The TU Bergakademie Freiberg is strengthening the training of young scientists. With the support of the EU and the Free State of Saxony, ten young scientists have been conducting research in the two new junior research groups "AddHydrogen" and "Intelligent Subsurface Structures" since January. In addition to technical skills, the young researchers are also learning about networking and setting up a company as well as the topics of diversity and gender equality. The aim of the programmes is to strengthen a stable, sustainable and digital economy in the Free State of Saxony.
Sustainable ceramic components for green high-temperature processes
The four young scientists in the junior research group "AddWasserstoff" have set out to develop sustainable refractory materials that can be used as components in hydrogen burners in the future. "Green hydrogen should enable the decarbonisation of high-temperature processes. However, the exact effect of hydrogen on the refractory components in the burners required for this has not yet been investigated," explains junior research group leader Dr Lisa Freitag.
The aim of the new junior research group is to understand and simulate these processes in detail and then to design and test a pilot component. The components have to withstand high temperatures and wear in the hydrogen burner. To this end, the team is investigating whether new materials made of aluminium oxide in the form of corundum are suitable and how the components can be produced using 3D printing.
The research project involves the four professorships for Ceramics, Refractories and Metalloceramic Composites, for Technical Thermodynamics, for Gas and Thermal Engineering and for Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics. Saxon industry should also benefit from the results, which is why the project is being supported by an industrial advisory board.
Designing post-mining landscapes intelligently
Lakes, parks and leisure facilities are being created where mining was once carried out - planned and realised by geodata and post-mining experts. The sustainable training and equipment of these specialists is the topic of the second junior research group. "Six junior researchers are developing data- and model-based methods to enable digital geosystems for evaluation, planning and approval tasks," says Prof Jörg Benndorf, holder of the Chair of Geomonitoring and Mine Surveying.
This involves using various techniques from different disciplines, including artificial intelligence to evaluate geodata. The junior research group has also set itself the goal of designing a new degree programme that combines expertise from IT, engineering and geoengineering.
The professors of Geomonitoring and Mine Surveying, Numerical Mathematics, Engineering Geology and Environmental Geotechnics, Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering and Applied Mathematics are involved in the project "AI-Enhanced Geoengineering Tools for Decision Support in Energy Transition, Mitigation of Climate Change Effects and Geo-Risks in Former Mining Regions".
EU and the state of Saxony support young scientists
The costs for the both research projects totalling around 1.3 million euros each are financed by funds from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus) and from tax revenues from the budget approved by the Saxon state parliament.