Process Control to Develop a Continuous Flow Al Covetic Reactor Design

The main problem to be focused on in Phases I & II will be to develop fundamental improvements to the covetic conversion process based on known issues and principles of physics. The goal is to fabricate a laboratory-scale continuous flow reactor. Thus, the project will support the U.S. Department of Energy - Advanced Manufacturing Office’s need for an efficient and effective conversion process because it will be available to be applied to a wide range of commercially important critical materials and strategic materials. This process represents a leading-edge opportunity for US manufacturers. During Phase I there will be 3 technical objectives: 1) design and build a lab-scale continuous flow reactor; 2) produce Al 1350 covetic samples and conduct testing to establish the uniformity of the converted material based on bulk electrical conductivity and carbon content; and 3) identify a list of reactor design parameters that will lay the ground work for in-depth R&D in Phase II to more fully address the following technical problem/opportunity pertaining to the proposed innovation (Phase II results): converting material with economically-favorable electrical conductivity consistently in a continuous process. Ohmic losses across the electrical power grid are a major loss mechanism in transmission lines and in transformer windings. Replacing aluminum conductors with the more energy efficient covetic will cut Ohmic losses by 50%, ensuring a 50% energy savings in service over current commercial conductors. The US has produced roughly 172 quads of electricity since 2000. 10.8 quads have been lost because of inefficiencies in the T&D system. A 50% improvement in transmission efficiency would have save roughly 5.4 quads.