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Wednesday 10 December 2008

Green and Powerful - Energy Materials - Happy Birthday 1st Year of Materials UK KTN-Knowledge Transfer Network

A one page conference report appeared in the Nov.2008 issue my professional Institute journal cf Sources below (1 of 4).

The figure left is due to the Energy Technologies Institute-ETI.(2)

What was a good summary, yet appeared to be a fairly small window to one of the pillars of all materials, technology and engineering fields; namely, the so-called "Energy Materials", ie. materials used for energy harnessing-generation-conversion and storage.

One way to make sure of the readers degree of interest?

Well I checked link given - Materials UK, (2) proof if needed, that the summary was good and that my interest was of the required level-stimulated!

This turned out to be a rich resource on Advanced Materials: Technological and Engineering overview, pointers-roadmaps, Strategies for progress. This is an excellant structuring of the UK combined effort to find the necessary synergies to face the great challenges which the Future undoubtably holds in particular due to Climate Change and fossile based energy sources.

Dare I say "multi-national or better multi-cultural?" structuring of this island-commonwealth?
NB. Great Graphics for you blog or company presentation. cf above due to ETI. The more echo the better and progress greener! (2)

But that is not all!

To the brave hearted; this can also open more avenues to the earlier collaborative European Union co-ordinated EuMaT (3) series of initiatives. "Energy Materials" ie. materials used for energy harnessing-generation-conversion and storage.
These advance materials, especially those called-upon to operate under very high temperatures in corrosive gas environments such special steels and alloys with or without complex ceramic coatings are commonly refered to as high-duty, high integrety materials incidentally naturally calls for and supports massive R and D effort in short the medium and longterm. eg. such as that in which I was involved in at my old out-fit "Imphy SA"- now Eramet-Aubert and Duval and Arcelor-Mittal - suffering albeit on a smaller scale, a similar fate to that of the the UK Nuclear Industry, (4) but in reverse!
NB1. I had pre-posted the above and was checking appearance and links when I found a further link on (4) with precious information on the potential of Scotland as a prime renewable energy source, specifically the example of Isle of Jura, Argyll, described and commented by the highly experienced Sir William Lithgow Scottish Shipbuilding Industrialist and Fellow of Engineering. W. Lithgow treats two of the themes main subjects sessions at the Conf. (1) and (2) Power Generation and Distribution cf. (4) additional information.

NB2. Great Graphics for you blog or company presentation. The more echo the better and progress greener! (2)

Sources:

1 Materials World Nov 2008
NB. Appologies- The Materials World Feature "Talking Energy is available to members only, however allow me to invite you to read the many features open to all and point out the many other open features in the abondant archives. I purposely avoided giving to much detail in order to respect the Journal. However if there are requests for a shortened version of the Feature, I will be pleased to consider this as an opporunity.

More importantly, The Institute (IoM3) publishes 20 peer reviewed very high quality specialised journals both in print and online for a global audience.

2. Energy Materials UK-KTN Knowledge Transfer Network

3. European Technology Platform for Advanced Materials and Technologies

4. Comparing nuclear power in France and England by Prof Jack Haris FRS FEng.FRS.

Monday 8 December 2008

European Round-up of Metallurgists and Materials Scientists I - France's Society of Metals and Materials SF2M

In many ways this may appear as a "Tale of Two Cities" - London and Paris, by reference to the famous book by Charles Dickens. By some coincidence the opening line :

“ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... ”

is in many ways still relevant today, highlighted of course by the current crises and generally of opportunities and menace so dear to our colleagues in marketing and more...

As a long-standing french resident and oft-times visitor to my local Metallurgical and Materials Society - The French Society of Metallurgy and Materials, LA SOCIETE FRANCAISE DE METALLURGIE ET DE MATERIAUX (SF2M)- I feel it is high-time that I personally introduce my english speaking colleagues, of whatever nationality, to this fine effort by our french colleagues.



Of course many of you may have attended the many conferences and meetings organised by SF2M in Paris, elsewhere in France and globally in association with her sister organisation in the European Union.


Unfortunately only their Home Page is in English but then you do know where to seek expert help, or do you?

But let me invite you to visit their many pages and high quality peer reviewed papers, conferences etc., or follow my first professional footsteps in French as a translator of abstracts from English to French and vice verso for some of the leading British and Metallurgy publishers at the time, who also published global abstracts of all publications relevant to metallurgy and materials.

I shall close with the the most famous quotation from the same Dicken's Book

“ It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done;
it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known. ”
—Final sentence of A Tale of Two Cities

I am, or translated in french, Je reste;

Yours in Metallurgy and Materials and related - Le votre en Métallurgie et Materiaux et connexe.

Cordially -Cordialement


Source:


English Presentation

SF2M-Main site in french

High Purity Cr sources for Superalloys

Energy for th Future:Phil.Trans.A-Vol. 365, N° 1853 / April 15, 2007, curtesy The Royal Soc. London

Engineered foams and porous materials: Phil Trans A. Vol 364, N° 1838 / 06 curtesy_The R Soc. Lond