Activity Report 2023
Dear CRM Group Members,
In June, we published our 2023 activity report! The aim of this newsletter is to provide you with an outline of the report, while allowing you to download it for full consultation.?
Enjoy your reading, and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!?
Our 2023 activity report is now available!
In this report, you'll find all the major projects that marked 2023 for CRM Group, in our areas of focus such as Energy Shift, Circular Economy, Advanced Manufacturing, Digitalization or, more globally, Industrial Processes, Solutions and Services.??
2023 was also a year rich in events that CRM Group organized or took part in, and of course it was the year of our 75th anniversary, a milestone worth celebrating
2023, a year of success!
Program renewal was particularly successful in 2023 and early 2024. At the European level, very high success rates were achieved. For example, 3 out of 6 projects submitted to Horizon Europe calls were accepted, and 5 out of 11 projects were accepted in the RFCS call. These 50% success rates in highly competitive calls are unprecedented.
At the level of calls for projects organized by the Walloon Region and the federal government, results were also spectacularly good, notably with the validation of strategic innovation initiatives such as WiN4C and e-Wallonhy, as well as in other calls. These new projects will allow CRM to develop activities in the fields of hydrogen (green hydrogen production, transportation, storage, and utilization), additive manufacturing, circular economy, and digital transformation.
Certification in Sustainable Entrepreneurship
CRM Group has made sustainability a central part of its identity. “Think & act sustainable and be convinced that the only way to innovate & create value for customers, people and the planet in the long term is to do so in a sustainable way“ is one of its 5 company core values.
In 2023, we also initiated a certification program in sustainable entrepreneurship. This three-year course, overseen by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Liège-Verviers, will culminate in obtaining a certificate in sustainable entrepreneurship issued by UNITAR, the UN agency for sustainable development.
75 Years of Independant Research & Innovation
In 2023, we celebrated our 75th anniversary, a milestone where we showcased our key competencies, expertise and innovation capacity, applauded by our stakeholders, members, partners and customers.
Key Figures
Our fields of activity?
You can find a variety of different projects specific to our areas of activity, and we encourage you to consult our report to find out more. Below is a brief selection.
Energy Shift
To reach the ambitious targets of reducing greenhouse gas emission by 50% by 2030 and achieving carbon- neutrality by 2050, the steel industry must explore different pathways. One of this pathways involves the use of hydrogen or hydrogen-rich injectants in the blast furnace to reduce its -emissions. This practice will, more than at any time in recent decades, dramatically change the way blast furnaces are operated.
To accompany this transition, CRM Group is rapidly updating its modelling & simulation tools to accommodate the new operating points of high percentage of H2 in the reducing gas. CRM Group’s mathematical model of the Blast Furnace process, known as ‘MOGADOR’, is therefore being upgraded. Since injecting high H2- levels at tuyere level affects the raceway properties (size, temperature and gas composition) and its form, a new tool based on CFD has been developed to define the size and gas composition at raceway boundaries, providing input for Mogador
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Circular Economy
The steel industry currently recycles the majority of its by-products by internal recycling or external use. Nevertheless, substantial amounts of carbon and iron units in some sludge or dust can’t be recycled yet due to a too high zinc content, but too low for external sales to zinc smelters. With the implementation of new decarbonized steel production flow sheets, other by-products will be generated, but still with the same circularity concern.
The ZHYRON project which will start in 2024 shares a similar objective. However it aims to replace the carbothermic reduction by a new hydrogen based one. By doing so complete decarbonization will be achieved, not only related to the steel production itself, but also for all associated recycling processes.
Additive Manufacturing
Improving the efficiency and performance of finishing operations for additively manufactured components is the primary objective of the FiSSel project, which is funded by the Walloon Region in the Win-4Collective framework. CRM Group has designed and implemented a demonstration pilot line dedicated to chemical and electrochemical surface treatments. This pilot line facilitates the assessment of finishing procedures on use-cases provided by the industrial user committee.
Digitalization
As part of the Wings (Walloonia Innovations for Green Skies) and VIRGA projects, we have developed two solutions for heating devices using Printed Electronics, tailored to 3D objects. The first solution, a collaboration with Sonaca, focuses on Ice Protection Systems for aircraft leading edges. In this application, a heating material is directly deposited on the 3D composite surface using a thermal spray wire arc process.
The second solution, developed in partnership with John Cockerill, involves creating smart stealth solutions in the Thermal Infrared (IR) band for the defense sector. This involves designing activatable heating patterns to mimic the IR thermal signature of an object, produced using printed electronics technology.
Industrial Processes, Solutions & Sevices
Within the EU RFCS funded project SMARTCOOL, an advanced transfer bar cooling system is developed to correct transfer bar temperature distortions based on real time measurements captured just before the transfer bar cooling. A homogeneous temperature profile over the width and length will,besides more accurate product properties, improve the strip steering in finishing mill and reduce rolling incidents as cobbles. The project follows a phased approach, beginning with the validation of the concept on a full scale at laboratory level before progressing to industrial implementation.
Dissemination & Events
2023 was a year rich in events, either organized by the CRM and our partners, or in which the CRM participated. Of course, we've already told you about our 75th anniversary celebration, which was a great success for us, but we can of course mention many other occasions.
?We can, of course, mention events such as Estad-Metec 2023, Dissheat, Hannover Messe, Cop28, Galvatech 2023, International Paris Air Show 2023, Circular Wallonia Days... and many more.
?These events, spanning various industries and regions, not only showcased our technological advancements but also allowed us to engage with key stakeholders, share knowledge, and forge valuable partnerships.?
Award
The 2023 AIST Hot Sheet Rolling Best Paper Award for the paper entitled "Importance of Roll Oxide to Increase Roll Life in a Hot Rolling Mill.” Sebastien Flament, Hugo Uijtdebroeks, Gisele Walmag, Zafer Koont. Established in 2007, this award is presented to the author of a paper, selected by the AIST Rolling and Processing Technology Division, and judged to be the best paper submitted to the Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee.
Don't hesitate to take a look at our 2023 activity report!