P 1550 - Wear protection of steel components by intermetallic nickel-based hard phase deposition welding with defined machined functional surfaces

P 1551 - Development of a weight-optimised structural concept for a steel battery housing using functional integration and structural optimisation methods Due to current ecological, economic and social changes, a rethink is currently taking place in the development and design of future vehicles. Many manufacturers are pursuing the development of battery electric vehicles due to one or more of these factors. In today's electric vehicles, the energy storage system accounts for a large proportion of the total weight. This component consists mainly of lithium-ion cells, which are combined into modules and then inserted into a housing structure. The requirements for this structure are diverse and sometimes conflicting. One example of this is the high requirements in terms of crash safety with minimal installation space. It is therefore not uncommon for compromises to have to be found during development, which often result in an increased weight of the housing. In this sub-project, a weight-optimised concept for a steel battery housing was developed, which takes into account the requirements from the overall project with regard to corrosion protection, tightness and joining technology. The concept was considered at system and overall vehicle level in order to take functional requirements into account during development and achieve a high degree of functional integration. The lightweight construction objective was also pursued through the use of virtual optimisation methods. In addition, a sustainability assessment was carried out in the form of a carbon footprint analysis with a comparative reference in order to ecologically assess the battery housing developed. Finally, based on the findings of this sub-project, a sample battery housing was assembled, on which the basic manufacturability and tightness properties were analysed. The objective of the research project was achieved. Publication: January 2025 Authors: S. Spohr, Ch. Krüger, M. Korten, L. Eckstein

P 1559 - Integrated planning tool for cost and 3D structural planning for offshore wind farms for H2 generation Due to climate change, there is an acute need for action to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Offshore wind farms offer the opportunity to provide large quantities of electricity from renewable energy sources. However, there are periodic fluctuations in electricity production due to the dynamic environmental conditions. In order to enable intermediate storage of the converted energy, it makes sense to produce hydrogen from offshore wind energy. The process used for this is known as electrolysis. This makes it possible to decouple the production and consumption of green energy over time. The problem To date, offshore wind farms with integrated hydrogen infrastructure have only had a low technology readiness level (TRL) due to their novelty. There is a lack of experience in design, planning and project realisation. Flexible planning procedures are required, as the range of configuration options is broad. The various types of electrolysis and transport technologies, with their respective strengths and weaknesses, must be considered and evaluated for the specific application. In addition, the system costs and energy production depend on the environmental parameters, which can vary for each scenario. These influencing variables also have an impact on each other, which increases the complexity of planning the overall system and means that an assessment of feasibility based on economic indicators can currently only be realised with a great deal of effort. Objective and solution The aim of this research project was therefore to create a planning methodology and develop a tool for the 3D structural and cost planning of offshore wind farms with integrated hydrogen infrastructure. In addition, a system dynamics model was created to visualise the relationships between influencing factors. Various system structure options were considered in the project and an application scenario was defined. With the help of configurable parameters (technical, oceanographic, etc.), key figures for the economic efficiency analysis could be created, whereby a scenario-analytical approach was implemented. Geographic information system data (GIS data) was integrated into the system as the data basis for the environmental parameters in order to incorporate environmental parameters and site-specific factors into the planning process (distance to the coast, water depth, etc.). These parameters were used to calculate the hydrogen produced and offset it against the system costs. Benefits The planning tool developed supports companies in the offshore wind industry in the holistic planning and cost assessment of offshore wind farms with a hydrogen infrastructure. Individual scenarios and system designs can be visualised and economically evaluated using an interactive environment. It thus reduces the planning effort for these large-scale projects and supports decision-making in the planning phase. The objective of the research project was achieved. Publication: February 2025 Authors: M. Hayduk, O. Kühn