The energy sector constitutes a broad market where the slightest gain of efficiency guarantees a significant reduction of energy losses and consequently important economic and environmental profits too. IREIS works specifically on hydraulic turbine blade frictions used for nuclear or hydroelectric plants. Our technologies and coverings are also used in renewable energies through the development of surface treatments in order to improve the light absorption of thermal solar power plants but also to reduce frictions and increase wear resistance of wind turbines.
IREIS also works on problems of energy storage by supporting the research of substitute materials in batteries and fuel cells for economic and environmental reasons, increasing performances of those systems.
Fuel cells have strong assets and are often presented as the solution for electric energy production with high efficiency.
The main default of fuel cells is the corrosion of electrodes. IREIS works on new coating to protect bipolar plates from corrosive environments.
The heat storage of solar thermal power plants is mostly limited by thermal losses of the solar radiations absorber tube. As part of the LFR 500 project, IREIS developed an adapted selective coating to reduce losses by infrared radiation of the receiver.
The molten salts elaborated by HEF for ionic nitridized environments have excellent heat storage properties. They can be used for concentering solar power because they accumulate lots of thermal energy, release it at night or during cloudy periods and allow the plants to operate continually.
With the electronic miniaturization of devices and their feature increasing, the miniaturization of batteries has become a critical issue for the technological development. With its 15 years of experience in electro-chemical applications on thin layers, IREIS has design micro-batteries with a thickness of 20 μm, composed of 7 layers.
Surface coatings have many applications in the nuclear industry.
Our engineers conduct studies on hydraulic turbine blades in terms of frictions and design.
We have also developed very large machines for the microwave plasma nitriding of long-length pieces used in nuclear plants instruments.