Recent Project Additions to the EDC
13/11/2024
13 new projects added
GRN: ENA_10061342
Period: 01/10/2023 to 01/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Thermal sensing and harvesting using pyroelectric materials is an emerging and active research topic with respect to the recovery of low-grade waste heat and infrared detection. However, current pyroelectric materials suffer from poor heat transfer and low efficiency and sensitivity, which limits their practical application. This project targets the modelling, synthesis and characterization of thin-film porous pyroelectric materials that are produced via an aqueous freeze tape casting. While the presence of porosity reduces the permittivity to improve sensing and harvesting performance, the incorporation of plasmonic nanofillers within porous structure will also significantly improve heat transfer. The challenge of this project stems on the control of the directional pores in the thin films and tailoring heat transfer as a result of localized pore heating due to plasmonic fillers. The combination of modelling, materials synthesis and characterization will lead to the development of a high performance multi-functional pyro-photo-thermal material for pyroelectric sensing and harvesting. The experience of the applicant in pyroelectric materials and the skills of the host in pyroelectric composites and plasmonics will be exploited on the design of the pyroelectric materials and the control of the plasmonic nanoparticles. The applicant will gain new expertise in finite element modelling and the preparation of porous pyroelectric composites offered by the host. This fellowship will be a key step in the applicant's career development by expanding her research and academic training. This will be facilitated by a focused training plan and the establishment of new long-term collaborations across the EU, and links with other leading thermal energy sensing and harvesting institutes/industries
GRN: ENA_10061351
Period: 01/03/2024 to 01/06/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Oxford's nanofabrication cleanroom (Fab@Oxford, https://fab.ox.ac.uk) hosts a suite of equipment supporting our large nanoscience community. It enables research developing new energy-efficient hardware for AI and Machine Learning; micro- and nano-devices/materials for photonics; experimental metamaterials; nanofluidic devices for ultrafast diagnostics; Micro- and Nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) for sensing and actuation; and more.As the number of users and their needs for more complex fabrication have expanded, we find that a large proportion of users require higher throughput and more reliable E-Beam lithography (EBL), as well as novel 3D nanoprinting capabilities to enable forefront research on interfaces between devices and systems.For the EBL, the present tool has reached the point where it is no longer serviceable resulting in down-time of over five months. It has no advanced features such as autofocusing and is restricted to acceleration voltages of >50 kV resulting in long writing times, exacerbating time pressures on the tool - presently running nearly 24x7. The manufacturer's service contract has failed to cover most recent repairs, as engineers are not trained on such an old instrument. Resolutions approaching 30nm or below have also become very challenging due to the age of the tool. Thus, it is imperative that this underpinning workhorse tool be urgently replaced with a new state-of-the-art EBL to secure the delivery of the current £50M EPSRC research portfolio and continue pushing the community's ability to develop cutting-edge materials and nanoengineering.Specifically, the new EBL will deliver:Scan speed of up to 100MHz, enhancing throughput.Auto calibration to achieve reliable, stable pattern writing for long periods of time.Timing of auto correction to be set for each field or each pattern to allow long period writing without an operator, for example at weekends.Potential to accommodate up to 300mmF wafer and up to 6-inch mask, thus increasing relevance to industrial R&D.In consultation with the wide user community, we have also identified a pressing unmet need in 3D nanopatterning, in particular for complex 3D hybrid circuits to power next generation computer chips, and energy efficient accelerators. A combined EBL alongside a nanoscribe 3D 2-photon system will allow users to build nanoscale parts in 2D (EBL) alongside 3D integration (nanoscribe) particularly for emerging photonic circuits in which Oxford is a world-leader. This suite would significantly increase the research capability available and would be the only such combined capability in the UK, bringing in a larger user base within the University, and elsewhere. Interfacing photonics with electronics is an area of frontier research, and such combined capability is essential to keep UK research at the forefront of this field. The overarching aims of this underpinning multi-user equipment grant is therefore to enhance the research capabilities and capacity of the Fab@Oxford facility which currently supports academics across the engineering and physical sciences ensuring that we maintain an enviable lead in all the areas that are currently underpinned by such infrastructure
GRN: NPG_SIF_012
Period: 01/03/2024 to 01/06/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The UK is committed to achieving Net Zero by 2050. Waste heat is a huge cause of energy losses in domestic and industrial settings. Large scale thermoelectric recovery of waste heat into electricity can lead to significant reductions in CO2 emissions. In addition, there is a need to power the internet of things (IoT), which dictates the deployment of billions of interconnected sensor devices. Here thermoelectrics can provide free electricity by scavenging waste heat, eliminating the need for batteries or grid connectivity.However, despite the many advantages of the use of thermoelectricity in energy generation and scavenging, commercially it is still an inefficient and expensive technology which relies on scarce materials, mainly Tellurium compounds. New, abundant materials with ease of processing, which can enable large scale production in order to become competitive sources of electricity are needed. Amongst the many new materials investigated lately to increase performance and replace the prominent Bi2Te3 and PbTe for use in thermoelectric generators, half-Heuslers are leading contenders for mass production and commercialisation. They are stable, mechanically robust and are composed of abundant, inexpensive elements.However, a substantial improvement in their power output (i.e. improving W/£), which would largely exceed the power output of current thermoelectric devices is also needed. To radically improve the power output from thermoelectric materials, new approaches are required, beyond reducing the heat transport through them, which has been the key paradigm in the field.We propose an alternative, challenging and disruptive approach based on insights from advanced modelling of charge transport in half-Heusler materials. This shows that the power output, even of already studied materials, can be increased by 2-10-fold by improved materials growth, control of defect chemistry, doping and bandstructure engineering. This will reduce the £/W cost by up to an order of magnitude as the overall material compositions remain similar.This work is a paradigm shift in thermoelectric materials research away from the mainstream focus on nanostructuring and thermal conductivity reduction, to materials with huge electronic responses to a temperature difference. Success of this research will enable the application of Heusler alloys in large-scale waste-heat recovery (kW range energy harvesting) and/ or powering the internet of things (mW-W range of energy scavenging). The project team brings together leading UK expertise in Heusler materials synthesis and thermoelectric materials modelling and will work closely with Industrial and Academic partners to ensure success and translation into working technologies. The resulting developments in synthetic and computational methodologies will be highly relevant to other electronic and opto-electronic materials fields as well
GRN: ENA_10061345
