The LESGO prototype is ready to start running
The LESGO researchers finished assembling the prototype during the last week of June. Set up at the IREC facilities, the prototype will start running in the upcoming weeks, allowing researchers to demonstrate and optimize the project concept in preparation for the system validation under different irradiation and temperatures.
After a process of modelling in 3D the layout of the prototype and several iterations to solve some initial issues related to the procurement of materials and equipment, Hysytech researcher Freddy Liendo travelled to Barcelona to assist in the installation and commissioning of the prototype. He trained IREC researchers, who had previously computed and modelled the fluid dynamics, into operating the system. During the day of the prototype assembly, the ICFO team also integrated the PV panels to power the electrochemical cell and the SEMS team at IREC integrated the RAMAN system. This RAMAN-based system will be used to monitor, in real-time, the hydrogenation process of the graphene oxide, and is set to be patented.
Achieving one of the milestones
The development of this industrial prototype represents one of the project milestones. It is a collaborative effort among several partners, who are responsible for developing and implementing the different parts of the prototype that will allow the validation of the graphene oxide’s hydrogenation by using solar energy as a renewable energy source. “There has been excellent communication among the different partners – IREC, ICFO and AALTO, for the development and assembly of the prototype”, highlights Freddy Liendo, an R&D chemical engineer at Hysytech. “The integration of the different components involved not only the technical part, such as defining the process parameters for selecting the materials or the instrumentation but also designing the final layout of the prototype.”
The prototype is expected to work under different process conditions, allowing the monitoring and storage of process data to make a detailed evaluation of the project concept. Moreover, integrating solar energy as the energy source will help demonstrate its economic and environmental feasibility.
