french institute of science and technology for transport ... - Ifsttar

Partnerships and Joint ventures
ENERGY AND TRANSPORT
IFSTTAR continues to play an active
role in ANCRE
Since 2010, IFSTTAR has been running the working group on
“Energy and Transport” (GP6), which is part of the National Alliance
for Coordinating Energy Research (ANCRE), a body that was
set up at government request in July 2009.
Beyond its founding members (CEA, CNRS and IFP), ANCRE has
extended partnerships with the French public sector research bodies
that deal with energy-related issues, including IFSTTAR, in order
to identify and ultimately overcome the main stumbling blocks,
be they scientific, technological, economic or societal. This task
involves, among other things, analyzing the strengths of French
research entities by creating a detailed overview and proposing
research programmes (from fundamental research to producing
actual demonstrators) to overcome the difficulties.
In all, over 500 experts were invited to participate in the nine thematic
groups, five of which were devoted to energy sources (energy
from biomass (GP1), fossil fuels and geothermal sources (GP2),
nuclear power (GP3), solar power (GP4), marine, hydroelectric
and wind power (GP5).
Three other groups focused on end use (transport (GP6) supervised
by IFSTTAR, buildings (GP7) led by the CSTB, and industry
and agriculture (GP8) led by CNRS). The last group, (GP9), is more
interdisciplinary and is involved in forecasting and summarizing
the findings.
Group GP6, led by IFSTTAR, employs a two-pronged approach,
i.e. by sector and by discipline.
Nearly 80 IFSTTAR scientists provide their expert knowledge on
vehicles, motor and engine technology and energy and its use
across all transport sectors: road, maritime and river, rail, and air.
By the end of 2010, GP6 had released an initial summary report
with a series of recommendations on difficulties or technologies
that merit further study, with projects for demonstrators. It also
produced a preliminary skills map.
Work continued in 2011, and a number of the group’s scientists
have helped draw up the numerous proposals that have been
put before the bodies responsible for funding research and future
investment. This primarily involved internal combustion engines,
electric and hybrid motors and transport-related aspects for both
persons and/or freight, essentially in the road and rail sectors.
With the exception of air transport, a very large proportion of GP6’s
work has been based on output by PREDIT working groups and, as
such, provides a valuable complement to the research in question.
@ CONTACT
jean.delsey@ifsttar.fr
19
SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING
A dominant role
in the activities of
IRSTV
The Urban Scientific and Technical Research Institute IRSTV)
brings together some twenty laboratories from 13 research and
higher education establishments in western France. The research
teams are working together to investigate cities and the urban
environment with the goal of developing methods and tools for
sustainable urban planning. IFSTTAR plays a major role, taking
part in many research projects that involve a large number of
bodies, in some cases as leader, in particular the Nantes Area
Urban Environment Observatory (OVENU). This observation unit
conducts long-term monitoring of water, pollutant and energy flows
in a variety of media (air, water, soil …). It also conducts urban
remote sensing in order to monitor several catchments in the
Nantes conurbation.
In the area of urban microclimatology, the GER unit studies suburban
catchments, models moisture transfers between different
parts of the urban environment (atmosphere, soil, hydrological
networks, vegetation and the built environment) and analyzes the
operation of techniques that provide an alternative to stormwater
collection.
In the case of urban soils (SOLURB), GER’s research focuses on
how the nature of urban soils affects water and pollutant transfer.
In the case of urban background noise, IM is working on the
development of sound propagation models that take account of
urban forms and the interactions between sound and the urban
environment.
In 2011, an ADEME project (SITERRE), in which GER is taking
part, was launched. This deals with the creation of urban soils
with innovative materials instead of topsoil and quarry aggregate.
The year also saw the completion of the ANR-sponsored AVUPUR
project on the hydrological modelling of suburban catchments.
GER also helped organize the CNRS urban environment course
that was held in La Rochelle from 19-23 September 2011
@ CONTACT
herve.andrieu@ifsttar.fr
ANNUAL REPORT 2011 ifsttar.fr