Period: 01/03/2024 to 01/06/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Civil infrastructure is the key to unlocking net zero. To achieve the ambitious UK targets of net zero by 2050, we require innovative approaches to design, construction, and operation that prioritise energy efficiency, renewable resources, and low-carbon materials. Meeting net zero carbon emissions will require not only significant investment and planning, but also a radical shift in how we approach the design and management of our civil infrastructure. Reliable low carbon infrastructure sector solutions that meet real user needs are essential to ensure a smooth and safe transition to a net zero future.To address these challenges, the UK must develop highly skilled infrastructure professionals who can champion this urgent, complex, interconnected and cross-disciplinary transition to net zero infrastructure. This EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero (FIBE3 CDT) aims to lead this transformation by co-developing and co-delivering an inspirational doctoral training programme with industry partners. FIBE3 will focus on meeting the user needs of the construction and infrastructure sector in its pursuit of net zero. Our goal is to equip emerging talents from diverse academic and social backgrounds with the skills, knowledge and qualities to engineer the infrastructure needed to unlock net zero, including technological, environmental, economic, social and demographic challenges. Achievable outcomes will include a dynamic roadmap for the infrastructure that unlocks net zero, cohort-based doctoral student training with immersive industry experience, a CDT which is firmly embedded within existing net zero research initiatives, and expanded networks and outward-facing education. These outcomes will be centred around four thematic enablers: (1) existing and disruptive/new technologies, (2) radical circularity and whole life approach, (3) AI-driven digitalisation and data, and (4) risk-based systems thinking and connectivity.FIBE3 doctoral students will be trained to unlock net zero by evolving the MRes year to include intimate industry engagement through the novel introduction of a fourth dimension to our successful 'T-shaped' training model and designing the PhD with regular outward-facing deliverables. We have leveraged industry-borne ideas to align theory and practice, streamline business and research needs, and provide both academic-led and industry-led training activities. Cohort-based training in technical, commercial, transferable and personal skills will be provided for our graduates to become skilled professionals and leaders in delivering net zero infrastructure. FIBE3's alignment with real industry needs is backed by a 31 strong consortium, including owners, consultants, contractors, technology providers and knowledge transfer partners, who actively seek engagement for solutions and will support the CDT with substantial cash (£2.56M) and in-kind (£8.88M) contributions. At Cambridge, the FIBE3 CDT will be embedded within an inspirational research and training environment, a culture of academic excellence and within a department with strategic cross-cutting research themes that have net zero ambitions at their core. This is exemplified by Cambridge's portfolio of over £60M current aligned research grant funding and our internationally renowned centres and initiatives including the Digital Roads of the Future Initiative, the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction, Cambridge Zero and Cambridge Centres for Climate Repair and Carbon Credits, as well as our strong partnerships with UK universities and leading academic centres across the globe. Our proposed vision, training structure and deliverables are exciting and challenging; we are confident that we have the right team to deliver a highly successful FIBE3 CDT and to continue to develop outstanding PhD graduates who will be net zero infrastructure champions of the future
GRN: NPG_SIF_009
Period: 01/03/2024 to 01/06/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
"Semiconductors" are synonymous with "Silicon chips". After all Silicon supported computing technologies in the 20th century. But Silicon is reaching fundamental limits and already many of the technologies we take for granted are only possible because of Compound Semiconductors (CS). These include: the internet, smart phones and energy-efficient LED lighting!CSs are also at the heart of most of the new technologies envisaged, including 6G wireless, ultra-high speed optical fibre connectivity, LIDAR for autonomous vehicles, high voltage switching for electric vehicles, the IoT and high-capacity data storage. CSs also offer huge opportunities for energy efficiency and net zero.The CS Hub will contribute to "Engineering Net Zero", through products, such as energy-efficient electronics, and by introducing new environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes; to "Quantum Technologies", by creating practical implementations that can be manufactured at scale; to the "Physical and Mathematical Sciences Powerhouse" and "Frontiers in Engineering and Technology", through e.g. cutting-edge materials science and manufacturing-process innovation.CS materials are grown atom-by-atom on slices of crystalline material, known as substrates, which provide mechanical support for the resulting "wafer" during the next stage of fabrication. CSs are often made on relatively small substrates. Manufacturers have had to combine functions by assembling discrete devices but this is expensive. New approaches to integration in epitaxy and fabrication are required along with wafer-size scale-up for the new applications.Applications such as in quantum technology (QT) are pushing requirements for more accurate and highly reproducible manufacturing-processes. With such improvements CS will underpin the UK quantum industry and enable impact for the existing QT investments.We will create designs that are more tolerant to typical variations that occur during manufacturing; develop manufacturing processes that are more uniform and repeatable; create techniques to characterise performance part-way through manufacturing, create techniques to combine materials (e.g. CS grown atom-by-atom on Silicon) and combine functions on chip.We will study and implement ways to make CS manufacturing more environmentally friendly.We will make it easier to compare the environmental foot-print of different CS research and manufacturing-processes by making available relevant, high quality data in the form of accessible libraries of the resource and energy usage of the feedstocks and processes used in CS manufacturing.We aim to change the mind-set of UK academics. Our vision is that researchers think about the translation of their research from the beginning of the innovation process and about the requirements that next generation product manufacturers will face. As a critical factor in all future manufacturing, we aim to embed the philosophy of resource efficiency of the research itself, resource efficiency of the manufacturing process, as well as of the application it supports.We aim to repatriate and connect CS manufacturing supply chains to re-shore production and facilitate innovation, enabling development of holistic solutions. We will address the current staffing shortages of the CS industry by: providing leadership in improving career structure and enhancing training for Hub research and technical staff; putting in place the very best ED&I practice to create the most positive and inclusive working environment and promulgating this across the industry; inspiring the next generation of the CS workforce as well as spreading the news about the fantastic career opportunities currently available. By working closely with industry partners on all these aspects we will attract and retain staff in this critical UK manufacturing industry
GRN: NPG_SIF_010
Period: 01/03/2024 to 01/06/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
This project will develop advanced plasma-facing materials that may enable improvements in the efficiency and operating lifetime of future energy-producing fusion reactors. Such energy-demonstrating reactors may include the European Demonstration Power Plant (EU-DEMO) and the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (UK STEP). In all fusion tokamak configurations, the plasma-facing material (PFM) is exposed to an intense flux of particles of deuterium, tritium, helium and neutrons, which will degrade its performance. This leads to contamination of the reactor and consequently limit the reactor's operation. Baseline tungsten PFMs have already been identified for experimental (i.e. non-electricity producing) reactors, but the development of advanced tungsten-based alloys with improved thermal-mechanical performance and irradiation damage tolerance remains a vital concern for the future.In this research, I will develop a fundamental understanding of how W-based high entropy alloys (HEAs) degrade in extreme fusion reactor environments. Recently, these alloys have been proposed as having unrivalled resistance to neutron fluxes. However, to date their thermophysical properties and plasma-facing performance remain poorly understood.The goal of this work is the development of advanced tungsten-based HEAs via two interlinked work-packages: First, I will process new W-based HEAs and study their fundamental thermal and mechanical properties. Second, I will study their behaviour under fusion relevant plasma conditions including fluxes of heavy ions and hydrogen. By interlinking the microstructure, the fundamental materials properties, and the damage tolerance, my project will guide the development of materials with improved performance that are vital for commercial reactor operation.
