Innovative Value Chains for European Ceramic Oxide Fibres

Oxide fibre reinforced ceramics, so-called oxide ceramic matrix composites (O-CMC) have to be considered as strategic materials from now to the future, e.g. for use in next generation aero-engines, stationary gas turbines, power-to-X processes with concentrated solar power CSP, chemical industry, batch carrier for high temperature processes, etc. Today such high-end O-CMC components and the key raw material, the ceramic fibres as reinforcement component, are mainly exclusively produced in the United States. But as these are key components for the European manufacturing, energy and aerospace industry, there is a need to develop a European oxide fibre and O-CMC component industry, decreasing dependence on non-EU producers.

The InVECOF project addresses this need and provides a substantial contribution to sustainable product innovation action through the two following key activities:

1. to develop a European oxide ceramic reinforcing fibre equivalent to US fibres and to establish it among end users (ROF fibre) and

2. to develop and validate a next-generation fibre in parallel with improved thermos-mechanical properties (NGO fibre).

The ROF fibre will present an equivalent to the dominant 3M Nextel fibres with better availability, without dual-use restrictions from the US and possibly lower price is needed and the NGO fibre will have improved thermo-mechanical properties compared to the benchmark fibres in order to make processes, plants, turbines, etc. more energy efficient through higher application temperatures.

The project InVECOF Innovative Value Chains for European Ceramic Oxide Fibres covers the whole process chain beginning from fibre development and production over weaving these fibres to fabrics to O-CMC manufacturing, coupons and demonstrators for every end-user application, up to testing Ox-fibers and O-CMC components in relevant environments with project partners for every step from three countries in Europe.