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| Reference Number | NIA2_NGET0073 | |
| Title | Graphene Enhanced Maturity Site Trials and Optimal Network Evaluation (GEMSTONE) | |
| Status | Completed | |
| Energy Categories | Other Power and Storage Technologies (Electricity transmission and distribution) 50%; Energy Efficiency (Industry) 50%; |
|
| Research Types | Applied Research and Development 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials) 50%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 50%; |
|
| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Project Contact National Grid Electricity Transmission |
|
| Award Type | Network Innovation Allowance | |
| Funding Source | Ofgem | |
| Start Date | 01 September 2024 | |
| End Date | 28 February 2025 | |
| Duration | ENA months | |
| Total Grant Value | £384,475 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Power | |
| Region | London | |
| Programme | Network Innovation Allowance | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Project Contact , National Grid Electricity Transmission |
| Web Site | https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/NIA2_NGET0073 |
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| Objectives | During the initial stage, a review of polymer concrete material technology will be undertaken to allow for identification of usage cases, potential benefits, and readiness for construction trials, including:Literature review of the current state of knowledge, trends, challenges, and opportunities in utilising polymer concretes as alternatives to traditional concretes in full-scale construction applications.Qualitative comparison of the materials carbon footprint compared to that of OPC.Identification/selection of two use cases for polymer concrete based on NGETs operational requirements.Cost-benefit analysis to assess the economic viability of adopting polymer concrete for the usage cases.Technology readiness review and a summary of key challenges to resolve for deployment of polymer concrete, including readiness for construction trials.If viable use cases are identified, the second stage will undertake a series of construction trials. This includes:Selection of a suitable polymer concrete product.Development of a trials methodology and assessment criteria.Execution of the trials and testing.Evaluation with reference to the usage cases defined in the first stage. Polymer concretes are a family of composite materials in which the OPC is fully replaced with a polymer binder/liquid resin. For NGET, polymer concrete could be advantageous in specific cases where its increased cost may be outweighed by its superior material properties and/or the need for rapid setting (i.e., during outage work). The emergence of polymer concretes utilising recycled plastics may help to reduce their costs and contribute to towards sustainability targets by aligning with the growing emphasis on circular economy principles within the construction industry. Barriers to the widespread adoption of polymer concretes include increased cost, lack of standardisation, perception of complexity and conservative approaches within the construction industry. Studies of polymer concrete have tended to concentrate on its properties, however, there is a gap in published literature on the economic, environmental, logistical, and practical considerations related to on-site production and scalability. This project will assess the maturity of polymer concrete and evaluate its suitability for NGETs industrial applications via a series of desktop studies and site-based materials trials. The first stage of the project is a technology review into the opportunities and barriers associated with polymer concretes (as outlined above). The aim of this is to understand its potential suitability for replacing OPC in NGETs current OPC use cases. If the material demonstrates sufficient merit as a potential replacement technology, then a series of trials will be undertaken in the second stage to further assess and demonstrate the materials viability.Final report will be published with all the learning outcomes and will be shared with all the licensees. A dissemination event will present all the results to relevant stakeholders with the recommendations of certain technologies ready to use in business as usual (BAU). The work will be delivered in discrete work packages each with a focus on different objectives linked to the overall aim to explore polymer concrete. This project is planned to take 24 months with the following major objectives:Develop understanding of the polymer concrete material technology to allow for identification of usage cases, potential benefits, and readiness for construction trials.Technology review to summarise the current state of knowledge, trends, challenges, and opportunities in utilising polymer concretes as alternatives in full-scale construction applications.Define a Project Mission Statement (PMS), recognising the relative novelty of polymer concretes.Review of current design codes and approaches to explore how they might be applied in the design of polymer concrete structures.Final recommendations to identify the potential benefits and implementation learning outcome. | |
| Abstract | n alignment with National Grid Electricity Transmissions (NGETs) objectives of achieving net-zero construction, we aim to evaluate the suitability of polymer concretes as a sustainable alternative to traditional concrete for NGETs construction operations, appraise their readiness for construction trials, and support NGET in undertaking some of the required trials to demonstrate these materials suitability. Two distinct stages are proposed, separated by a decision gate to give NGET control as the project progresses. During the initial stage, a review of polymer concrete material technology is undertaken to allow for the identification of use cases; the evaluation of the potential benefits, opportunities, risks, and constraints; and to assess the materials readiness for construction trials. In the second stage, we will support a series of construction trials. | |
| Data | No related datasets |
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| Projects | No related projects |
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| Publications | No related publications |
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| Added to Database | 22/09/25 | |