GRN: ENA_10061359
Period: 01/10/2023 to 01/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Context: Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) are critically important for the UK transition to net zero. Developing through a variety of demonstration projects and niche markets, SLES use new technologies, digitalisation and market incentives to maximise household consumption of locally generated renewable electricity by flexibly managing demand and storage amongst neighbours. Research to date has looked at the engineering, organisational and marketing aspects of SLES, with households conceived in terms of their ability to invest in the assets and skills needed to become smart customers. Whilst useful, it is an approach that completely overlooks the 'energy housekeeping' work that system operators need from households in order for the former's designs to be effective.Aims: This project analyses the work households and communities do to domesticate SLES technologies and use them flexibly. In doing so, the project explores what kinds of rewarded and unrewarded labour households and communities contribute to the production of SLES, and how that work is distributed within and across households and communities. Applying a labour process analysis, we will study activities like learning to work with the technologies, rearranging domestic chores, and supporting neighbouring households, in order to better understand the value such work contributes to the system. We will work with community energy organisations and households, who will provide us with qualitative and quantitative information about the support work they both undertake in order to domesticate SLES. Significance: Inspired by feminist scholarship in domestic labour and social reproduction around digitalisation in other sectors, our research posits that human work is the ultimate source of value. We argue that failing to recognise the divisions and changes in domestic and community labour needed to make SLES work risks alienating households and entrenching conflicts that will undermine the high levels of participation needed across 28 million households for effective SLES.Impact on policy and practice: The research team is a partnership between the Sussex Energy Group (SEG) and the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE). Both will work closely with community energy organisations (CEO) who will help fine tune our framework and support access to households in SLES projects. Results will inform CSE policy advocacy on community energy, where a labour-based perspective will provide novel insights for integrating community energy organisations and households into SLES governance. The project will produce three policy briefings, a comic and organise policy and community workshops that engage with our results and debate how new policies can recognise and reward more fairly and inclusively the labour that households and community organisations provide in the operation of SLES. Our research will guide questions about ownership, incentives and benefit sharing. In working with a comic artist, we will produce a visually engaging explanation of these issues. And CSE develop learning resources and an online tutorial for energy professionals that helps them navigate labour-based issues in their work. Academic impact: Our innovative analysis of household and community labour will advance social science research in three areas: 1) contributing labour process analysis to the increasingly important study of energy housekeeping; 2) given SLES are an important component in energy transitions, our analysis will contribute a missing focus on labour to the field of sustainability transitions research; and 3) we will contribute to feminist labour theories an empirical case study of the complexities of energy systems (re)production
GRN: 10083475(Correct)
Period: 01/10/2023 to 01/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The CO2 emissions from manufacture (the so-called embodied carbon) of end-user ICT devices makes up the majority of their carbon footprint over the typical current useful life of such devices. To achieve sustainable ICT, in addition to reducing run time energy consumption, it is therefore essential to extend the active life, ideally to several decades. The largest growth in end-user devices is in the Internet of Things (IoT) market, projected to rise to 30 billion devices by 2030.Our vision with the IDEAL project is to demonstrate the possibility of extending the lifetime of IoT devices from several years to several decades through a combination of novel hardware design technologies, hardware/software co-design techniques, formal methods, machine learning and circular economy. As current business models assume short replacement cycles for end-user devices (typically a few years), in addition to the technologies to extend the useful life, we will also demonstrate the viability of alternative business models based on very long-lived devices, co-created with our partners.Our technology will allow not only to extensively prolong the useful life, but also to accurately assess the degradation of any given device, enabling the repurposing of devices with reduced capabilities for new tasks that match these capabilities. In this way, our proposal fits both with Sustainable ICT, as it will enable a drastic reduction in the embodied carbon of IoT devices, and the Circular Economy, as our technology will allow devices to be repurposed repeatedly throughout their useful life.Our proposed approach is to instrument the integrated circuits at the lowest level with a novel, ultra-low power, unobtrusive monitoring and data aggregation technology and additional self-healing capabilities. The generated data will be analysed using low power machine learning nodes executing close to the actual IoT devices rather than in the cloud for reliable and early detection of anomalies in the system operation, indicative of early system degradation, and produce the optimal strategy for addressing each anomaly before it can affect the lifetime of the system. Because this is a close-loop networked system with a considerable degree of control over the IoT devices, it is essential to have guarantees of correctness and security by design in the communication between the analysis and decision making nodes and the IoT devices, which will be enabled by the use of a formal mechanism know as session types.The system we propose to develop is a subsystem of any IoT system: an IoT system consists of end-user devices located at the so-called "edge", connected to a cloud data centre, with increasingly, part of the processing performed in the "fog" between the edge and the cloud. The aim is that the introduction and operation of our subsystem will substantially reduce the full-lifecycle carbon footprint of the overall system. In business terms, our system fits within an emerging environment of IoT-as-a-service and circular economy. Large-scale introduction of our technology and associated business models can result in the emergence of entirely new types of businesses taking care of the re-purposing of devices or offering monitoring and adaptation services
GRN: REF:10079341
Period: 01/10/2023 to 01/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
As a key part of the fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), the development of safe, lightweight hydrogen storage vessels is critical for the range of the vehicles. Composite storage vessels has the potential to replace traditional metal vessels, enabling high hydrogen storage density per unit mass. However, due to the poor impact resistance and complex damage mechanisms of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, safety is still concerned once it is subjected to transverse impact. Therefore, it is imperative to design and optimise the hydrogen storage vessels based on safety requirements. How to replace the expensive and harsh dynamic test method, accurately predict the complex thermomechanical response of the composite storage vessel under the dynamic impact loading is critical for the development and deployment of new hydrogen composite vessels. Therefore, this EU Marie Curie fellowship aims to:(1) For the first time, create systematic and fundamental understanding of the failure strength and mechanisms of composites under much broader multiaxial loading conditions using a patented test rig;(2) Establish high fidelity RVE-based FE modelling of composite with ML identified uncertain material parameters to generate a full spectrum of failure predictions under multiaxial loading conditions;(3) Synergise the experimental data and numerical predictions to train data-driven ML tools for predicting the material failure envelope and informing the development of a modified failure criterion;(4) Implement the modified failure criterion and develop a multiscale virtual design and test tool for hydrogen composite vessels under impact loading as well as evaluate their CAI or TAI performance against experiments; (5) Develop and maintain a dedicated platform for dissemination of the developed virtual tool and promote virtual design and test of hydrogen composite vessels backed up by physical test
GRN: ENA_10086034
Period: 01/10/2023 to 01/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The transportation sector represents a significant and rapidly expanding energy consumer, and it stands out as one of the most difficult sectors in decarbonization. Although promising projections suggest a rapid proliferation of low-power electric vehicles, the decarbonization of heavy-duty vehicles (ships, long-haul trucks, and aviation) remains challenging. A promising solution is to produce infrastructure-compatible advanced liquid biofuels (such as drop-in hydrocarbons with high energy density) through bio- and/or (electro)-chemical conversion technologies. Nonetheless, existing technologies present notable challenges: (1) biological conversionis susceptible to environmental variables, leading to a diverse array of by-products and low carbon utilization; (2) (electro)-chemical efficiency is compromised by inactive surface-catalyzed reactions; (3) sustainability of the integrated process can be uncertain due to the intricate nature of biowastes and the resulting products. The proposed two-year fellowship BioBOOST hosted in University of Liverpool aims to develop an innovative integrated system that produces advanced biofuels (liquid alkanes and green hydrogen) by combining the strength of bio- and (electro)-chemical conversion. BioBOOST will explore the conversion of biowastes to medium-chain carboxylic acids as the key biofuel/chemical. precursors by an intensified microbial fermentation process. Subsequently, the platform carboxylic acids will be valorized to liquid bio-alkanes via the sustainable Kolbe electrolysis. By harnessing the synergistic potential of bio- and (electro)-chemical conversion, BioBOOST enables the concurrent separation and valorization of platform intermediates. This, in turn, paves the way to produce advanced biofuels in a circular bioeconomy. The completion of research and training activities in BioBOOST will enhance the career prospects of the fellow and prepare the fellow as a prominent researcher in bioenergy field
GRN: ENA_10061309
Period: 01/10/2023 to 01/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The global effort to decarbonize energy production and transport has generated unprecedented demand for rare earth elements (REEs) used in technologies such as wind turbines and electric vehicles to such an extent that REEs are nowadays considered as critical minerals due to their importance in these technologies and their restricted supply. Discovering new deposits with economical concentrations of REE that could be mined in environmentally and socially responsible ways is thus vital to the energy transition. The major REE deposits in the world are associated with alkaline-silicate rocks and carbonatites formed in extensional intracontinental setting. However, the enrichment in REE in theses deposits are poorly understood, despite decades of research.While conventional petrographic and geochemical studies applied to REE deposits has already provided some key information about the nature of the fluids involved in REE enrichment in carbonatites, these methods have also shown some clear limitations and cannot be used to fully understand and quantify the processes involved in the enrichment of REE in alkaline magmas and subsequent transportation and concentration of REEs from magmas to economic deposits. ISO-REE project aims to explore the potential of novel REE and transitional stable isotope system as a key alternative to trace REE enrichment in magmas and REE transport and the speciation in fluids and brines. However, the use of these novel stable isotope systems is not straightforward as our understanding of their behaviour during the processes relevant to REE-deposit formation is limited. To calibrate the behaviour of these isotope systems and use them to develop a global process-based understanding of the formation of economic REE deposits, a multidisciplinary approach will be carried out by using theoretical computational work with state-of-the-art novel stable isotope measurements of natural samples from two well characterized carbonatite complexes
GRN: ENA_10061387
Period: 01/10/2023 to 01/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The success of the Net Zero transition requires attracting and retaining individuals with specialist data science skills and capabilities, as articulated in the UK"s National AI Strategy. The current ESO data science talent pipeline is decentralised and lacking coordination among industry, academia, tech partners and other various stakeholders. This project will aim to establish the design of an enduring and mutually beneficial fellowship to create a steady pipeline for data science skill and capabilities for ESO and the energy sector. This will create a mechanism for industry engagement and support addressing the skills gap across private, public, and academic institutions required for the net zero transition.
GRN: ENA_10061356
Period: 01/10/2023 to 01/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The APEX (Alternative Power for Equitable Communities) project will introduce an innovative method for localised and community-centred energy systems. It aims to leverage the capabilities of power-to-hydrogen (PtH2) technology within community settings while exploring forthcoming whole systems future energy scenarios that optimise the utilisation of current gas infrastructure.This concept revolves around harnessing excess, local renewable energy to produce hydrogen through electrolysis, strategically integrated to amplify energy flexibility and lower energy costs. The innovation will incorporate green hydrogen into the existing infrastructure, thus contributing significantly to sustainable development and the transition to low-carbon, place-based community heating schemes. The project will help with shaping the future of how hydrogen can integrate with community energy systems in line with the UK"s vision of a Just Transition to Net Zero.
23/10/2024
2 new projects added
GRN: EP/Y017412/1
Period: 01/09/2024 to 31/08/2026
Funding Source: EPSRC
This Phase 1 project will deliver a feasibility study for the design and development of an accessible CO alarm. It will act as a primer for a Phase 2 project which will focus on the actual development of an accessible CO alarm product.In particular, the project will conduct a desktop research on the current state of carbon monoxide alarms in the market, how the needs of vulnerable populations are currently addressed and to what extent, it will engage with end users and stakeholders in order to elicit the functional requirements and characteristics of an accessible CO alarm, and will analyse and evaluate collected data towards establishing the business case for developing the product and putting it in the market.
GRN: EP/Z533269/1
Period: 01/10/2024 to 30/09/2026
Funding Source: EPSRC
An API (Application Programme Interface) within Cadent"s PSR data software, the most up to date PSR data will be available every 24hrs, so that engineer or customer teams can ensure that the welfare provision offered at the property is the most suitable for the customer"s needs. Tool use will be expanded to accommodate other Cadent processes beyond emergency and repair, such as connections and replacement processes. This will open the tool to a wider audience, benefiting more customers and communities.Redesigned to capture information and include functionality that is currently captured in the alternative heating and cooking monitoring form. This will remove the need to populate that form going forward. Therefore, reducing duplication, saving time, and benefiting the employees of Cadent.
16/10/2024
8 new projects added
GRN: EP/Y016459/1
Period: 01/10/2024 to 30/09/2027
Funding Source: EPSRC
This project will help to inform the GDNs, and wider industry on the mechanism for potential air ingress into gas-conveying downstream pipework, particularly during periods of isolation (e.g., if a consumer manually shuts their ECV before then going on holiday for a number of weeks). The work will investigate the phenomena/behaviour for pure natural gas, hydrogen blends (20%), and pure hydrogen - to inform a holistic view for all gas scenarios.The findings will help enable any proactive mitigation measures to be considered and/or implemented in future, to help maximise the safety of consumers in any future scenario and engineer-out any possible risks.The work is supported by all 4 GDNs, and will collaborate with, and leverage, a preliminary project led by SGN.
GRN: EP/Y034643/1
Period: 01/10/2024 to 31/03/2033
Funding Source: EPSRC
This project is a critical end user project to seek independent third-party assessment of the suitability of various downstream ancillary components (e.g. pipes, fittings and devices) for use with hydrogen. This work is expected to focus on due diligence, evaluating the compliance of various product ranges with relevant standard(s) providing the required evidence on the suitability for use with hydrogen, and inform the need for further testing or evaluation to ensure safe and reliable gas installations. This study will support SGN decision making regarding the use of these components on SGN H100 Fife downstream pipework installations in customer properties.Due to their extensive expertise in this field, BSI- a Notified Body for CE marking, an Approved Body for UKCA marking, and owner of BSI Kitemark certification, have been identified as a suitable partner for executing this project. BSI offers a range of testing and certification services including new product development, pre-assessment, gap analysis, batch testing and full compliance testing giving us confidence in their capabilities for comprehensively undertaking this investigation.The project will consist of following 2 work packs and final reporting:· Work pack 1 - Collect and Assess Evidence (32 product ranges)· Work pack 2 - Investigate and Identify Alternatives (up to 11 product types)· Reporting of findings (3 reports)Phase 1 - Specifically, the primary objective of this work is to identify three specific brands or product ranges for each product type in various sizes (15mm, 18mm, 22mm, 28mm, and 35mm) that are compatible with 100% hydrogen gas while ensuring universal compatibility with natural gas.Phase 1b - Aims to ensure the compatibility of these products with 100% hydrogen gas and natural gas, providing assurance for safe and reliable gas installations. The reporting of these findings will also help identify any evidence gaps and inform the need for any potential further testing or evaluation to ensure safe and reliable gas installations.
GRN: EP/Z532848/1
Period: 01/10/2024 to 30/09/2031
Funding Source: EPSRC
This project will use machine learning techniques to improve forecasting capability for SF6 circuit breakers taking nameplate, environmental and operational factors into account. Building on existing work the following will be undertaken:Understand the performance of the existing model when applied to NGET assetsDevelop the model taking NGET assets into account and then test to determine accuracyCollect online density monitoring data and use it to improve the forecastsDemonstrate how forecasting may be used to automate planned interventions.
GRN: EP/Z002451/1
Period: 01/10/2024 to 30/09/2026
Funding Source: EPSRC
This project aims to assess the recommendations for ventilating boiler compartments containing hydrogen boilers. These recommendations are based on extensive experimental and computational modelling developed through various technical projects. However, the requirements are impractical as the recommended type and size of vents are not readily available. The project will strive to optimize these requirements to accommodate standard vent sizes wherever possible. Updating the venting requirements will subsequently facilitate the safe adoption of hydrogen for domestic use, particularly in properties where boilers are situated in cupboards.
GRN: EP/Z533749/1
Period: 01/01/2025 to 31/12/2027
Funding Source: EPSRC
Atmospheric Carbon Emissions Sampler - this project develops a product that collects atmospheric carbon for radiocarbon analysis, which can determine the amount of carbon that has been added by fossil fuel emissions. The potential users of the product include researchers, industrial sites with mixed fuel combustion, nuclear power plants, city and state governments and private companies
GRN: EP/Y024567/1
Period: 18/09/2023 to 17/09/2025
Funding Source: EPSRC
As more Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are being connected to distribution networks it is becoming apparent that there are weaknesses in the current approaches to assessing the voltage fluctuations they cause. The project will assess EREC P28 Issue 2 and recommend methodologies and approaches for assessing voltage fluctuations caused by BESS taking into account the commercial services BESS provide.
GRN: EP/Z002753/1
Period: 02/10/2024 to 01/10/2026
Funding Source: EPSRC
This project will undertake a literature review of the existing evidence from hydrogen projects concerning Pressure Regulating Installation (PRI) performance in pressure reduction, temperature management, control systems, pressure relief, velocity & saltation, and pressure management. This will include work done by NGN at DNV Spadeadam and South Bank, and work undertaken in the Wider Impacts project on noise and vibration in pressure regulators, and slam shut valves functionality. Research will be conducted on pressure regulators and related equipment currently used for 100% hydrogen in other industries. This comparative analysis aims to assess the functionality and performance of such equipment against those currently on the GB gas network. The project will then provide a roadmap to closing out any remaining gaps through additional research and/or testing.
GRN: ES/Z503757/1
Period: 01/10/2024 to 31/03/2027
Funding Source: ESRC
This project will explore how biomethane can be managed and used in areas of the gas network which will be converted to 100% hydrogen. A report will be produced detailing whether there could be a role for blending a small proportion of biomethane in dedicated hydrogen networks; what options exist for biomethane sites to produce hydrogen in place of methane and what options exist to move biomethane to non-hydrogen areas either in transition or in the longer term.
09/10/2024
1 new projects added
GRN: EP/Z534377/1
Period: 01/08/2024 to 31/07/2026
Funding Source: EPSRC
Balancing costs have been increasing significantly over the past three years and are forecast to increase even further out to 2030. There are many factors which influence increasing balancing costs. Identifying what system conditions lead to higher-cost outcomes, and which of these have the most significant effect, is vital to improve control room decisions and to ensure the ESO"s balancing cost reduction strategy is fit for purpose. This project will deliver a method to quantify the probability that certain conditions will lead to high balancing costs, and a more detailed causal and statistical analysis will then be completed for the most impactful factors identified. If successful, the methodology will be used to produce a prototype tool that can identify the probability of high balancing costs outcomes and inform the control room on how to best mitigate these conditions.
02/10/2024
97 new projects added
GRN: EP/Z000173/1
Period: 15/07/2024 to 14/01/2026
Funding Source: EPSRC
Substation battery banks (SBB) in electrical substations participate in black start recovery processes and provide essential back-up power supply for protection, control, telecommunications, and lighting. With stringent limitations on space and increasing requirements for safety and reliability, potential battery sizing optimisation opportunities may be possible to enable reliable, secure, space, time and cost-effective substation energy storage. Battery efficiency with optimal use supports the energy system transition by supporting evolving substation loads requiring appropriate scaling design that avoids costs in either oversizing initial banks or reinstalling entirely new banks. This project considers existing and future battery banks improvements to best practice, better chemistries, and online monitoring techniques with expected benefits in reducing carbon footprint and maintenance costs whilst informing correct & adaptive battery sizing.
GRN: EP/Y035402/1
Period: 01/07/2024 to 30/09/2032
Funding Source: EPSRC
Conventional 400kV air insulated substations (AIS) require a significant footprint to accommodate the double busbar arrangement with its associated main and reserve busbars, disconnectors, circuit breakers and metering apparatus. This project will explore compact substation designs by introducing surge arrester overvoltage protection to reduce the surge magnitudes and adoption of the innovative transformers with embedded close overvoltage protection, disconnector circuit breakers and optical voltage and current measurements. Moreover, Delta and Vertical busbar configurations (DBC and VBC) will also be explored to reduce the footprint width of the busbars. Project will result in taking this work to the next TRL stage, design and prepare a plan for a full demonstrator compact substation bay, including geometry and new equipment selection.
GRN: EP/Z533282/1
Period: 01/10/2024 to 30/09/2025
Funding Source: EPSRC
Cable systems are a critical and integral part of the power system. Effective monitoring of their health condition is paramount for ensuring system availability, reliability and resilience. The conventional DTS (Distributed Temperature Sensing) method has limitations in both spatial resolution and range for monitoring cable systems. This project proposes to investigate a novel method that combines polarisation maintaining fibre with single mode fibre to address these issues. In addition, the project would also investigate how Edge Computing may be used to improve the data quality while reducing the need for data storage.
GRN: EP/Y036921/1
Period: 01/01/2024 to 31/12/2027
Funding Source: EPSRC
This project aims to assess the depressurisation of domestic pipework and entrainment of oxygen into the pipework after depressurization. By undertaking the experimental work we aim to understand this depressurisation rate during the process, and at what stage and up to what extent the oxygen ingression may occur in the pipe.In addition to the test work, the project will present potential mitigations to prevent health and safety risks to the end user and safe methods/procedures to reinstate gas in the pipework after such depressurisation. It also investigates whether and how to disable a gas appliance and/or the gas supply after the supply has been shut off.
GRN: EP/Z531170/1
Period: 01/09/2024 to 31/08/2028
Funding Source: EPSRC
The world's largest militaries are finally acknowledging a threat to all peoples and nations, which has no regard for borders or territories, economic or political interests: the climate crisis. Militaries contribute to the deepening crisis through their intensive use of fossil fuels and energy. Several global militaries and the wider defence sector have recently pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to support governments to achieve net zero. These militaries aim to adopt low-carbon technologies, for example, to support the electrification of military bases. However, a shift to decarbonised militaries on this scale, will have knock-on environmental effects, often overlooked in national climate change policies. It will lead to increased demand for critical minerals used in low-carbon technologies, adding to geopolitical tensions over supply. It is vital that we are properly informed about the impacts of critical mineral extraction, so that we can consider how to minimise negative consequences and increase the positive outcomes.While emerging research has helped us understand the multi-layered issues that critical mineral extraction plays in other industrial sectors, such as energy and mobile technology, we still know very little about military use of critical minerals. We know even less about the unintended social and environmental consequences of their extensive global supply chains. This research is designed to change that. We will examine the social and environmental footprint of critical mineral extraction for defence purposes, so that companies, policymakers and local communities have the information to consider different approaches to decarbonisation. Our aim is to explore the socio-environmental trade-offs of different supply chains and the unique climate-security and geopolitical challenges facing the defence sector.In this project, we will examine the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD) use of critical minerals, and different sourcing options. Specifically, we will analyse the geopolitical, economic, and socio-environmental trade-offs in military extraction of lithium and graphite. We will examine impacts at three sites: an offshore Graphite mine sites, Vatomina and Sahamamy, in Madagascar; a domestic lithium mine in Penryn, Cornwall, UK; and a critical mineral recycling company in Tavistock, Devon, UK. These sites are in areas of high biodiversity, with local populations that rely on local natural resources. They will enable us to compare different approaches to mineral sourcing in the UK and abroad.We will work directly with the MoD, mineral companies, civil society groups, policymakers and local communities, using a mix of research methods. We will develop new ways of understanding the environmental impacts of military operations. This includes a novel Material Flow Analysis and Social Life Cycle Analysis, which will enable us to follow the critical minerals from their source to their finished military products, tracing their social and environmental impacts along the way. We will use these findings to pinpoint 'hotspots' of carbon emissions and social and environmental impacts, such as water pollution, deforestation and population displacement. We will also interview mine operators, workers and local community members to deepen our understanding of socio-environmental impacts. Throughout the research, policymakers and defence officials will be able to access our emerging findings on a user-friendly, open-source datalab. This will show where critical minerals are sourced, and their environmental and social footprints. We will ensure that insights from the datalab inform decarbonisation policy by engaging with the MoD and policymakers to review the significance of data for defence procurement strategy
GRN: EP/X041751/1
Period: 01/07/2024 to 30/06/2029
Funding Source: EPSRC
NGET is investigating alternatives to SF6 for use in gas insulated electrical switchgear. Two areas of investigation are combined within this project to further the understanding of alternative technologies.The project will consider how lifecycle analysis of new technology options may be approached and conducted. This will provide understanding of the relative merits of different technologies and the potential benefits of selecting one over anotherA second workstream will involve testing the dielectric strength of fluoronitrile based gas mixtures in the presence of crystalline materials to understand whether they pose a risk to the function of assets.
GRN: EP/Y036107/1
Period: 01/09/2024 to 31/08/2029
Funding Source: EPSRC
By analysing global methods of demand forecasting in various industries (e.g, Utilities, NHS, Finance, fuel), this project aims to explore the optimum way to obtain and manage consumer demands and the optimum time period to gather those demands over (e.g. daily demand, 4hr demand etc)The project will look at customer demand profiling for both on the day and ahead of the day change management.It will also explore long term forecasting of up to 10 years.
