School of Engineering

Sustainable Energy Research

Phil BowenBowenPJ@cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff School of Engineering

• Context

• Energy Research- Engineering

• Recent Investment

• Energy Research Strengths

• Summary

OVERVIEW

Institutes ->/X-cutting

themes

Inst.1

ISEEM

Inst.2

IAMES

Inst.3

IMS

Inst.4…

Sustainable ENERGY

√ √ √

…..

CARDIFF ENGINEERING: Interdisciplinary Research Matrix

CARDIFF ENGINEERING – ENERGY(25 Academic Staff publishing in ‘Sustainable Energy’)

1. PowerGen/Energy Conversion

2. Electrical Power Distribution

4. Energy Systems Risk/Hazard Environmental Assess.

3. Energy-efficient Elec. Materials

> £1M each

CARDIFF ENGINEERING – ENERGY(25 Research-Active Academics)

• Energy Conversion/Power Generation- Centre for Research in Energy, Waste, Environment

(Profs.Syred/Griffiths)

• Electrical Power Distribution- National Grid/Transco University Centre (Dr. Haddad)

• Novel Electrical/Electronic ‘Materials’- ‘Nedo’ Thermo-Electric (Prof. Mike Rowe)- ‘Wolfson’ Magnetics (Prof.Tony Moses/David Jiles)- Superconductivity (Dr. Adrian Porch)

• Energy/Env. Impact Assessment and Hazard Analysis- Geo-environmental Research Centre (Prof. HR.Thomas)- Hydro-environmental Research Group (Prof. Falconer)- Centre for Research in Energy, Waste, Env. (Prof. Bowen)

• Energy Systems Monitoring and Control

- Fluid Power Group (Prof. John Watton)- Systems Analysis Group (Dr. Roger Grosvenor)

RECENT INVESTMENT

• £ 1.5M SRIF ‘Sustainable Energy’ (2004)

• £ 2.4M SRIF ‘Environmental Laboratory’ (2004)

• Led £4.3M ERDF proposal to establish interdisciplinary ‘Welsh Energy Research Centre’

(WERC - interact with UKERC) (2004)

• £1M for National-Grid/Transco Centre (2005)

• £0.3M ‘Sustainable Energy Systems’ - EU Marie-Curie Fellowship Centre (2006-9)

• £0.35M EU to relocate QinetiQ Gas Turbine Combustion Research Centre (2005)

• £ 0.3M CTA MSc - ‘Sustainable Energy’ (2006)

CREWE

‘ENERGY CONVERSION’ –Track Record

• 25 academics/researchers (5 Professors)

• 15+ years supporting WDA as ‘Centre of Excellence/Expertise in ENERGY’

• First Solar-Powered Car to cross Europe (1986)

• First House in UK completely powered on renewables (1995)

• ‘Institute of Energy’ Townsend-BCURA Award for ‘Best Paper’ on Coal utilisation (1996)

CREWE

ENERGY CONVERSION:Internationally Leading• Co-ordinator of EU Round Table on ‘Energy’

Large-Scale Research Infrastructures (1995-2004)

• ‘Integrated Sustainable Energy Systems’EU Marie Curie centre : UK partner (2006-09)– largest Marie-Curie programme awarded

• Only EU-accredited ‘Infrastructure Facility’ in UK for Large-Scale CombustionResearch and Training (1994-2004)

• ‘NATO Science Prize’ for international collaborative Research on Gas Turbine Efficiency with Russia, Ukraine (2002)

• Hosting NATO Advanced Workshop in Aero-Thermal Technologies (Kiev, 2006)

BIOFUELS, WASTE, LOW-QUALITY FUEL UTILISATION

Cardiff ‘Leading in Europe’

- Co-ordinator of 3M€ EU project ‘CO-FIRING BIOMASS/WASTE WITH COAL IN UTILITY BOILERS’ (10 major EU partners : ENEL, etc..)

