ACHIEF innovative solutions have been successfully commissioned and tested, showcasing improvements in the EIIs’ energy efficiency, CO₂ emission reduction, and equipment longevity. The project's ultimate goal is to enhance energy efficiency by 30%, reduce CO₂ emissions by 20%, and extend equipment lifespan by over 20%.

Let’s continue working together to achieve the net zero scenario by 2050 and mitigate the energy challenges of the future energy system.
 
Mathieu Boidot, CEA

On September 24-26, the ACHIEF Final workshop took place at the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) 2024 conference in Darmstadt, Germany.

The MSE 2024 attracted a significant global audience, with participation from 48 countries, featuring six plenary speakers, eight key topics, 59 symposia, 193 posters, and 899 lectures. The ACHIEF project played a pivotal role in the conference, co-organising the symposium titled "Functional Materials, Surfaces, and Devices", in collaboration with other leading EU projects including COMPASCo2, HIPERMAT and TopAM.

Following this, Orhun Oguz (TUPRAS) delivered a technical presentation on a case study from the petrochemical industry, titled "PDC-Based Coating and Online Corrosion Monitoring by EIS Sensor Developed in the ACHIEF Project for the Oil Refining Industry."

These presentations provided in-depth insights into the technical aspects of the project and ignited engaging discussions with the audience. In addition, three academic presentations highlighted the scientific advancements achieved by ACHIEF.
 
Pilar Rey Rodriguez (AIMEN) presented the development of the Al4Co15.2Cr7Fe5.4Ni64.4Ti4 High Entropy Super Alloy (HEA), focusing on its laser printability and high-temperature tensile performance.
 
Tom Andersson (VTT) contributed with his presentation titled  "Microstructural Modelling of Creep in Cr-Steel," while Mathieu Boidot (CEA) discussed "Composite Coating for High-Temperature Oxidation and Molten Aluminum Corrosion Protection of Graphite Parts in the Aluminium Industry".

The ACHIEF consortium also maintained an active presence throughout the conference featuring an updated project poster created with the support of PNO Innovation Belgium. The poster was showcased during the poster session.

Find out the abstracts: