Research Subject Area: Interdisciplinary Engineering

REF impact found 140 Case Studies

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Advanced fluid flow modelling improves the efficiency of industrial burners

Summary of the impact

Using advanced mathematics and numerical modelling we have demonstrated how fundamental understanding of laminar-turbulent transitions in fluid flows can save energy. From 2008 we helped the cleantech company, Maxsys Fuel Systems Ltd, to understand and improve their technology and demonstrate to customers how it can reduce fuel use by 5-8%. Customers including Ford Motor, Dow Chemical and Findus testify to the impact from financial savings and reduced carbon emissions obtained by installing Maxsys products on industrial burners used widely in many industrial sectors including automotive, bulk chemicals and food. In 2010, Selas Heat Technology Company bought the Maxsys brand to invest in this success.

Submitting Institution

Aston University

Unit of Assessment

General Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Applied Mathematics
Engineering: Interdisciplinary Engineering

13 - Advanced Wavemaker Designs

Summary of the impact

Edinburgh Designs Ltd., (EDL) was spun-out to exploit ERPE research from the original Wave Power Group. With six staff and an annual turnover approaching £2M EDL has supplied the equipment and control systems for wave tanks in 19 countries including the world's largest computer-controlled wave test facility, the US Navy Manoeuvring and Station Keeping Tank. They are currently completing the world's first circular tank, combining waves with currents in any relative direction, which is operated by the 6 person company, "FloWave" EDL, still run by the founding staff, it is the world-leading supplier of wave-making technology for scientific and recreational facilities.

Submitting Institutions

Heriot-Watt University,University of Edinburgh

Unit of Assessment

General Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Engineering: Maritime Engineering, Interdisciplinary Engineering
Medical and Health Sciences: Neurosciences

Advancing Safety of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies: HySAFETY

Summary of the impact

The adoption of hydrogen and fuel cell systems provides one solution to fossil fuel depletion, security of energy supplies and sustainability concerns. However, safety is a key technological barrier to the hydrogen economy. The technological impact of this case study is the adoption of research outcomes, from work undertaken by the Hydrogen Safety Engineering and Research centre (HySAFER), Built Environment Research Institute into international regulations, codes, and standards (namely Commission Regulation (EU) No.406/2010, and the international ISO/TR15916), and development of novel safety strategies, guidance, protocols, and engineering solutions supported by significant external research funding.

Submitting Institution

University of Ulster

Unit of Assessment

Architecture, Built Environment and Planning

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Engineering: Environmental Engineering, Materials Engineering, Interdisciplinary Engineering

An innovative approach to cooling underground railways through the application of sustainable ground source geothermal engineering.

Summary of the impact

This case study demonstrates how research into ground source geothermal cooling has benefited a public service organisation (London Underground Ltd (LUL)), an international engineering consultancy (Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB)) and the safety and comfort of staff and users of the London Underground.

Impact includes:

  • Implementation of the cooling method at Green Park and Oxford Circus stations in 2012;
  • Inclusion of the cooling approach within LUL's £500m Victoria line upgrade (2013);
  • Additional revenues of £500k (PB) and new contract research for LSBU (£500k);
  • A new commercial capability in design and analysis of ground water cooling (PB);
  • Creation of a specialised professional level post (PB);
  • A 2012 Rail Business Award for environmental innovation (LUL);
  • International adoption and significant interest in the cooling method.

Submitting Institution

London South Bank University

Unit of Assessment

General Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Engineering: Environmental Engineering, Interdisciplinary Engineering
Built Environment and Design: Building

10. A novel linear gasifier panel design for underground coal gasification (UCG) under weak roof rock conditions

Summary of the impact

A US$1.5 billion clean coal project at the YiHe Coal Field in Inner Mongolia was established in June 2011 as a joint venture between UK based Seamwell International Ltd and the state-owned China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group. This is the first commercial project to employ the novel "Linear UCG Gasifier" design developed specifically for use under extremely weak underground roof conditions by Durucan, Korre and Shi at Imperial College London. Underground gasification under such conditions is made possible solely because of the novel gasifier design, which has opened up the potential to transform over 720 million tonnes of coal resource, that would otherwise have remained trapped, as a clean coal energy source for the next 20 years.

