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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LORCENIS (Long Lasting Reinforced Concrete for Energy Infrastructure under Severe Operating Conditions)

Teaser

Summary

The main goal of the LORCENIS project is to develop long lasting reinforced concrete for energy infrastructures with lifetime extended up to a 100% under extreme operating conditions. At the same time, our society has to face environmental aspects (increased CO2 emissions) challenging the energy request from carbon-based sources more efficiently at short term and to move to renewable energy sources at a longer term. The LORCENIS concept with cost-efficient operation is based on an optimal combination of novel technologies involving internal curing, customized protection, repairing (healing) and self-diagnosis methodologies. The functionality of the developed concrete materials is being verified from a proof of concept (TRL 3) to technology demonstration (TRL6-7), supported by numerical tools to capture the multi-scale evolution of damage and models for service life prediction. 4 scenarios are considered for demonstration:

S1: Concrete infrastructure in deep sea and (sub-)arctic zones: offshore windmills, gravity based structures, bridge piles, harbours.
S2: Concrete and mortar under mechanical fatigue: offshore windmills, sea structures.
S3: Concrete structures exposed to high temperature thermal fatigue: concentrated solar power plants.
S4: Concrete structures subjected to acid attack: biogas digesters.

Moreover, LORCENIS is paving the way to standardization, analysis of cost-effectiveness and commercial potential of project outcomes within their exploitation strategy, as well as including the environmental and sustainability concerns through LCA and LCC analysis. Safety and health considerations are also addressed.

LORCENIS is a well-balanced consortium of multidisciplinary experts from 9 universities and research institutes and 7 industries from 8 countries involving 2 SMEs.

Work performed

The activities of LORCENIS are distributed in 7 work packages.

During M19-M30, durability tests in accelerated lab-scale exposure conditions (TRL4-5) designed for each scenario were carried out in WP3 on stable concrete formulations. The formulations were used as reference as well as modified by implementing self-responsive materials developed in WP2 (Development of Stable Admixtures with Active internal Curing, Self-sealing and Self-healing Properties) responsible for the preparation and upscaling of the materials, and screening of their compatibility with mortar formulations during the first reporting period (M1-M18). Based on the requirements set-up for mix designs according to the scenarios demands in WP3, the evaluated materials properties for all the selected 11 reference mix designs were within the specifications.

Thereby, LORCENIS could pass the 1st decision stage in LORCENIS on availability of self-responsive materials for incorporation into concrete with focus on TRL3-4 as well as the 2nd decision stage on stable concrete formulations containing self-responsive materials verified at TRL 4-5. At M24, the 3rd decision stage could be successfully passed with focus on selection of the most promising technologies for demonstration activities. The selection based on labs-scale performance results (TRL3-5) obtained from specimen exposure to simulated conditions like freeze/thaw cycles, immersion to aggressive media and temperature cycles. The selected LORCENIS technologies are applied in 12 prototypes for the 4 main scenarios that have been set-up since M25. The concrete prototypes are designed and cast in WP5 for validation (TRL5) and demonstration under relevant industrial and operational conditions (TRL6-7). By M30, the demonstration stage in LORCENIS started proving the functionality of the developed concrete materials under severe operating conditions.

The multiscale service life predicting modelling approach for reinforced concrete structure in highly corrosive environment in WP4 has reached the stage of fully described models at the different scales that are being linked at M36 to formulating the advanced engineering software tool. In parallel, the full LCA and LCC analysis with a sustainability and market analysis including cost impacts have been performed in WP6.

The awareness and dissemination plan, data management plan (DMP) and the plan for the Exploitation and Dissemination of Results (PEDR) have been periodically updated. At the external website (www.lorcenis-eu.com), the biannual LORCENIS Newsletters are published. The Advisory Board (AB) with invited experts on energy sector infrastuctures joined LORCENIS at M18 and several public workshops have been organized to discuss LORCENIS strategies with stakeholders.

Final results

LORCENIS will add value to the European manufacturing sector on reinforced concrete energy infrastructure through adaptation to global competitiveness pressure by improving the technological base. The well-targeted project consortium with representatives along the value chain (product manufacturers, tool developers, energy infrastructure contractor and operators) will approach new business developments according to market needs, expected market up-take and standardization, safety and environmental requirements and needs tackled.

The scaling-up protocols of various optimized nano-additives capable of providing self-responsive ability compatible with the concrete matrix will be beneficial for the construction industry. The ambition is to withstand extreme operating conditions achieving 100% of crack healing through the incorporation of the ideal dosage of each nanomaterial with improved stability, mechanical properties, quicker self-healing activity and competitive production costs. The overall potential is very high since LORCENIS will offer a route to precisely engineer concrete for specific applications, reducing costs and increasing performance. Developing cement and concrete related nanotechnology have a sustained and important impact on the future of the construction industry enabling entirely new applications for concrete.

Tools for automatic differentiation (AEST) will significantly decreasing the workload when investigating the most detrimental phenomena concerning concrete structures: chloride ingress. Predictive modelling and the ability to handle in-service performance is an essential part of the EMMC roadmap and a vision topic of digital European future. All findings in LORCENIS will have a huge impact on the durability of energy and transport infrastructures: costs will be saved already in the design phase by simulating the behaviour of materials with different admixtures in a given environment.

LORCENIS aims to overcome any risks originating from missing knowledge or regulations and uncertainties relating to health and environmental issues. A risk assessment tool will serve to reduce potential risks from particulate nanomaterials by safe manufacturing, handling and control of exposure; specific best practice guides will be proposed. Life cycle (cost) analyses (LCA, LCC) will gain a new level of quality subsequently lowering service life expenses achieving a substantial â€œeconomicalâ€ modelling impact.

The user-friendly project website is essential to trigger dissemination and exploitation LORCENIS results worldwide towards potentially interested parties across industry groups, geographical markets and the academic community and will prepare the market take-up of the developed technology using business-oriented commercialization plans for each partner involved.