Jianhua Lv’s team at Hebei University of Technology has realized green, low-energy production of e-grade carbonate with reactive distillation technology at its core, along with a new type of solid catalyst, which has been licensed to Shaanxi Beiyuan Chemical Group Co Ltd (pictured).Credit: Shaanxi Beiyuan Chemical Group Co Ltd
Electricity infrastructure has gone through significant changes recently with a conspicuous shift towards renewable energy in the grid. China, for example, is planning to double its wind and solar power capacity by 2025. This helps bring into focus the engineering challenges of these new power systems.
Research at Hebei University of Technology (HEBUT) covers the full spectrum of intelligent electrical engineering, from the basics of advanced insulating materials and design of new power equipment, to the reliability and intelligence of electrical equipment in complex systems.
HEBUT’s Collaborative Innovation Center has contributed to the setting of eight national standards for low-voltage electrical apparatus. Research by the centre covers areas such as advanced insulation material design, multi-motor coordinated control and reliability improvement, system status assessment and reliability evaluation have also been applied in power grids, oil fields, steel manufacture and railway systems by companies, including Shanghai World Expo, Capital Airport, Mount Everest Communication Base Station and Shanghai-Tong Railway.
One notable innovation is a 3D magnetic characteristic test simulation theoretical system and experimental method. This system has broken new ground in the science of material simulation technology, particularly in the intelligent manufacturing of advanced low-energy electrical equipment.
“This work can help enhance the intelligent design of large-scale electrical equipment, digital simulation and low-carbon operation,” says Yongjian Li, a professor at HEBUT’s school of electrical engineering. The technology has been adopted in China’s 1,000kV ultra-high voltage transmission demonstration.
Carbon capture
China’s goal to hit peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060 is reflected in HEBUT’s research aims. HEBUT has constructed a series of monoatomic catalysts by modulating the electronic states of monometallic atoms, and has made great strides toward making use of CO2 by directly and efficiently converting it into high-value-added chemicals, such as CO or urea, through an electrochemical reduction method.
“Improving the efficiency of CO2 electrocatalysis and the selectivity of the target products is key to making use of CO2,” says Boxiong Shen, a professor at HEBUT. “Overcoming the key challenges of this technology will have a far-reaching impact reducing dependence on fossil energy sources, and environmental pollution,” he adds.
The university has developed new technology for using carbon dioxide on a large scale. The on-site method uses waste acid and organic matter from chemical plants, as well as CO2 from tail gas, to synthesize high value-added electrolytes. A series of patented technologies based on this have been licensed to Shaanxi Beiyuan Chemical Industry Group Company Limited under a lucrative contract.