GRN: EP/Z000653/1
Period: 01/09/2024 to 31/08/2028
Funding Source: EPSRC
Our project, DEBIAS, aims to develop a generalisable framework to quantify and adjust existing biases in Digital Footprint Data (DFD) on human mobility. To this end, we will use DFD on human mobility obtained from users of the social media platforms Facebook and X (previously Twitter), and from smartphone applications collected by the company Huq. We will use data from the UK, but our framework will be reproducible and transferable to any DF source and geographical setting. Our framework will rely on aggregate human mobility data capturing flows of people between origins and destinations. Key benefits of using this data structure are that these data are more easily accessible. They help overcome ethical concerns ensuring anonymisation and represent a common format used by data providers to share DFD on mobility.Why mobility? Understanding how humans move is key to supporting appropriate policy responses to address population issues, carbon emission, urban planning, service delivery, public health and disaster management. DFD, such as location data collected from smartphone apps offer a unique opportunity to analyse population movements at high geographic and temporal granularity, with extensive coverage in near real-time. Research leveraging DFD has have a transformative impact expanding existing theories and developing new analytical tools and infrastructure of social and spatial human behaviour across the social sciences.Challenge: Biases in DFD have represented a major methodological barrier to reaping their benefits, contributing to scepticism and deterring wider usage of DFD. Biases mainly exist due to differences in: 1) the access and usage of the digital technologies used to collect the data (e.g. only 70% of the British population uses Facebook); and, 2) the demographic and socioeconomic profiles of users of the technology (e.g. Twitter has a young adult and male-dominated user profile mainly from urban areas). As such, human mobility data derived from DFD offer a partial representation of the overall population, limiting our capacity to draw conclusions about the overall local population.Promise: DEBIAS will deliver a framework to adjust biases in DF-derived mobility data and an open-source software package and training materials to implement it. These outcomes will contribute to delivering the Smart Data Research UK (SDRUK) programme aim of unlocking the power of new forms of data for research and innovation to tackle social challenges by 1) enabling the monitorisation and prediction of patterns of human mobility by facilitating robust real-time analysis based on DFs; 2) augmenting the technical social science research capacity in the use of DFD; 3) expanding existing theories and developing new explanations on spatial human behaviour by supporting research on highly granular space-time mobility patterns; and, 4) supporting the long-term access to robust and ethical DF-derived mobility data. DEBIAS will thus contribute to SDRUK-specific objectives by providing secure data access, safeguarding public trust, and building capability for cutting-edge research. To maximise impact, we will engage with direct beneficiaries of our work: a) researchers and analysts; b) public sector agencies; and, c) commercial stakeholders or third sector organisations engaged in data for public good initiatives and working in mobility, transport and migration. We will establish an advisory board representing expertise from the commercial (Meta), academic (Northeastern U.) and transgovernmental (UN) sectors, to inform the development of our software tool and training materials. Working with Meta and UN-IOM will enable the exploration of opportunities for long-term strategic partnerships for data access and application of our approach to new problems. We will disseminate and increase the awareness of our work via research articles, presentations and workshops targeting different audiences and adopting open science principles
GRN: EP/Y034686/1
Period: 01/10/2023 to 30/09/2027
Funding Source: EPSRC
The project involves the release, and real time measurement, of helium in twelve real, lived-in domestic properties that will be selected to be closely representative of UK housing stock. The experimental data gathered will help the gas industry better understand the movement of a buoyant gas within a variety of domestic scenarios, as well as validating existing mathematical models and industry recommendations being made by current research. The recommendations that the project aims to validate focus on the safe location of meters and appliances under hydrogen operation, and how different safety measures can be most effectively utilised to support these positions in early hydrogen demonstrations.
GRN: EP/W027569/2
Period: 01/05/2024 to 28/02/2025
Funding Source: EPSRC
The UK government/Ofgem have commissioned several projects to assess the safe use of hydrogen gas in domestic buildings. It has been noted that a policy decision on conversion to a hydrogen gas network will only be made once the case for safety is established. The current benchmark position is that any future hydrogen system must be as safe as the current natural gas system. The project objective is to develop an automated solution to monitor domestic/home pressures, monitor flow rates, isolate supplies in case of an emergency and communicate directly with the customer/gas network. The scope of the project will include Natural Gas, Hydrogen and Hydrogen Blends. By the end of the project, comprehensive inhouse and field testing will be completed, with a detailed report and third-party certification for ATEX hazardous area approval. Further to this,10 fully certified units will be available for further field trials in different facilities within the UK.
GRN: EP/Z53285X/1
Period: 02/09/2024 to 01/09/2031
Funding Source: EPSRC
Advanced economies are confronted with serious challenges that require us to approach problem solving in a completely different way. As the climate emergency deepens and our global population continues to rise, we must all consider several quite taxing philosophical questions, most pressingly we must address our addiction to economic growth, our expectation for longer, healthier lives and our insatiable need to collect more stuff! Societies demand for performance molecules, ranging from pharmaceuticals to fragrances or adhesives to lubricants, is growing year-on-year and the advent of competition in a globalised marketplace is generally forcing the market price downward, cutting margins and reducing the ability for some industry sectors to innovate.Feedstock to Function (F2F) is an exciting opportunity to forge a new philosophy that could underpin the next phase of sustainable growth for the chemicals manufacturing industry in the UK and further afield. An overarching driving force in the development of F2F was the desire to apply the knowledge and learning of Green and Sustainable Chemistry onto some of the biggest challenges that confront chemicals manufacture, from the smallest-scale, to the delivery of efficient and resilient processes that will future proof supply chains for the foreseeable future.Our CDT in resilient chemistry will deliver a sustainable pipeline of performance molecules, by moving towards circularity and resilience in feedstocks, and efficiency in processing and reaction chemistries .F2F will create an Integrated Approach to Sustainable Chemistry, promoting a culture of resilience in terms of materials and matter via industrially defined priorities:I. Sustainable routes to nitrogen containing molecules, avoiding Haber-Bosch fixed precursors:II. Non-petroleum routes to hydrocarbon feedstocks, particularly synthetic naphtha (C8-C30)III. Circular chemistries to manage the impact of phosphorus and other key inorganic materials; andIV. Enhanced circularity for technical materials including metals, catalysts, solvents and salts.F2F represents a multidisciplinary group of 45 academic advisors spanning 7 academic disciplines and two Universities, working together with a growing family of industrial partners who have expressed a common desire to develop Smarter products using Better chemistry to enable Faster processing and Shorter manufacturing routes.F2F will innovate by:1 fostering a multidisciplinary, cohort-based approach to problem solving;2 focus on challenge areas identified by our F2F partners such that sub-groups of our cohort can become immersed in research that impacts on industry;3 embedding aspects of data-driven decision making in the day-to-day design and execution of high-quality research either on paper or indeed in the lab;4 nurturing a vibrant and supportive community that allows PhD candidates to think 'outside of the box' in a relatively risk-free way;5 developing 'next generation' synthesis using chemo- and bio-catalytic methods to drive efficiency, selectivity and productivity, underpinned by predictive in-silico methods and valorisation of big data;6 streamlining the discovery process by enabling technologies: such as energy resilient photo/electrochemical methods, cleaner solvents and renewable materials7 developing sustainable processes that deliver efficiency and transition to scale-up from g to Kg, applying state-of-the-art manufacturing including 3-D printing, fermentation, multiphase flow, in-line diagnostics to underpin rapid translation into industry;8 applying robust reaction/process evaluation metrics such that comparative advantages can be quantified, providing evidence for real process decision making. F2F will train PhD graduates with the vision and skills to drive decarbonisation in the UK Chemicals using industries, securing innovation and future growth for this critical manufacturing sector
GRN: EP/Z532782/1
Period: 01/09/2024 to 31/08/2031
Funding Source: EPSRC
This project will assess the feasibility, scale, and potential of a robust and sustainable hydrogen production industry across Great Britain as currently there is no detailed analysis that evaluates the potential for electrolytic hydrogen production across the country.This project will develop an evaluation framework that consists of techno-economic analysis, alongside representative case studies with the potential of replication across the UK for various electrolyser options, accounting for diverse inputs and scales and existing infrastructure across GB.The aim is to provide valuable information related to the feasibility, challenges, and unique opportunities for electrolytic hydrogen. The research will also provide valuable insights and recommendations that will contribute to the advancement of the hydrogen sector in alignment with the UK"s Net-Zero goals.
GRN: EP/Z533555/1
Period: 01/12/2024 to 30/11/2029
Funding Source: EPSRC
At present, gas distribution networks transporting natural gas suffer environmentally harmful carbon emissions through shrinkage: venting from safety equipment, leaks, regulators, and scheduled maintenance. Leaks are set to decrease in frequency owing to the mains replacement programme; purging natural gas to air as part of GDN operational procedures, however, is prominent. With hydrogen being seen as a viable potential solution to decarbonising domestic heat and industry, a UK wide network conversion utilising the existing pipeline infrastructure is not unlikely. To do so, however, would require purging significant volumes of natural gas to atmosphere. Although similar work was undertaken as part of the H21 project, its scope of work has only looked at venting and some flaring. The project aims to investigate the feasibility of eliminating natural gas emissions from both current operations and a large scale hydrogen conversion programme.
