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Research on the copper industry by Swansea historians has acted as a catalyst for the regeneration of the former Hafod-Morfa copperworks site in the Lower Swansea Valley. Until recently the abandoned site was associated only with industrial dereliction, but historical research on entrepreneurship, innovation and global trade has galvanised a new public appreciation of its international significance. Since 2010, an extensive programme of public engagement activities has persuaded key partners in local government to adopt an ambitious plan to preserve and present its cultural heritage. The project received national acclaim in Research Council UK's 2011 report on `Big Ideas for the Future', which noted that `The example set by the research in Swansea could be used across the UK' (C1).
Research in the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating (WCPC) at Swansea University has produced a sophisticated understanding of the physics of the fluids and interfaces in the printing process, and has pioneered the development of printing with complex, multi-phase inks. The application in volume manufacture made possible by the research has generated significant, multi-million pound, economic impact in the printable electronics and packaging industries, directly leading to the creation of new high technology printed products, including next generation lighting. It has also led to the development of the supply chain for complex functional inks, whilst a comprehensive revision of the ISO standard on ink colorimetric characterisation in 2013 has demonstrable impact on practitioners.
This case study describes the creation and use of advanced simulation technology by international mining corporations to optimise high value metal recovery. The technology involved the development of advanced novel computational methods and software tools to model industrial scale heap leach processes for large scale industrial application at major mining operations. This focus on the development of optimised operational strategies has produced considerable economic benefits measured in the $multi-millions to industrial sponsors, including $58 million dollars in additional revenue for one multi-national corporation over one year following the adoption of engineered heaps based upon the advanced simulation tools from Swansea.
Ehiasarian and Hovsepian of the Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI) have achieved significant economic impact through industrial uptake of their innovations in High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS). Exploiting these innovations, HIPIMS treatments have been used by manufacturers to enhance the surface properties of millions of pounds worth of products. Applications include industrial blades, components within jet turbines, replacement hip joints, metallised semiconductor wafers and satellite cryo-coolers. Patents based on Ehiasarian and Hovsepian's research have achieved commercial success. In the REF impact period, HIPIMS machines equipped to deliver MERI''s HIPIMS surface pre-treatment have achieved sales of over £5m, and income generated through SHU's HIPIMS-related licences has totalled £403,270. In 2010 Ehiasarian's group established the Joint Sheffield Hallam University-Fraunhofer IST HIPIMS Research Centre, the first such Centre in the UK. This has broadened the industrial uptake of MERI's HIPIMS technologies and stimulated a network of sub-system providers.
Research in materials characterisation at Swansea University has produced a deeper understanding of the mechanical behaviour of proprietary engine components, and the potential improvements that can be made. The research has provided a critical technological contribution to the manufacture of efficient and robust gas turbine engines, fundamentally supporting the declaration of safe working lives for critical rotating components, contributing to a significant reduction in specific fuel consumption, and enabling Rolls-Royce to maintain a 40% share of the global civil aviation market. The research has led to the creation of a profitable spin-out company (Swansea Materials Research & Testing Ltd - SMaRT) with an initial annual turnover of £1m.
The techniques developed by the Warwick Ultrasonics Group focus on non-destructive testing (NDT) and address particular industrial needs as specified by industrial funders. These partners have included over 40 companies in the REF Impact period, ranging from SMEs to large multi- nationals operating in a range of sectors such as the heavy manufacturing, nuclear energy, food, petrochemical, transport, aerospace, power generation, equipment manufacturing and service industries. In particular, our spin-out company, Sonemat, has commercialised high-performance electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) developed by the research group, which has led to economic benefits for NDT equipment suppliers and their end users. Further industrial impact has arisen from novel NDT methodologies established by the Group.
Research at Swansea University in the area of computational electromagnetics has led to better design of aircraft with respect to radar detection and the screening of internal systems from the effect of unwanted electromagnetic field ingress. A key issue was the development of an ability to accommodate electromagnetically large complex bodies having spatially small, but electromagnetically important, features. In addition, procedures for modelling RF threats, including lightning strikes and electromagnetic hazards, were also developed. Such progress has enabled significant improvement in electromagnetic performance of technology produced by BAE Systems reaching across its Advanced Technology Centre and its business units (Military Aircraft and Information, and Naval Ships). This research enabled two-orders-of-magnitude improvement in efficiency of BAE software compared to previously used techniques, significantly reducing design time. These developments were used on major international programmes such as TYPHOON, the Taranis UCAV (unmanned Combat Air Vehicle).
In public perception, antimatter used to be associated with science fiction, but the creation and trapping of antihydrogen at CERN by the ATHENA and ALPHA Collaborations has sparked world-wide media interest in the real science of antimatter. Building on this, we started a campaign of public dissemination and education to promote and explain our work through media interviews, popular articles, and public lectures including a Welsh language component. We developed software simulators that have been used by school pupils in Masterclasses to re- create virtually CERN's antihydrogen production. YouTube clips and webcasts with over 100,000 hits have been produced and we have hosted thousands of visitors per year in CERN. These activities resulted in improved understanding of antimatter among school students and the wider population, and a radical change in the public perception of antimatter, which is now associated with the experiments at CERN rather than with Star Trek.
Marine biofouling is caused by the adhesion of macroalgae, microbial slimes and other marine organisms for instance barnacles to underwater surfaces, such as ships hulls. The research from the Bioadhesion and Biofouling Research Group (BBRG) that tackles this important problem has had a direct impact on commerce, with three new companies entering the marine coatings industry and a fourth achieving superior effectiveness from their existing product line. All have been able to develop novel products (with associated patents) positioned to address the requirements of an increasingly-stringent environmental legislative framework, seeking to reduce or eliminate the impact of toxic biocides on non-target species in the marine environment. In addition, some of these companies have enjoyed increased investments in their R&D programmes and proven market advantage over their competitors.
The Imperial College Pile `ICP' effective-stress pile design approaches for offshore foundations offer much better design reliability than conventional methods. Their use delivers substantial economies in many hydrocarbon and renewable energy projects, better safety and confidence in developing adventurous structures in others. The ICP has enabled production in otherwise unviable marginal hydrocarbon fields, new options in high-value deep-water projects and helped eliminate installation failures that can cost hundreds of £million. We present evidence that the research delivered direct benefits exceeding £400m since 2008 in projects known to us, with larger worldwide benefits through project risk reduction and independent exploitation.