The UK has seen great progress toward decarbonisation with 63% of electricity now low-carbon, especially thanks to wind and nuclear, supported by hydro, solar and biomass.
The UK has seen great progress toward decarbonisation with 63% of electricity now low-carbon, especially thanks to wind and nuclear, supported by hydro, solar and biomass. However, our electricity grid still requires huge amounts of gas 26.8% [NESO], which is even worse when we consider energy for gas heating of homes and industry process (e.g. steelmaking). We urgently need to further decrease emissions, while increasing the security of our energy system – accounting for the intermittency of renewables, and supply and price volatility of gas.
The Materials for Extreme Environments Group at the University of Birmingham, led by Professor Sandy Knowles, is dedicated to designing, fabricating, and testing novel materials capable of performing under extreme conditions. Their research spans fusion and fission reactors, aerospace gas turbines, and concentrated solar power, which are critical to the future of energy generation and transport. The harsh operating conditions of these technologies requires advanced materials with exceptional properties capable of withstanding the challenges.
“Materials behave very differently in a nuclear environment,” explains Professor Knowles. “As we dial up the heat, they get wobbly and soft, unable to support their own weight, a bit like a chocolate teapot. At the other extreme, they can become brittle like glass when irradiated at low temperatures.” To endure these environments, materials must combine high melting points, strength at high temperatures, environmental resistance, and, in nuclear applications, irradiation tolerance. Increased temperature capabilities are needed to reduce fuel use and improve efficiency, performance, design life and safety, as well as open up new energy applications, such as generating clean hydrogen.
Read More at: University of Birmingham
