International Transportation (69) 1 | 2017 54 SCIENCE & RESEARCH Academics Photo: pixabay.de Projects in a nutshell Overview of selected mobility research projects Will grass become the new gasoline? I n the quest of more sustainable fuel types, scientists at Ghent University (Belgium) have developed a way to turn grass into biofuel. Will we soon drive on ‘grassoline’? “Until now, grass has mainly served as feed for animals. But apart from that, grass can also be used as biofuel. Due to its vast abundance, grass is the perfect source of energy”, scientist Way Cern Khor tells us. During his PhD research at Ghent University he investigated methods that can disintegrate and treat grass until it can be used as a fuel. Turning forage grass to aviation fuel To improve its biodegradability, the grass is pretreated at first. Then enriched bacteria are utilized to convert the sugars in the grass into lactic acid and its derivatives. The lactic acid can already serve as an intermediate chemical to produce other compounds such as biodegradable plastics (PLA) or fuels. In this case, the lactic acid is converted into caproic acid which was further converted into products such as decane. And that is where the process ends: decane can be used as fuel, for example for aviation. This is very important: while cars are turning electric, planes are not - and they will not do so in the coming two decades at least. Although it might sound revolutionary, there’s still a lot to do before this becomes reality. Right now the amount of biofuel that can be made from grass is still limited to a few drops. The current process is very expensive, and engines should be adapted to this new kind of fuel. “If we can keep working on optimizing this process in cooperation with the business world, we can come down on the price. And maybe in a few years we can all fly on grass! ”, Khor concludes. More information: www.ugent.be/ en/ newsevents/ news/ from-grass-to-grassoline.htm International Transportation (69) 1 | 2017 55 Academics SCIENCE & RESEARCH Making lithium-ion batteries lighter, safer, more efficient R esearchers from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the Council for Scientific Research (initialed CSIC in Spanish) have patented a method for making new ceramic electrodes for lithium-ion batteries that are more efficient, cheaper, more resistant and safer than conventional batteries. Currently, lithium-ion batteries are the main electrochemical storage systems in electronic devices and the area of transportation. “What we have patented are new ceramic electrodes that are much safer and can work in a wider temperature interval,” explained Professor Alejandro Várez, one of the inventors from the UC3M Materials Synthesis and Processing research group. It is a method of making ceramic sheets by way of a thermoplastic extrusion mold. “This technique allows making electrodes that are flat or tube-shaped, and these electrodes can be applied to any type of lithiumion battery,” said Várez. Moreover, the cost of production is relatively low, and, according to its creators, it is easy to adapt to the- current process of production, so the next step to industrialization would be immediate. These ceramic electrodes consist only of active material, which reduces the risk of degradation and inflammation at high temperatures (greater than 100 °C). “This is especially important in the case of electric vehicles, because if there is an accident and fire, conventional batteries can catch fire, and it is very difficult to extinguish,” said Jean Yves Sanchez, another inventor of the patent and UC3M CONEX researcher from the Université Grenoble Alpes (France). “These new solid electrodes can’t burn, which contributes to improving the safety of the batteries,” he added. When there are major electrical consumption peaks, commercial lithium-ion batteries tend to overheat and, in some cases, even explode. The reason is that the electrolytes normally used contain organic liquid solvents that can ignite, like the additives used for the fabrication of electrodes. “With our technology, however, solvents are not used during the fabrication process,” said Sanchez. “In addition, if you compare them with conventional electrodes, the ones we obtain with this fabrication process are very hard and can’t be cut, which contributes to improving the solidity of the battery.” Another advantage of batteries that integrate these new electrodes is their efficiency, according to tests done by the researchers. These tests show an increase of specific capacity that is nearly triple the capacity of commercial electrodes with the same density. And as this technique permits the fabrication of high-density electrodes (between 450 and 1000 microns), the storage capacity by area increases up to ten times the capacity of current technology. Further information in English: www.uc3m.es/ ss/ Satellite/ UC3MInstitucional/ en/ Detalle/ Comunicac ion_C/ 1371231022939/ 1371215537949/ Lighter,_ more_efficient,_safer_lithium-ion_batteries Spanish video with subtitles: https: / / youtu.be/ Z_lxsLbXL88 Photo: UC3M A new take on aircraft takeoff and landing A viation research has long dreamed of building aircraft that require little takeoff and landing space rather than long runways and enormous surface areas. One enterprising effort in this direction was the EU-funded project SOAR (Distributed open-rotor aircraft), based on a novel concept of an open-fan wing aircraft. This represents one of the latest aircraft technologies that blends fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter, offering stable short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities and possibly hovering capabilities. The technology is based on propulsion from a fan that is fixed on top of the wing structure and that can create a vortex to lift the aircraft. To achieve its aims, the project combined efforts of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), FanWing Ltd. of the United- Kingdom, the Belgian Von-Karman Institute (VKI) and Germany’s Saarland University. Together, the project partners made great progress in advancing the propulsion and fan drive system. This included calibrating different components, installing necessary sensors, and completing required wind tunnel tests to select the best materials, blade pitch angles and speeds. Various wing shapes with different tail lengths and highlift devices were also tested. The newly developed synchronous motor is capable of generating 45 Nm in high angular speeds. A key advantage of STOL aircraft is the reduced noise during takeoff and landing, enabling it to fly at any time of day