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Research at the University of Nottingham into the use of phase- change materials as a means for heating and cooling buildings has resulted in the development of COOL-PHASE®, a product which is sold by Monodraught ltd. The system was launched in 2008 and has been installed in 136 buildings in the UK. COOL-PHASE® underpins the long-term growth strategy for the company and Monodraught has invested in employing 3 new staff and £250k in capital expenditure to make the unit suitable for mass production.
Work and tool temperature are major issues in abrasive machining. Cooling fluids, usually oil based, are used to control these temperatures. This research aimed to achieve much more effective use of coolant. The established industrial practice was to use very high volumes of oil, under very high pressures. This is an expensive and environmentally unfriendly approach. This research improved coolant flow quality by improving nozzle design and established the underlying physics to improve penetration of coolant into the cutting zone. It then went on to show that it was not only possible, but sometimes it may actually be beneficial, to dramatically reduce coolant flow volume by a factor of up to 20,000. Before industry would adopt these ideas it was necessary to have firm scientific evidence of their validity. This research by the General Engineering Research Institute (GERI) provided that foundation and has led to successful adoption by industry, which has in turn led to both economic and environmental impact. This case study will evidence industrial take-up via specific examples and shows that GERI's research in this area has had a global impact on the training of industrial engineers employing the grinding process.
Ground-breaking research in the field of Dynamic Insulation (DI) at Aberdeen University has contributed to international efforts to combat climate change through the reduction of the carbon emissions associated with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning of buildings. Through the establishment of a spin-out company and the development of the world's first modular DI product, jobs have been created and developers have been able to use the first commercially available DI products and systems to meet strict new environmental targets. The success of such projects has led to greater public awareness of the issues around global warming.
Research conducted by Professor Short in the use of natural ventilation and passive cooling in non-domestic buildings is altering policies and plans in the refurbishment of existing healthcare buildings and in new-build for acute and primary care, both within and outside the UK. Moreover, the massive demolition and replacement of healthcare building stock, presumed to be required to simultaneously adapt to the increased ambient temperatures due to climate change and mitigate carbon emissions through improved energy efficiency, has been shown to be unnecessary.
Our early work on large animal models underpinned trials undertaken by ourselves and by others, which in turn have resulted in therapeutic hypothermia becoming standard care for infants with moderate to severe neonatal encephalopathy. In 2010 this was recommended in NICE guidance. Over 3,000 babies have now been given this treatment, and we estimate that 450 have avoided death or serious neurological disability. The estimated economic value of this is over £125 million.
The supply of electrical energy to centres of demand is an increasingly important issue as our power generation sources decarbonise. Without innovation in our use of high voltage cables, security of supply to our major cities cannot be guaranteed. Our research has:
Alliance researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to refurbish existing buildings, which make up over 90% of our stock of over 26m buildings, to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 80% (domestic properties) and 50% (non-domestic). The research has underpinned a shift of emphasis by UK government from new to existing buildings and the formulation of incentives to encourage building owners to make energy-saving improvements. In partnership with not-for-profit, public and private stakeholders, it has been used by national and local agencies to highlight the potential of improving the energy performance of traditionally constructed, timber-framed and residential mobile homes and incorporated into practical guidance by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. It is also the technical foundation for an educational software package developed with 100 school children and teachers and praised as exemplary by Education Scotland.