- EPSRC grant to develop ‘BIOMASS, CHARCOAL & CHP’ (2001-2004

- DTI assessor on Biomass programme

- QinetiQ/EU consortium (pending): ‘ALTERNATIVE FUELS FOR GAS TURBINES’

- EPSRC grant for ‘DNS MODELLING OF LIQUID FUEL (inc. biofuel) ..IN POWERGEN’ (2002-5)

- Combustion Institute ‘Best UK Combustion Paper’ (1997)

ENERGY CONVERSIONClean Coal, CAT, ….

• Coal co-firing with renewable/waste fuels

• Oxy-fuel burner development programme (2004) with leading US manufacturer- product marketed

(USA)

• Represented on government ‘Coal Review’ taskforce (1994)

• Institute of Energy Townsend-Bcura best paper award for ‘Coal Utilisation’ (1997)

Transport Energy Conversion

• Ricardo – 10 year Partner/Consultants on IC Engine Research (G-DI, particulate lifecyle, .., Japanese, US)

• QinetiQ-chosen partner for Gas Turbine Research (2005-)

• EU Gas Engine project : 27->43% efficiencynow marketed

16 bar900 K5 Kg/s

HIVES

future electrical energy systems and plant

Funding sources

NGT, SP, PowerGen, EPSRC, DTI, EDF Energy, Dow Corning, Network Rail , Allied Insulators…

Income (past 5 years)

35 Research Projects

£2.6M

NGT Research Centre established

Join IEE Power Academy

Work with EPSRC, other utilities and manufacturers

ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION

• Earthing of Power Systems - Characterisation- Condition Monitoring- Risk Assessment/Safety

• Transient Overvoltages & Insulation coordination

• Polymeric Insulating Materials and Systems

- Monitoring (using AI)- Characterisation- Pollution

• Others- Corona and gas discharge- Lightning protection &

Electrostatics

ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTIONELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION

NEDO CENTRE FOR THERMO-ELECTRIC MATERIALS

CARDIFF ‘LEADING IN EUROPE’1981 : First demonstrate fine grain alloys in ‘Nature’

– adopted by NASA in deep space missions, including last months mission to Pluto

1988 : First ‘Silicon on Sapphire’ miniature T-E generator patented

1993 : £2.2M research contract from Japanese gov. to develop 1.5kW generator to recover low-temp, waste heat

1995 : First ever 100W T-E generator built at Cardiff, demonstrated to UN at Kyoto

2003 : Co-ordinate 7-country EU programme develop bulk nano size T-E materials

2005 : 2 vols. Definitive texts on T-E :‘CRC Handbook on Thermoelectrics’

Electrical Power from waste heat

• Founded in 1969

• Recent EPSRC ‘Platform Grant’ Holder (Prof. Tony Moses)

• WDA accreditation as a “Centre Excellence for Technology and Industrial Collaboration”

• Over 250 publications in the last 5 years

• Recent major awards exceeding £2M for new equipment and the refurbishment of laboratories

• Professor David Jiles (Ames, USA) and team joined recently

• Recent clients and collaborative partnersRolls-Royce, Cogent Power, Daido Steel, Thyssen-Krupp Stahl, Silverwing, Vector Fields, Smiths Aerospace, Areva, TRW, UK National Physical Laboratory, QinetiQ, Siemens Flowmetering, AT Engine Controls, FR Hi-Temp, Emersen, Unipath Medical, etc…

Wolfson Centre – An Overview

Examples of equipment and facilities

Production of new energy efficient amorphous materials

Localised energy loss measurement

Measurement system for hysteresis energy losses

• New Energy Systems and processes introduce new risks and hazards e.g. H2, LNG, flooding, Nuclear

• Terrorism threat exacerbates risk

• Risks and hazards have to be quantified, mitigated where appropriate

• e.g. Nuclear Waste, explosion/dispersion,

water environment impact

Energy/Env. Risk/Hazard Analysis

‘9/11’, 2001

‘Ladbroke Grove’,1999

‘Piper Alpha’, 1987

Alaskan Oil Wells, 2001

SUMMARY

• Broad range of energy research

• Identified 4 of international quality

• Developing ENGIN ‘pilot’ for interdisciplinary research matrix approach

• Large Infrastructural investments from government and industry

• Leading National Energy Research Co-ordination (WERC)

• Exploring operational research funding opportunities (EPSRC, DTI..)