Material Upgrade for the Energy Transition: How Radiation Crosslinking Secures Tomorrow’s Infrastructure

Material Requirements for the Energy Infrastructure of the Future

The energy transition brings with it new stress scenarios. Decarbonization, electrification, the expansion of renewable energies, modern storage technologies, and smart grids are leading to a significantly more complex and dynamic overall system. At the same time, the requirements for safety, efficiency, and service life of the components and materials used are also increasing.

Components must function reliably over long periods under thermal, mechanical, and other environmental stresses ‒ under conditions where maintenance, replacement, or repairs are possible only at great technical and economic cost.

Materials that must function continuously under demanding conditions face particular challenges:

• High thermal stresses
• Fluctuating temperatures and environmental conditions
• Mechanical stress from movement and vibration
• Long-term electrical insulation
• High operational reliability with minimal maintenance

These challenges apply to all parts of the energy infrastructure: from generation and transmission to storage and smart energy management.

Intelligent energy control and switching: Stability for dynamic energy systems

As renewable energy expands, so do the demands on the control and regulation of energy flows. High-performance components for switching operations, grid stability, and temperature management play a central role in this.

Power semiconductors: Faster and more efficient switching for power electronics

Power semiconductors are key components in inverters, grid technology, and electrolysis plants. Electron irradiation makes it possible to optimize their switching characteristics.

This leads to:

• Fewer switching losses
• Reduced thermal stress on systems
• More efficient energy control

Self-regulating heating cables: Reliable temperature control

Self-regulating heating cables contribute to the operational safety of energy- and process-critical systems. Radiation crosslinking thermally stabilizes the heating element and enables automatic adjustment of the heating output to the ambient temperature.

The advantages:

• Prevents overheating
• Ensures reliable temperature maintenance
• Increases operational safety without complex control technology

Applications include frost protection for pipes, pumps, and valves, as well as thermal energy storage systems and industrial power plants.

Energy transmission and distribution: Secure infrastructure for increasing loads

As renewable energy becomes more widespread, its demands on grids and energy infrastructure grow. Energy must be transported safely and with minimal loss over long distances.

Power and high-voltage cables

Radiation-crosslinked materials help make cable systems capable of withstanding higher loads:

• High electrical and thermal resistance
• Dimensional stability under continuous load
• Improved mechanical robustness

Connection technology: Sleeves, end caps, and heat-shrink tubing

Connections are among the most critical elements of energy and heating networks. Their reliability is crucial to determining the operational safety of the entire system. Something called the “memory effect” plays a key role here: The plastics extruded into tubing or sleeve bodies acquire a shape memory through electron beam irradiation. When heated later, the sleeve shrinks in a controlled manner back to the dimensions it had at the time of crosslinking, connecting pipe systems with a precise fit and a watertight seal. This results in reproducible and long-term stable connections.

Radiation-crosslinked shrink products enable:

• Reproducible shrinkage characteristics due to the memory effect
• Long-term stable insulation and sealing
• High operational reliability
• Long-term mechanical stability

Especially in district and local heating networks, radiation-crosslinked shrink sleeves ensure permanently stable and reproducible seals.

High-voltage cables for electromobility and infrastructure

As power levels increase, so do the demands on high-voltage cables. Radiation-crosslinked materials help reliably meet these demands:

• High temperature and media resistance
• Mechanical strength
• Reliable performance during operation

Energy storage and conversion: Stability for complex energy systems

The energy transition also requires high-performance storage and control systems to intelligently balance volatile energy flows.

Battery storage

Battery storage systems must balance load fluctuations in the shortest possible amount of time and meet high requirements for thermal and mechanical stability.

Radiation-crosslinked components support this through:

• Reliable operation
• High thermal stability
• Mechanical robustness

Hydrogen systems

Hydrogen plays a key role in electrolysis and storage systems for long-term storage and sector coupling. Here, too, robust components are crucial.

Radiation-crosslinked solutions enable:

• Reliable operation under demanding operating conditions
• Long-term stability

Material behavior under stress: The advantages of radiation crosslinking

Radiation crosslinking makes it possible to enhance specific material properties of plastics. This allows standard polymers to be used in challenging technical applications that place high demands on load-bearing capacity and long-term performance.

Durability

Radiation-crosslinked materials are designed for service lives of more than 50 years in critical infrastructure. Due to their stable properties under continuous stress, they are particularly suitable for applications where failures or repairs involve significant technical and economic costs.

Thermal stability

Radiation crosslinking improves the thermal stability of materials and ensures that they remain dimensionally stable even under continuous load and fluctuating temperatures. This allows components to be used reliably even at high operating temperatures without significantly compromising their properties.

Mechanical robustness

Radiation-crosslinked materials are characterized by high mechanical resistance. They remain stable even under stress and are more resistant to abrasion, notches, and microcracks, as well as moisture and various media.

Process reliability

Radiation crosslinking results in reproducible material properties and consistent quality standards. This is particularly important for applications with high demands on operational safety and long-term stability.

Efficiency

Stable material properties help reduce energy losses and ensure the reliable operation of complex energy systems.

Sustainability

Radiation-crosslinked components are designed for long service lives. Stable material properties, even under thermal, mechanical, and environmental stress, can reduce maintenance and replacement cycles, thereby contributing to the long-term resource efficiency of technical applications.