GRN: ES/Z503733/1
Period: 01/10/2024 to 30/09/2029
Funding Source: ESRC
National Grid recently developed Consumer Building Blocks under NIA2_NGESO026 in conjunction with ERM (Element Energy), leading to publication at LSOA-level of domestic and non-domestic archetypes. These offer opportunities to DNOs to bring greater commonality across the transmission and distribution load models and to incorporate modelling improvements related to domestic and non-domestic responses to flexibility, efficiency, and LCTs. However, to adapt the non-domestic archetypes for DNO use requires incorporation of DNO specific services and considerations, and of the constraints faced by businesses in rural and urban settings. Work is also needed to develop methodologies that add regionality into the domestic archetypes by considering (for example) disposable household incomes, as the NG archetypes include uncontextualised data on household incomes.
GRN: ES/Y010787/1
Period: 15/08/2024 to 14/08/2025
Funding Source: ESRC
Threats of instabilities posed by high fractions of inverter-based resources (IBRs) force the system operators to operate conservatively by curtailing wind or limiting interconnector flows, for example. System studies with existing RMS models (e.g., "GB master") or EMT simulation can"t necessarily foresee or replicate such stability problems. The aim of this project is to develop an enhanced RMS (e-RMS) modelling framework that can provide dynamic stability assurance in planning studies and at operation timescale without carrying the cost of being overly conservative. This would be achieved by an e-RMS model of IBRs as a digital twin with modelling adequacy of both IBRs and the network in the sub-synchronous frequency range. The e-RMS model will provide early warning of any incipient instability and identify its root cause allowing targeted intervention and effective mitigation.
GRN: ES/Z000351/1
Period: 02/09/2024 to 01/09/2026
Funding Source: ESRC
Context: The salt system FLiBe is considered to be one of the two options for the blanket material for breeding tritium fuel in the UK's STEP fusion reactor to be deployed by 2040, and is considered for use in a number of next generation molten salt reactor (MSR) fission designs, primarily because of the favourable neutronic properties of this salt system. However, despite its proposed deployment in looming advanced nuclear energy systems there is comparatively limited fundamental understanding of the chemical behaviour of these salts under likely operational conditions and associated performance knowledge for FLiBe containment materials.Challenge: There are few facilities throughout the world capable of studying FLiBe salt systems not only due to the challenges of preparing and handling fluoride salts, due to the potential generation of corrosive hydrofluouric acid (HF), but also the toxicity concerns in handling beryllium. The ability to safely study FLiBe with radioactive tritium to support fusion, and other radioisotopes of interest (e.g uranium and thorium for MSR systems) will make this facility unique worldwide.Aims and Objectives: The proposed glovebox system, combined with an integrated worker safety and monitoring strategy, will offer world-leading capability of high immediate interest across academia and industry, which is needed given the relatively short timelines to deployment of these FLiBe salts in advanced reactor systems. The primary aim of the proposed equipment is to provide the capability to handle FLiBe molten salts, that minimises the risk of user exposure to Be toxicity and the possibility of HF generation
GRN: NIA2_NGESO071
Period: 01/02/2024 to 30/06/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Energy and balancing services are currently procured sequentially in separate markets. This means service providers must guess which market will bring them the most value and which market they are most likely to clear in. The result is likely to be suboptimal for several reasons, including inflated prices across wholesale and balancing markets as service providers add opportunity costs into their bids in each market.There have been no quantitative studies to date that explore the theoretical historic and future efficiency savings when energy, reserve and response are co-optimised within GB. The outcome of this project will help inform the wider debate on future market reforms.
GRN: SIF_WWU_3_2 (3)
Period: 01/03/2024 to 01/06/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Outage requests from asset owners are ideally scheduled when their effect on constraint limit loss is minimal. Currently, the network planning team model the effect of each outage on constraint limits using PowerFactory models. Although this process can account for the complexities of the network, it can be slow and contributes to a backlog of outage requests from asset owners, which can lead to costly emergency or short-notice outages from unresolved outage requests and results in penalties (Fail to Fly) from Ofgem.This project aims to explore the relationship between outages and constraint limit losses by examining historical outage and post-fault action data and developing an AI. model that can perform a rapid first pass assessment of outage requests reducing the search-space for time consuming PowerFactory modelling.
GRN: NIA_NGN_448
Period: 01/03/2024 to 31/08/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
One of the primary inertia tools used by the ESO, forecasts inertia 24 hours ahead, but only for regions where Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) enable inertia measurement This project will investigate potential solutions for an inertia forecast model for England and Wales ahead of installations of PMUs in these regions, by using the inertia metering data from installed measurement units in Scotland to tune and verify models. These models built on Scottish PMU data would be fed with inertia predictor data (such as demand, synchronous and inverter-based generation levels) for the remaining regions of GB in order to provide inertia forecasts for the whole GB system.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0059
Period: 01/03/2024 to 31/07/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
By embedding gas separation solutions within the gas network, strategic gas separation could have the ability to provide customers with the type and quality of gas which they need whilst the energy system around them is transitioning. This not only builds flexibility into the gas networks and wider energy system, but also strengthens the case for large scale blending which, in turn, could accelerate the hydrogen economy and decarbonisation in a piecemeal fashion.
GRN: NIA_CAD0098
Period: 01/10/2023 to 31/08/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Generative AI (Gen AI) creates diverse, realistic artifacts across various domains, including images, video, music, speech, text, etc. Its applications range from common tasks like composing emails to complex data analysis. This project will explore high impact use cases appropriate for Gen AI deployment across the ESO. Open Data initiatives will then be used to lab test three priority use cases on publicly available data. This comprehensive approach will underscore the transformative potential of Gen AI in producing scalable, diverse artifacts reflective of its training data without replication.
GRN: NIA_CAD0108
Period: 01/06/2024 to 31/12/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
This project will produce the Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) to cover hydrogen distribution and use across Great Britain. This work builds on DNV"s previous work as part of the H21 project, where the risk across Great Britain was quantified for hydrogen use in houses. It also makes use of work carried out by DNV as part of the End Use Safety Evidence (EUSE) programme, to investigate the risks posed by leaks in different locations within a house, and within small non-domestic buildings. In particular, the CONIFER risk assessment package will be used in this QRA.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0045
Period: 01/10/2023 to 31/05/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The UK has legally binding targets to reach net zero by 2050. It is required for each local authority to produce a Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) which will outline several pathways to achieve net zero. As we progress into a net-zero society, the energy system becomes more interdependent than ever before. Therefore, it is critical to consider a model where renewable electricity, hydrogen and water are considered as dependent energy vectors.Current LAEP models consider the electricity required for hydrogen and vis-versa but not the water demand as a third variable. WWU has an existing modelling tool, Pathfinder, that balances supply and demand of the energy system on an hourly basis. This project seeks to further develop the existing Pathfinder model to include the effects of water in the system as part of the wide-scale production of green hydrogen.
GRN: NIA2_NGET0059
Period: 01/03/2024 to 30/04/2026
Funding Source: Ofgem
High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission systems are generally considered to have lower emissions compared to traditional AC transmission systems. This is because HVDC systems have lower losses and can transmit power over longer distances with less energy loss. However, HVDC systems do require additional equipment such as converters and transformers, which may produce some emissions during their manufacturing and operation. Accurately quantifying and understanding the carbon footprint of HVDC is important from a project consenting perspective to ensure that the transition to net zero through the increased use of interconnector systems does not result in environmental harm. This project will focus on the asset life cycle assessment of HVDC and intends to identify opportunities to focus on and better understanding of the efforts needed to reduce emissions.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0061
Period: 01/03/2024 to 31/08/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The primary activity within this project is the drafting of ITTs (Invitation to Tender) for the development of the various hydrogen appliances that will be required to enable a successful village trial in Redcar (due to deploy in 2025/26). This will involve the collation and interpretation of all survey data, from both domestic & non-domestic properties in the Redcar trial area, before detailing the variance and volume of hydrogen appliances required and transferring this into formal ITTs.A secondary activity will be the planning of the full "Phase 2" programme, which would involve oversight of a ~2 year development programme.The project is split between Cadent (as appointed leads of the collaborative appliance working group) and NGN (as leads of the Redcar village trial).
