ULHYS (2022-2025)

SimUlation of rotomolded poLymer viscosity for HYdrogen by ultraSonic testing method

The ULHYS project focuses on the French strategy of the development of the hydrogen technology. The ambition is to contribute to the process’s optimization used for hydrogen storage tank type IV manufacturing (a bilayer with a composite and a polymer). The objective of the project is to understand and knowing the four steps of rotomolding process, the process used for producing polyethylene liners. The project is based on two complementary approaches: an ultrasonic testing method to monitor in situ and in real-time the polymer viscosity evolution during a rotomolding cycle, and the simulation of the rotomolding during polymer processing. The results of the project will provide technological building blocks for the optimization of type IV hydrogen storage tanks, and for the development of type V tanks (a monolayer). The rotomolding process will be improved for the benefit of rotomolding companies. The developed tools could be adapted to all transformation processes of polymers.

Fig. 1: Installation of RheaOnline on the rotational molding machine: non-destructive, non-contact and real-time ultrasonic instrumentation of the rotational molding process

Participants GREMAN:
Séverine BOUCAUD GAUCHET, Principal Investigator, Research engineer, GREMAN Laboratory (INSA CVL – France)
Thibaut DEVAUX, Associate Professor, GREMAN Laboratory (Tours University – France)
Francois VANDER MEULEN, Associate Professor, GREMAN Laboratory (Tours University – France)
Samuel CALLÉ, Professor, GREMAN Laboratory (Tours University – France)
Laksana SAENGDEE, Post-doctoral researcher, GREMAN Laboratory (Tours University – France)
Nesrine HOUHAT, Post-doctoral researcher, GREMAN Laboratory (Tours University – France)

Labeling by competitiveness clusters:
POLYMERIS
S2E2

Project informations:
ANR 2021 - N° ANR-21-CE05-0019
https://anr.fr/Project-ANR-21-CE05-0019

Publications:
https://hal-anr.archives-ouvertes.fr/search/index/?q=*&anrProjectReference_s=ANR-21-CE05-0019

Contact:
Séverine BOUCAUD GAUCHET, severine.boucaud-gauchet@insa-cvl.fr