and within city limits. Apart from transport, such aircraft could potentially be used for crop dusting, surveillance, logistics, firefighting and a number of pilotless operations. Overall, the expected stability, hover capability, modest fuel needs, reduced runway length and increased safety could help revolutionise the industry. Lastly, a reduction in maintenance, construction and certification costs will contribute to making STOL aircraft leaner, more efficient and more environmentally friendly. More information: www.soar-project.eu Source: FanWing International Transportation (69) 1 | 2017 56 SCIENCE & RESEARCH Academics Safe navigation even on construction sites A utomated vehicles have to be able to reliably detect traffic signs. Previous systems, however, have had problems in understanding complex traffic management with different information about speed or the course of the lanes, as mainly occurs on construction sites: driving lanes generally narrow, traffic jams develop old and new road markings overlap, and limiting beacons and traffic cones are difficult to detect by the sensors. The signs- contain different information about the permitted speed or the course of the lanes. Fraunhofer researchers are developing technologies for the real-time interpretation of such signs. “Our technology enables a system to read signs of this kind with a high degree of accuracy,” says Stefan Eickeler, who is responsible for the subject of object recognition at the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems IAIS in Sankt Augustin, Germany. The information is processed semantically, understood in terms of content and made available for further processing. “With Deep Learning - a key technology for the future of the automotive industry - we teach the software to recognize the classic patterns more quickly and efficiently.” Via the interplay between navigation equipment and on-board computers, it will be possible in the future for differently designated highway exits on construction sites to be correctly identified, for the distances to other vehicles to be kept optimally, and for the speed to be adjusted in a timely manner. “What in the short term could be able to promote relaxation and increased safety when driving by means of assisted driving is intended to work all by itself in the long term: Automated vehicles will then react independently,” Eickeler explains. An automotive camera is used which currently delivers 20 to 25 frames per second. Directly during the trip, these pictures are analyzed and information about signs, lane information or LED traffic signs are identified and processed. A future vision is that this camera will be able to function as a primary interface, making a large number of sensors redundant. Further information: https: / / www.iais.fraunhofer.de/ en.html Source: Fraunhofer IAIS A novel method helps reducing noise problems produced by road traffic S cientists from the universities of Granada (Spain) and Southampton (UK) have designed a new method to reduce noise problems caused by road traffic, which is said one of the main environmental impacts of roads with important effects on people’s health and their physical and psychological well-being. The application of the European Environmental Noise Directive by various public administrations of the European Union member countries in relation to road traffic noise has generated, in recent years, a significant number of Noise Action Plans (NAPs) by the different administrations responsible for the infrastructures. However, said directive does not establish a regulated process that allows choosing the most critical road stretches which require some action and, once chosen, choosing the most suitable option against the noise. In fact, the critical study of the noise action plans published in Spain shows the general lack of methodologies and criteria taken into account in the decision-making on the problem of prioritizing the actions included in them. The research, carried out by Spanish- British scientists, proposes a practical methodology based on exclusively technical criteria using available data from the organisms responsible for the infrastructures. This methodology, called PATRON (Prioritizing AcTions against Road Noise), consists of two stages. The first stage consists of defining and weighing, in an objective and reasoned way, the main criteria used to prioritize the road stretches included in a plan. In the second stage, the main criteria and choices to be taken into account are defined, and the appropriate options are chosen for each of said stretches. In addition, weights are obtained for each of the criteria, which allows to assess their relative importance in each problem. The final product is a method that any entity can easily implement and which helps in decision making by choosing the most suitable alternatives for the reduction of the exposure to the noise. More information: sl.ugr.es/ ruido_traficoEN International Transportation (69) 1 | 2017 57 Academics SCIENCE & RESEARCH Unmanned cargo vessels - more sustainable maritime-transport A n EU initiative has developed an idea for unmanned shipping that involves designs for various modular on-board systems for ship control, sensing and communication, plus onshore stations. For environmental reasons, oceanic cargo ships are travelling more slowly, thus increasing the ship population. At the same time, numbers of available mariners are declining. The solution may lie in partially autonomous cargo vessels, which also offer commercial and environmental advantages. The EU-funded Munin (Maritime unmanned navigation through intelligence in networks) project worked to develop a technical concept for such ships and assess its feasibility. Project partners developed a technical concept for the operation of an unmanned merchant vessel during the deep-sea part of its voyage. The ship is autonomously operated by new systems aboard the vessel. However, the monitoring and controlling functionalities are performed by an operator on land. They also assessed the concept’s technical, economic and legal feasibility. The Munin team developed prototypes for the subsystems, including both on-board and onshore modules. The systems are not intended for use in harbours or congested shipping lanes. An advanced sensor module automatically looks out for traffic, obstacles and weather conditions surrounding the vessel by c o n t i n u o u s l y combining sensor data from existing navigational systems with modern daylight and infrared cameras. A shore control centre continuously monitors and controls the vessel (see figure). Other units include an