Projects

Overview:

The AdsorTech project stems from the purpose of the company TANKPOR, specialized in the construction of tanks for production and storage of hot water, to present innovative and more efficient products. In this sense, the company TANKPOR (project leader) and three entities of the National Scientific and Technological System - the University of Coimbra (UC), the Association for the Development of Industrial Aerodynamics (ADAI) and the Technological Center of Ceramics and Glass (CTCV) - joined in consortium for the development of a fully innovative product compared to the state of the art, based on exploratory research results developed by teams from UC/ADAI. Specifically, it is intended to carry out applied research work for the development - design, sizing and specification; construction, testing and improvement - of equipment that, based on the adsorption cycle principle, allow the increase of energy storage capacity in conventional solar thermal systems with hot water accumulation.
This type of solution allows the simplicity of these systems to be maintained, and their performance is improved through the integration of an adsorption module, which, operating with an adsorbent/adsorbate pair (in this case, silica gel/water), has the capacity to store the excess energy of a solar thermal system - which would otherwise be dissipated - returning it later, when needed, as adsorption heat.

Financed by:

Overview:

Cities will be substantially warmer in the future due to rising global temperatures, leading to poor indoor air quality in buildings and consequently adverse impacts on human health. In the case of temperate climates, buildings are at serious risk of overheating, as their design guidelines will become irrelevant or extremely ineffective, as they are designed primarily for passive heating of the building. The increase in global temperature will therefore force a redefinition of the type of energy systems to be used, since there will be a decrease in heating needs, on the one hand, and an increase in energy consumption for cooling, on the other. With cooling needs being heavily dependent on electricity-powered air conditioning systems, their use could lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions in countries with an energy grid based on fossil fuels.

Considering the long lifetime of buildings and the fact that new buildings are still dominant in global construction, there is an urgent need to (i) demonstrate that many current design guidelines are not suitable for the future climate, (ii) determine the right design recommendations for each climate change scenario, and (iii) prepare professionals for the negative aspects of expected climate change.

The CLING project aims to fill this void with four significant contributions. The project begins by selecting future climate scenarios and time horizons from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The wider resolution of the climate model predictions is reduced to a finer spatial and temporal resolution needed in the thermal simulation of buildings using a new 'morphing' technique to be developed that will match past meteorological data to estimated climate variables.

Overview:

In the MASK4MC project (POCI-01-02B7-FEDER-050511) a PPE was developed, based on the principle of aerodynamic sealing of its entire contour, whose protective effect significantly reduces the risk of inhalation of aerosols and droplets. This project now aims at the numerical refinement and experimental validation of new prototypes, to improve protection indices by exploring new designs and materials that allow, among other aspects, better aerodynamic sealing and comfort during use, focusing on providing safe and effective protection to health professionals.