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Loughborough University's (LU) research collaboration with The Hardstaff Group has resulted in a commercial Oil-Ignition-Gas-Injection system (OIGI®), which substitutes natural gas for Diesel oil in heavy goods vehicles. Using optical diagnostics OIGI® was redesigned, increasing average substitution rates from 45% to 60%. The economic impact for Hardstaff was a fuel saving of £406k per annum. The research allowed Hardstaff to create new business with Mercedes-Benz in the UK and Volvo in Sweden. OIGI® reduces CO2 by up to 15%, harmful nitrogen oxides and particulate emissions by 30%. The research also demonstrated, for the first time, dual fuel technology in small, high-speed diesel engines, paving the way for its application in passenger cars.
Impact on the environment
Economic impact
Impact on practitioners
University of Huddersfield research into engine technologies has resulted in a major new partnership with the UK arm of engineering multinational BorgWarner, leading to the company increasing R&D capabilities in the UK. This collaboration, funded partly by parent company BorgWarner US and partly by the government's Regional Growth Fund, involves multi-million-pound investment, as well as significant job creation and safeguarding. It was a key factor in the company securing a substantial contract with Jaguar Land Rover, whose decision was informed by the University's capacity to help BorgWarner further its R&D activities and upskill its workforce for the benefit of the UK automotive supply chain and the local and national economy.
Prof Zhao's development of an innovative hybrid engine RegenEBD was exploited by its industrial partner, Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Company (Yuchai), the largest bus engine manufacturer in China holding 80% of the domestic market. The first RegenEBD engine buses were operated in Yulin city, where Yuchai is based, in 2011. Yuchai confirmed that these buses have demonstrated notable fuel savings of 4.7-10% (1,100-2,200 litres of fuel saving), equivalent to 3.6-7.2 tonnes of carbon saving per vehicle per year. This led Yuchai to re-align their manufacturing strategies and development efforts for 3 years (2011-2013), investing significant resources to begin manufacturing and retrofitting of RegenEBD engines in 2014. They have employed over 30 new engineers to develop and manufacture RegenEBD and purchased equipment for RegenEBD engine testing and operations. Yuchai expects that hundreds of buses equipped with RegenEBD will be on the road by 2020.
Research in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells at Loughborough University (LU) has led to commercial and innovative impacts on a global scale which have included the development of the world's first purpose-built hydrogen fuel cell motorbike, the world's first manned fuel cell aircraft and a zero emission fuel cell hybrid London taxi, with major international companies, such as Suzuki, Boeing and Lotus. These developments have arisen due to the creation of the spin out company Intelligent Energy (IE). The company currently employs some 350 personnel, has a total shareholder investment over £100M and was valued at $0.5B in 2012.
Electrochemistry research in the Department of Chemistry (and associated research in Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering) at Loughborough University (LU) since 1993 has led directly to the development of a new generation of clean power systems based on advanced fuel cell technology. This resulted in the creation of a spinout company based on a license awarded by LU: Advanced Power Sources Limited (APS) in 1995. Intelligent Energy (IE) Limited (founded in 2001 upon the acquisition of APS), has a global presence: a workforce of over 350 highly skilled employees, significantly advanced technology, and investment in R&D. Environment improvements have been achieved through introduction of zero-emission fuel cell systems.
Improved measurement of fuel behaviour in automotive engines has contributed to the success of the AJ133 V8 engine, which powers over [text removed for publication] vehicles sold since 2009. The research, carried out at the University of Oxford in collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), developed techniques to improve the understanding of combustion dynamics in engines and consequently enabled improvements to fuel consumption, emissions and engine reliability. Impacts include contributions to (1) JLR's improved engine design process and (2) improved fuel efficiency and thus lower emissions.
The University of Manchester and Delphi Diesel Systems jointly developed a reverse tapered micro-hole drilling technique, which has resulted in wide commercial applications for the manufacture of fuel injection nozzles in diesel engines and is used by Volkswagen, Ford and Renault in passenger cars and trucks. The technique has resulted in 1.5% fuel saving, 35-40% reduction in particulate matter emission, 20% reduction in NOx emission, 3% reduction in CO2 emission, and allows diesel engines to satisfy the new EU emission legislation Euro 5 in 2008/2009. Delphi's diesel engine component business increased by €0.8 billion/year as a result of the new fuel injection technology.
Implementing measures that can maintain, as well as improve air quality is a constant challenge faced by local authorities, especially in metropolitan cities. The AVERT, EPSRC/DTI link project, led by Samuel and Morrey of Oxford Brookes University, were tasked at identifying and proposing a new strategy to limit the amount of pollutants from vehicles dynamically using remote sensing and telematics. Firstly, it established the magnitude of real-world emission levels from modern passenger vehicles using a newly developed drive-cycle. Secondly, it demonstrated a broad framework and limitations for using existing on-board computer diagnostic systems (OBD) and remote sensing schemes for the identification of gross polluting vehicles. Finally, it provided a strategy for controlling the vehicle to meet air pollution requirements. The outcomes had direct impact on Government policy on "Cars of the Future", roadside emission monitoring, and the business strategies for both the Go-Ahead Group and Oxonica Ltd.
Instrumentation technologies developed at Kent, in particular pulverised fuel flow metering, on-line particle sizing, on-line fuel tracking and burner flame imaging, have enabled combustion engineers to diagnose large-scale complex combustion processes and optimize the operation of coal, biomass and heavy-oil fired power plants. The technologies operate on novel sensing and advanced measurement principles and have produced real-time measurement and plant condition monitoring data that were previously unavailable. Instrumentation systems operating on the technologies have been applied successfully to a range of pilot plants and on full-scale power plants in countries including the UK, France, China and Saudi Arabia. Work has enabled the power industry to produce electricity safely while minimising environmental impact and employing a diverse range of fuels. The instrumentation technology informed the conversion of Drax power station from 100% coal firing to biomass/coal co-firing during 2011/2012 as it sought to halve its carbon footprint within five years. The technology sourced and informed the alleviation of significant vibration problems within a heavy-oil fired power plant in Saudi Arabia.