Manufacturing the Future with Supercritical CO2 and Minimum Quantity Lubrication
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Advanced Manufacturing Res Centre Boeing
Abstract
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Publications
| Description | The research activity funded through this awarded project has allowed for a lab-level examination of the consumption of a supercritical CO2 plus minimum quantity lubrication (scCO2+MQL) delivery system. Annual emissions and running costs have been calculated/ estimated, showing that CO2 flowrates used in the literature to date carry a significant economic and global warming impact. Thus the use of lower CO2 flowrates is recommended going forward, to transition this promising cooling and lubrication technology into larger-scale industrial usage. Lower flowrates can be achieved via the selection of system pressure and system exit nozzles. Furthermore it has been shown that productivity can be increased in titanium milling, via the use of scCO2+MQL instead of liquid emulsion-based coolants. Cutting tool damage rates were lowered by using scCO2+MQL, allowing for an increase of surface speed. |
| Exploitation Route | This research will be transitioned from readiness level 3 (lab-based trials) towards larger-scale industrial usage in mass production, via University of Sheffield AMRC collaborative projects jointly funded with industry. |
| Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Transport |
| Description | Project outcomes presented in 2023 were absorbed by UK manufacturers in the aerospace and defence industries, in terms of guiding their own strategies for the cooling and lubrication of machining processes. Collaborative project work has subsequently been initiated, being carried out by the University of Sheffield AMRC with UK industry's funding and direction. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic |
| Description | Follow-on supercritical CO2 machining research with UK-based manufacturer and UKRI |
| Amount | £20,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2024 |
| End | 05/2025 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Leeds |
| Organisation | University of Leeds |
| Department | School of Mechanical Engineering Leeds |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The University of Sheffield 'Machining the Future' project is linked to Leeds University's EPSRC funding on the same topic, where Leeds and Sheffield academics are co-investigators on the larger EPSRC project. See the funding details via the hyperlink below. There is a Collaboration Agreement between Sheffield, Leeds and an industrial partnership of six manufacturing companies. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Leeds providing specialisms in Tribology, Fluid Dynamics, Systems Modelling and Optimisation. Also Leeds have two Postdoctoral Research Fellows who will occasionally visit University of Sheffield to run trials. |
| Impact | Hardware-building and experiments are underway: no published outputs as yet. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Link to University of Sheffield Engineering Doctoral project, via support with resources and knowledge |
| Organisation | University of Sheffield |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Advice on specification and sourcing of friction pins for tribological testing, to a University of Sheffield (UoS) Industrial Doctoral Centre Engineering Doctorate (EngD) student. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Loan of tribological 'high speed pin on tube' testing hardware setup, for UoS EngD student to use. Borrowed by Sheffield Engineering Doctoral student for friction trials. |
| Impact | Student has now completed their Engineering Doctoral thesis, and the student has as of March 2024 passed their viva to become an EngD graduand. Collaboration was in the area of Tribology. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Industrial interest in the cleanliness of supercritical CO2 as a machining coolant and lubricant |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Two staff visited our organisation, from a manufacturer based in the USA. They work on global process improvements. They were interested to hear about the supercritical CO2 machining carried out in this project, in terms of the cleanliness of tools and cut materials after the machining process is complete. Follow-up video calls are expected to occur. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Lecture on the social, economic and environmental profile of supercritical CO2 plus minimum quantity lubrication, as a coolant and lubricant |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | In late 2024, undergraduate Engineering students at the University of Leeds were introduced to the concept of the triple bottom line for sustainability: social, economic and environmental categories. A guest lecture was delivered by University of Sheffield AMRC TMG's Dr Chris Taylor. The social, economic and environmental aspects of supercritical CO2 were compared against emulsion liquid coolants, when used to cool and lubricate machining processes. The method to calculate and compare annual costs and carbon emissions was explained. Three students and one lecturer asked questions either during or after the event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/drbai_manufacturingengineering-digitalmanufacturing-activity-72565755... |
| Description | Presentation Made at Nuclear AMRC's Advanced Cooling Event 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This event was held on 21st September 2023 and was hosted by the Nuclear AMRC at Rotherham, UK. Attendees at the event were from Europe and from North America. The 'Machining the Future' project team made a 35 minute presentation on (1) this project's aims, (2) a literature review regarding supercritical CO2 use in titanium machining, and (3) a presentation of novel lab-scale titanium milling research. The main intention of the presentation was to demonstrate the dramatic improvements in productivity and processing cost, when applying supercritical CO2 cooling technology to the milling of a range of titanium-based alloys. It was concluded that the technology met various criteria in order to be scaled up to higher-readiness-level testing. Cutting tool life was seen to increase by a minium of 47 percent and a maximum of 338 percent, depending on the trial configuration. The team was asked five questions in the Questions and Answers session after the talk, including by a large UK-based manufacturer. This manufacturer is now (in early 2024) carrying out scaled-up higher-readiness-level manufacturing trials of a similar nature at the AMRC, as part of a multi-year research programme funded by the manufacturer. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/krystian-wika-4b373117_advanced-cooling-2023-nuclear-amrc-activity-70... |
| Description | Presentation at 'Advanced Cooling' Event 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The event was held on the 15th September 2022, hosted by the Nuclear AMRC at Rotherham UK. Members of the project team made a 20 minute presentation on this project's aims, learning so far (including a brief literature review) and future test plans. The intention of the presentation was to raise awareness of supercritical CO2 cooling technology and the active EPSRC funded research project. After the presentation the project team members were approached by five industrialists (different organisations) who wanted to talk about how they might implement the technology in future, or how this might impact their businesses in terms of opportunities and threats. Attendees were from Europe and North America. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.niauk.org/advanced-cooling-with-carbon-dioxide-and-mql-in-machining-processes-15-09-2022... |
| Description | Project information/ data requested by and provided to an industrial potential end user of technology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | After finding details of the 'Machining the Future' project on the EPSRC's website, a staff member from a global aerospace manufacturer had contacted the PI of this EPSRC project, asking for further information on the project activity, and asking whether the benefits of supercritical CO2 plus MQL had been tested in manufacturing with a specific aerospace alloy. This alloy had been tested within the project, so the PI was able to provide a presentation containing relevant data on manufacturing productivity and tool life benefits. The staff member replied to say that this information had been very helpful. These details will be updated, if this industrial engagement advances any further. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/W002175/1 |