autonomous navigation system with a predefined yet flexible voyage plan, and an autonomous engine and monitoring control system. The latter monitors and controls all engine room components and serves as a transceiver for the shore control centre. Thanks to Munin, autonomous shipping is technically feasible. The development should yield cost savings, reduce operational expenses and environmental impact, and avoid the problems of mariners being at sea for long periods. More information: www.unmanned-ship.org/ munin Source: EvrenKalinbacak, Thinkstock Wider application of new materials for lighter and greener trains T he implementation of new lightweight materials for trains has been slow due to the lack of suitable certification procedures. An EU initiative paved the way for the certification of new materials such as composites. They can help to build lighter rolling stock that will consume less energy and reduce emissions. While such materials are being used in the manufacturing of rolling stock parts, there is no way to certify a rail vehicle built mostly or entirely from non-metallic materials. The existing regulatory framework must be re-examined in order for the sector to recognise what changes are needed. With this in mind, the EU-funded REFRESCO (Towards a regulatory framework for the use of structural new materials in railway passenger and freight carbodyshells) project set out to provide recommendations and the information needed to adapt the regulatory framework of railway carbody structures to the introduction of new materials. Work began by benchmarking the most promising new materials available to railway and other sectors, and examining rail certification processes and standards to identify gaps which need to be filled ahead of implementing new materials. Project partners studied fire, smoke and toxicity properties of resins, the noise, vibration and harshness of composite materials, and the advantages and disadvantages of composite materials concerning electromagnetic compatibility. They investigated existing standards, and characterised and modelled procedures for the new structural materials. This was done to understand the structural requirements for issues arising from the replacement of metal with high-performance composite materials in rail carbody shells. The team examined the crashworthiness of rail vehicles and parameters of the manufacturing process that influence final material properties. It proposed optimal prognostic, health management and nondestructive methods for new materials in rail carbodies. Lastly, recommendations were proposed for modifying current railway standards in order to enable the safe introduction of new materials in train carbodies. Detailled information: www.refresco-project.eu/ deliverables International Transportation (69) 1 | 2017 58 SCIENCE & RESEARCH Academics World’s first test site for autonomous vehicles opens N orway’s Trondheim Fjord will be the world’s first technological playground for pilotless vehicles that move below, on and above the water’s surface: Snake robots, underwater drones, unmanned ships, and flying drones will soon be seen on Norway’s third-longest fjord located in the west-central part of the country. The area is being established as a test lab for autonomous technology, which could replace the crews on ships, among many other possibilities. “As far as I know, this is the first test site of its kind in the world,” says Professor Asgeir Johan Sørensen, Director of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems (NTNU AMOS). Good news for the environment Autonomous technology is being used in advanced automated systems with human operators - for example in a car’s cruise control and collision avoidance systems or the autopilot on a passenger plane. Autonomous functions are also found in unmanned systems where people are not physically present - such as on a pilotless vessel, or oil and gas installations. These often involve remote control of the vessel or installation with varying levels of autonomy, using for example satellite communications. Control is then moved from the bridge on the ship or the control room of the installation to a centre on land. Today, autonomous unmanned vehicles are used to perform tasks in so-called unstructured environments with complex, unpredictable and sometimes dangerous areas, or for surveys and mapping of geographical areas. What is now happening with full force is the development of larger pilotless vessels that can transport cargo and maybe passengers. And the environment can actually benefit from that. Slowly sailing vessels use less fuel. In the future, the speed of freight traffic could be adapted more precisely to the cargo on board. Some products must get there fast, but for others, speed is less important. This is better for the environment, and cuts operating costs. “Unmanned vessels can also be built in ways that make them less vulnerable to attack - from pirates, for example. However, cyber security will be an issue,” Sørensen adds. New rules and standards needed The Trondheim Fjord is highly suitable as a test site for autonomous vessels. The fjord is clear and open, large and wide, almost like a small sea - while it is demanding enough to create challenges for humans and technology to tackle. Another factor is that shipping traffic is relatively low. Most important of all, however, is the cluster of expertise near the fjord, which includes research institutions, business and industry with long traditions of research and development in autonomous systems, vessel concepts, aquaculture, mineral extraction and robotics. Now these players will have a test laboratory on their doorstep, but the test site will also be available for other players who need to test autonomous vessels. Kongsberg Seatex, Marintek, and Maritime Robotics have joined forces with NTNU to launch the test site initiative. Other industrial players such as Rolls-Royce Marine are involved as well. Sørensen notes that the rapid development of autonomous systems creates completely new demands for dealing with risk and management of risk. Qualification of new technology and operations will call for an approach that focuses more on function and risk. The bottleneck for further development of the technology lies here, he believes. More information: NTNU Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems - www.ntnu.edu/ amos Kongsberg autonomous vessel Photo: Idun Haugan/ NTNU Your editorial contact: Eberhard Buhl, Managing Editor, Mail: eberhard.buhl@trialog.de Your advertising contact: Hellfried Zippan, Media Sales, Mail: hellfried.zippan@trialog.de Let’s keep in touch …