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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NEOHIRE (NEOdymium-Iron-Boron base materials, fabrication techniques and recycling solutions to HIghly REduce the consumption of Rare Earths in Permanent Magnets for Wind Energy Application)

Teaser

Summary

The electric power system will play a key role to achieve a balance between electricity supply, conversion, transport and use of energy in order to reach a secure, competitive and sustainable energy system by 2050 in the European Union. In that sense, one of the most important items to be considered is the massive integration of wind energy into the smart grids, since this kind of energy is the most sustainable and contribute to the balance and accomplishment of the everyday most high-demanded electricity networks requirements. Therefore the European forecast shows that by 2020, up to 20% of the EU electricity will be produced by wind energy.
Regarding wind energy technologies, it is remarkable to say that it has been continuously required a higher level of efficiency, availability, reliability, easy control, easy connexion and cost reduction. To achieve this aim, from 2007 to 2009 a fast evolution in wind power electric generators with Permanent Magnets (PM) technology was carried out for Wind Turbines (WT) over 1 MW. During the last decade, large research efforts were devoted to the development of highly efficient and reliable WT based on NdFeB PM, being still necessary to break through 3 important barriers:
a) Strong dependency on China for supply and high price of Rare Earth Elements (REEs).
b) High difficulty of substitution of REE in PM.
c) Several challenges have to be overcome for commercially viable, large-scale REE recycling.
NEOHIRE main objective is to reduce the use of Rare Earth Elements (REE), and Co and Ga in the permanent magnets used in Wind Turbine Generators (WTG). This objective is mainly achieved through the development of: a) new concept of bonded NdFeB magnet able to substitute the present state-of-the-art sintered magnets for WT, and b) new recycling techniques for these Critical Raw Materials (CRM) from the future and current permanent magnets (PM) wastes.

Work performed

NEOHIRE partners have celebrated the 3rd Consortium Meeting and the 1st Review Meeting. Partners have reported significant advances in the development of new NdFeB powders by gas atomisation. Partners will use these powders to produce bonded magnets by compression and injection moulding. Potential materials for corrosion protection and easy processing were analysed. New tools for compression and injection moulding, taking into account the specific characteristics of the powder developed in the project, were simulated. Preliminary polymeric formulations are already available for manufacturing bonded magnets. The bonded magnets will be produce not only from the new gas atomised powders, but also from powders coming from recycling. The new materials have been fully characterized by measuring physical, magnetic, structural, chemical and thermal properties. Partners have agreed in the geometry of the specimens for magneto-mechanic cyclic and fatigue testing. Based on these specimen shapes, first Finite Elements (FE) calculations have been performed and a sensor was designed for data acquisition. The requirements of the new Wind Turbine Generators (WTG), where the developed magnets will be placed, have been defined. The necessary parameters and properties have also been chosen to simulate the WTG performance. Partners working on the recycling of sintered and bonded magnets following different routes (hydrogenationâ€“disproportionationâ€“desorptionâ€“recombination and hydrometallurgical) reported important advances. A complete Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) analysis of state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies, compared with the new alternative and taking into account recycling, is underway. A series of interviews with potential customers for recycled Nd-Fe-B has shown that all the companies welcome the emergence of an European Union based source of magnet materials. Dissemination activities focused on both a non-specialized audience and a technical audience have been carried out. The web site of the NEOHIRE project has been set up in the following link: http://neohire.eu/.

Final results

NEOHIRE will reduce the use of Nd in Wind Turbine Generators (WTG) by about a 30 wt%. The project will completely eliminate Heavy Rare Earths (Dy and Tb), Co and Ga in the new Permanent Magnets (PM) for this application. Combining new alloy developments and shaping capabilities, it will be feasible to design new permanent magnet generators with enhanced performance in terms of the generable electric power. Novel PM shapes and WTG electromagnetic designs will be researched and developed in order to increase the deliverable electric power in NdFeB WTG from current 2.74 MW to 3.56 MW for 1 tonne of Nd.
NEOHIRE will develop recycling processes for both (old) sintered and (novel) resin-bonded NdFeB magnets. The Life Cycle Sustainability approach implemented in NEOHIRE contributes to enrich the state of the art by providing:
a) An holistic and integrated approach to assess and compare old and new magnets in a whole life cycle perspective (from raw materials production to the recycling of the end of life product).
b) Environmental and economic results about the new manufacturing and recycling technologies, mainly based on primary data (related to materials and energetic flows) provided by materials suppliers, technologists and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
NEOHIRE will help to mitigate the future bottlenecks in the material supply chain. The European Union (EU) dependency of external suppliers of some Critical Raw Materials (Dy, Nd, Co and Ga) will be reduced. NEOHIRE technological and scientific achievements will also have an impact in other sectors where NdFeB magnets are used, such as automotive, aeronautics, medical devices or metals recycling.
Employment is one of the most sensitive issues for welfare and living standards â€” for individual income and self respect as much as for the EU social and tax system. As the project will directly increase the competitiveness and sustainability of the EU wind energy sector, it will contribute to reinforce the creation of employment in the sector. It will help to create as well a new recycling framework and business. It will also have an important societal impact since the electricity production costs will decrease, which could be traduced also in a reduction of the cost of electricity for citizens. Phenomena such as climate change, the depletion of resources, growing populations, pollution and consumption levels will push changes in EU Energy Sector. Wind energy is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels. It is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean and produces no greenhouse gas emissions.