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 PARTNERS
FUNDATION CARTIF
Description of the organisation
The Automation, Robotics and Information and Manufacturing Technology Centre (from now on CARTIF) was created in Valladolid in 1994. CARTIF is a Spanish Applied Research Centre involved in R&D and technology transfer activities, which also carries out scientific and technical training and dissemination activities to achieve better results and transfer them to end users. Taking advantage of the multidisciplinary skills and technological know-how of Valladolid University researchers, this non-profit organisation works towards the aim of transferring the latest technologies and methodologies into industry. The Centre is integrated in the Castilla y León Technology Centres Network, as well as in the network of Innovation and Technology Centres (CIT) of the Science and Technology Spanish Commission. The Centre keeps a close collaboration with the most representative organisations of regional and national industrial development: Castilla y Leon Regional Development Agency, the Spanish Ministry of Industry and European Commission (DG Research, DG Enterprise, DG Environment and DG TREN). The Centre is certified according to ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:1996.
CARTIF has 111 full time staff and a turnover in 2004 of 8 million Euro, serving 120 clients and developing 110 R&D and innovation projects. The Centre encompasses nine divisions and two laboratories.
Energy Division. Highly competitive markets, cost reduction policies and environmental awareness demand environmentally friendly designs, the optimisation of energy resources and the implementation of Renewable Energies where possible. It is against this backdrop that the main activity of this division is carried out, which focuses on the application and development of Renewable Energy Sources and new environmentally friendly fuels. This division has an interdisciplinary research team including doctors, graduates and technical staff specialised in areas such as electricity, automatics, mechanics, physics, chemistry and electronics, with experience in R&D and in the development of new products and applications which range over a large number of areas from the industrial to the residential sector. The main research lines pursued in this area are currently:
- Fuel Cells and Hydrogen . The aim of the work carried out in this field is systems integration through control engineering with a view to obtaining the interchanging and inter-operating of subsystems (integration of products from different manufacturers). The joint operations of heterogeneous systems (Renewable energy sources, electrolysers, hydrogen stocking, batteries, etc.), improving the efficiency and functioning of global systems and their components, improving safety while operating these systems and the standardisation of the monitoring and control systems.
- Wind Energy . In the last decade, wind energy has been the fastest growing energy. In 2002 Spain was confirmed as the second wind energy producer in the world, only behind Germany and ahead of the US. The aim of the work carried out in CARTIF in this field focuses on the large scale integration of wind turbines within electric systems by incorporating the results of wind predictions, the study of its interaction with other energy sources, the analysis of its impact on electricity grids and the reliability of the communication networks and the monitoring and control systems.
- Solar cooling. Although there are some solar absorption cooling systems in the world, there are still some problems to be solved such as its COP and functional stability. Nevertheless there are a large number of projects to demonstrate the functioning of absorption systems generated by solar energy, however there are still some problems facing this energy which prevent it from being marketed. CARTIF’s lines of work in this field are Optimising the performance of these systems, Developing procedures for the optimum management of systems, f-chart analogue functionality for ACS sourcing ,Telemanagement systems and telecontrol of installations.
- Design and integration of Energy Systems based on Renewable Sources. The need to preserve the quality of the environment and to minimise the consumption of fossil fuels leads us to use renewable energies when possible. The success of these energies requires previous knowledge of the essential meteorological parameters, a scientific study of the energy processes, selecting the wind and solar production systems, monitoring and supervising the systems installed in order to optimise their performance in accordance with their loads.
- Biomass. The promotion of the use of biomass as an energy resource is another research line in the Centre, mainly focused on agro-forest and wood manufacturing processes and their application for energy production in public and private buildings.
List of most relevant projects
CARTIF has an important international research experience, being right now engaged in 12 R&D and innovation European projects, such as CRAFTs EXTRANAT (Highly Selective and Environmental friendly Fruit Extraction using Supercritical Fluids Technology, Contract No: COOP-CT-2004-512550) and WOOLTAR (New eco-efficient process to remove the tar pitch from wool, contract No: G1ST-CT-2002-5031), ALTENER Pellets for Europe (Contract No: ALTENER 4.1030/C/02-160/2002) or IP VAN (Virtual Automation Networks, Proposal No: 016969 - Contract to be signed in forthcoming weeks). Just to number a few of the on-going European innovation projects, CARTIF is taking part in INCO Programme’s RegInNet project (Contract No INCO-CT-2004-003399), aimed to transfer innovation management best practices to European Eastern Countries and FP6’s FoodLink (Reference No SSA-003321), aimed to promote the engagement in FP6 of NAC agro-food SMEs.
The Centre has also been involved in several regional and national projects related to renewable energies. This work is carried out very closely to governmental entities and the industrial sector of the region. The following list shows the projects most relevant to this proposal:
- 1999-2000: Technical assessment in the district heating plant with biomass located in Cuéllar (Spain). National and regional government.
- 1999-2001: Development, control and supervision of an integrated stand-alone system of wind and solar energy in a tertiary-sector building. National and FEDER No: 1FD97-0863-C02-01.
- 2000: Energy use of lignocellulosic waste produced in a paper industry (densification). Private.
- 2000: Quantifying of biomass resources in the region of Castilla y León. Private.
- From 2000 up to now: Revalorization of biomass residues with energy purposes in SMEs and public buildings (more than 15 projects). National and regional government and private.
- 2001: Calculation and design of a solar and biomass system supply for 51 buildings. Regional government.
- 2001: Development of a software tool to design and calculate solar thermal systems, among standard technical reports for subsidy request. Regional government.
- 2003-2006: Design, acquisition and start up of a pelletising pilot plant for biomass waste densifying. Regional government.
- 2003-2005: Feasibility study and preliminary design of CHP plants fed with biomass in the region of Castilla y León. Regional government and private.
- 2003-2005: Optimisation of solar cooling processes. National, No. REN2003-09684-C02-01.
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