Energy Engineering
Our energy engineering activities are expanding rapidly with major industrial input and collaboration. Our main areas of expertise are process intensification and integration, the exploitation of hydrogen as an energy vector, hybrid vehicles, and a unique tidal-stream turbine. In addition, we have funded projects in smart electricity meters, solar concentrators, and solar-driven air conditioning. Please follow the links for more detailed information.
In recent years it has become widely recognised that process technologies for the production of energy, materials, products and services must become more efficient and sustainable. This requires novel, intensified and integrated processes which in turn use more extreme operating conditions that require extended materials properties. At the nanoscale, materials can have unusual and different properties to the macro state. The ability to understand and manipulate properties at the nano scale therefore affords an opportunity to radically improve process technologies. Ashok Bhattacharya and his group are targeting this opportunity, with a particular emphasis on renewable energy and hydrogen technologies, and energy efficient processing.
Process Intensification and Integration (Prof. Ashok Bhattacharya)
We have a number of projects working on the down-scaling of sustainable technologies for the building and transport industries including the modelling, development and characterisation of small scale intensified reformers based on plated heat exchangers with catalytic heat exchanging surfaces.
Low-Carbon Vehicles (Dr. Malcolm McCulloch, Dr Marcus Leong)
Our on-going programme of vehicle development is entirely collaborative with industry, Government, and other universities. Our part is the development of high-efficency electric motors and control.
We have just embarked on a programme of energy use in the transport sector jointly David Banister in the Transport Studies Unit. We will be studying different options and creating implementable solutions combining technology, life-cycle assessment, economics, and policy.
Hydrogen (Prof. Ashok Bhattacharya)
Producing, separating, and purifying hydrogen is a challenge common to all areas of the proposed hydrogen economy. Separation by membranes based on palladium and its alloys is effective but at present uneconomic. The group is addressing this problem by developing processes for the reliable preparation of ultrathin, supported membranes.
Solar Concentrators (Dr. Malcolm McCulloch)
We have an EPSRC funded project under the 'Energy Feasibility Studies' scheme, jointly with the Oxford Mathematical Institute. A demonstration-scale device will be constructed in Engineering once the reflecting surface shape is optimised. This work was initiated through a highly successful final year project.
Marine Renewables (Prof Guy Houlsby, Dr. Malcolm McCulloch, Prof. Martin Oldfield, Dr Richard Willden)
We have designed a new type of turbine suitable for tidal-stream use. Lab tests have proved successful and we are scaling-up our device for tank testing. Richard Willden is working on a range of hydrodynamic problems associated with marine renewable devices.
Last modified 20 February 2008 by WEBNOBODY.