Submitting Institution

Imperial College London

Unit of Assessment

Aeronautical, Mechanical, Chemical and Manufacturing Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Engineering: Environmental Engineering, Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy, Interdisciplinary Engineering

Avoiding and Resolving Problems with Handling of Powders and Other Particulate Materials in Industry: ‘QPM’ and related projects including ‘Powder Flowability Tester’

Summary of the impact

Powder handling research at the Centre for Numerical Modelling and Process Analysis (CNMPA) enables industries to reduce the risk in new powder processes and to troubleshoot existing ones. The study focuses on two closely-related projects that have resulted in a series of instruments, analysis techniques, training and spin-out research that has found application in a large number of companies all over the world, in a wide range of industries. The case is typical of the influence that the CNMPA has had on industry awareness and practice in the UK and globally.

Submitting Institution

University of Greenwich

Unit of Assessment

General Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Engineering: Chemical Engineering, Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy, Interdisciplinary Engineering

Bristol research helps reduce the threat to people and property from snow avalanches

Summary of the impact

Research carried out in the School of Mathematics at the University of Bristol between 1998 and 2005 has been instrumental in the development of structures that arrest or deflect the rapid flow of snow that characterises avalanches in mountainous regions of the world. The research has been embodied in a series of guidance documents for engineers on the design of such structures and many defence dams and barriers have been built across Europe since 2008. The guidance is now adopted as standard practice in many of the countries that experience avalanches. Investment in avalanche defence projects based on the design principles set out in the guidance runs into tens of millions of pounds. The Bristol research is also used internationally in the training of engineers who specialise in avalanche protection schemes. Given the scale of the threat to life and property from these potent natural hazards, the impact of the research is considerable in terms of the societal and economic benefits derived from the reduction of the risk posed by snow avalanches.

Submitting Institution

University of Bristol

Unit of Assessment

Mathematical Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Engineering: Civil Engineering, Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy, Interdisciplinary Engineering

Carbon dioxide sequestration

Summary of the impact

Carbon dioxide sequestration is the process by which pressured CO2 is injected into a storage space within the Earth rather than released into the atmosphere. It is one of the major ways that carbon dioxide emissions can be controlled.

Research since 2004 by applied mathematicians at the University of Cambridge into the many different effects that might be encountered during this process has had considerable impact on government and industry groups in determining how the field is viewed and how it should and might be industrially developed. The work played a major role in the CO2CRC conferences and was subsequently reported to the Australian Government by the CO2CRC chair and organisers.

Submitting Institution

University of Cambridge

Unit of Assessment

Mathematical Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Ecology
Engineering: Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy, Interdisciplinary Engineering

Global sales of tomographic instruments benefiting process industries

Summary of the impact

Research into industrial process tomography has been performed at the University of Leeds from 1999 to the present day with much of this being in collaboration with Industrial Tomography Systems plc (ITS). This research, together with the associated intellectual property, has provided the foundation of 5 innovative new products developed and produced by ITS during the eligible period. These new products have generated sales of £5m and are in large part responsible for increases in turnover and employment of approximately 60%, and exports of 67% since 2008. These instruments are used in a significant number of new applications and are generating major benefits to end users in the oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, consumer products, minerals and food sectors.

Submitting Institution

University of Leeds

Unit of Assessment

General Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Physical Sciences: Other Physical Sciences
Information and Computing Sciences: Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing
Engineering: Interdisciplinary Engineering

Improving co-firing efficiency for sustainable biomass energy

Summary of the impact

Over the past 10 years there has been a massive expansion in biomass use for power generation, particularly in the UK and Europe. Research at the University of Leeds has been crucial in addressing many of the challenges inherent in moving from coal to biomass including milling, combustion characteristics, deposition and corrosion enabling adoption of biomass for power generation. The research has impacted: (1) company strategy and industry practice for the use of biomass and key technology choices; (2) society, health and environment via CO2 reduction and emission reduction; (3) national energy security through an increased fuel inventory; (4) UK Government and EU policy as expert members of advisory groups.

Submitting Institution

University of Leeds

Unit of Assessment

General Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
Engineering: Chemical Engineering, Interdisciplinary Engineering

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