GRN: NPG_NIA_046
Period: 01/11/2023 to 30/11/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
This is a follow-on project to the NGN-led project on SR/25 Modification Assessment (NGN_NIA_346). As part of that project, 15 existing pressure regulating installations (PRIs) were surveyed and their hazardous areas calculated using the new SR/25 hydrogen calculator and compared with natural gas results. In some cases, the increase in hazardous areas were large and would require additional mitigations prior to any hydrogen conversion of the gas network. The primary objective of this project will be to look at potential mitigations to reduce the impact of the increased hazardous areas. Initially this phase of the project will undertake measurements of gas releases from vent stack configurations under realistic conditions and compare the results with the outputs from NGN_NIA_346 and those presented in industry standards.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0054
Period: 01/06/2024 to 31/01/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
There are a range of alarm systems within the home. Currently households may or may not have a number of differing alarms that detect a number of hazards. Current alarms operate in an isolated manner, these alarms may be misinterpreted or completely ignored leading to a lack of action on the occupier"s side. Home Shield will have the capacity to detect a number of alarms and onwardly communicate those hazards to the occupier and a "key contact" of the occupier leading to proactive action to make the situation safe.Home Shield is a "fit for all", inclusive, battery or mains powered alarm.
GRN: NIA_WWU_02_58
Period: 01/12/2023 to 31/08/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
This project will the assess the viability of introducing flexible vector conversion links between the gas and electricity distribution networks. Creating an outline design and technology roadmap indicating short, medium and long-term actions required to enable deployment of Vector Conversion Sites (VCS) technology on the networks, including technical, policy and regulatory actions.
GRN: NIA2_NGESO063
Period: 01/04/2024 to 31/10/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
This project will investigate the feasibility of hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) being connected to the current gas network. This project will deliver a report detailing the key benefits under which scenarios that connecting a HRS to a hydrogen network provides advantages against the counterfactuals. These benefits will include key metrics such as the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH), Gross Value Added (GVA), jobs created/retained. These metrics will also include cost to the consumer, should network costs be socialised under the expected Hydrogen Transport & Storage (T&S) business model.
GRN: NIA2_NGET0039
Period: 01/07/2023 to 31/03/2026
Funding Source: Ofgem
HyWay aims to synthesise hydrogen rich syngas from low cost carbon source, and eliminate the environmental issues from conventional waste management (e.g., landfill or incineration). HyWay advances the state-of-the-art in carbonaceous waste management especially plastic waste, waste tires, waste biomass and crude glycerol for hydrogen production. The overall aim of the HyWay is to establish long-term consolidated research collaborations between the participating institutions with complementary expertise and knowledge to design and develop carbon-neutral, scalable, and socially acceptable pathways to sort and convert waste to hydrogen-rich syngas as part of next generation sustainable fuels. Through secondments, workshops, training, webinar series, and industry-focused events, HyWay produces multiple avenues for career development, cross-sectoral experiences, and academic training in a multi-cultural and interdisciplinary environment. Research results are translated into training materials, including formal academic and industry courses on waste sorting, chemical recycling technologies, process modelling, machine learning, technoeconomic analysis and life cycle analysis for postgraduate students, early-stage and experienced researchers and industry; training tutorials for industrial and technical staffs; and creating the basis for developing academic textbooks for the wider research community and possibly in undergraduate module delivery. There is also a focus on transferable skills, with dedicated training activities specially designed to facilitate personal development, technological and communication skills. HyWay delivers through the effective collaboration of 7 member state/associate country universities and companies, and eight third country universities and companies from China, Japan, Australia and Malaysia
GRN: NIA2_NGET0062
Period: 01/05/2024 to 31/03/2026
Funding Source: Ofgem
Following on from the feasibility LPG to Hydrogen Village (NIA_WWU_2_11) study by WWU, one scenario that ranked highly regards the potential to lower carbon emissions was hydrogen blending with Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). This project would investigate the feasibility of creating a hydrogen-LPG blend and validating that homogenous mixing can occur without stratification occurring within the network, with the intention of the blend being used by consumers as a step forward to lowering carbon emissions. The project seeks to demonstrate hydrogen- LPG blending into a rural below 7Bar network using established processes. The solution would be applicable to a wide range of rural areas that are currently supplied by isolated networks operated by a range of GDNs.
GRN: NIA2_NGET0050
Period: 01/12/2023 to 30/04/2026
Funding Source: Ofgem
Hydrogen pipeline design codes currently offer two design options low stress and high stress. Adopting a high stress design approach can offer significant advantages. However, requires more detailed qualification based on fracture mechanics.This project will determine the identification of a realistic worst case hydrogen environment for the testing and will focus on the qualification tests for pipe and welds to demonstrate the required properties of a high stress design approach to achieve a minimum of 40 years operational life based on Engineering Critical Assessment.This supports the efficient construction of major capital hydrogen pipeline projects. Girth welds will be made using modern welding techniques on high-strength steel line pipe with two different heat treatment conditions.
GRN: ENA_10086458
Period: 01/10/2023 to 01/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The roll out of a GB hydrogen backbone through the East Coast Hydrogen project is on the horizon, NGN is keen to ensure that communities that arent directly on the planned routes will not be left disadvantaged.The project will carry out a techno-market analysis of hydrogen technologies applicable to farming, forming farm energy archetypes and decarbonisation pathways for farming technologies through to 2050. The project will then carry out use case analysis, geographic scaling of opportunities and a benefits analysis, culminating in a final report and dissemination activities.Throughout the project, the farming community in Yorkshire will be engaged at face-to-face events to test and refine project outputs, and to understand barriers and incentives required.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0055
Period: 01/04/2024 to 30/09/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
This project will aim to help the gas industry fully understand the hydrogen ignition risk from static and autoignition. Stage 1 of the project will be an initial desktop study to review the existing information regarding types of ignition for existing natural gas operations, hydrogen installations from other industries, and academic papers. The focus will be on autoignition and static built up in pipes or from tooling and clothing, but other ignition sources may be identified. Areas of concern will be highlighted and it is expected that a number of relevant ignition types for which there are gaps in evidence will be identified. The project will research the mechanisms by which static and autoignition arise, and whether and how ignition could occur in real-world situations.
GRN: NIA2_NGET0046
Period: 01/09/2023 to 31/03/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
This project will aim to address a key risk area identified in Stage 1 of Hydrogen Ignition Risk from Static & Autoignition relating to the generation of static due to particulates in flowing gas. Evidence on this topic is anecdotal at best and is currently insufficient to provide the appropriate assurance to the HSE. The project will look to better understand the impact of potentially increased velocities and different gas mixtures on the generation of static from particulates in gas pipes. This will be facilitated at DNV Spadeadam in collaboration with the Velocity Design with Hydrogen project to gather empirical data to understand how increased static generation rates combined with hydrogens lower minimum ignition energy will impact risks and determine any required mitigations.
GRN: NIA_CAD0099
Period: 01/01/2024 to 30/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
There is a requirement for gas distribution network (GDN) operators to understand the cost, safety, and practicality of converting network pipelines from natural gas to hydrogen in Multi-Occupancy Buildings (MOBs). This phase of the project will produce recommendations to IGEM for an interim standard and procedures for MOB conversion to hydrogen. This will act as Phase 4 of the project in the ongoing MOBs project to investigate the conversion of MOBs from natural gas to hydrogen use, building on findings from Phases 1, 2 and 3 of the project.
GRN: NIA_CAD0097
Period: 01/09/2023 to 31/07/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The UK Government"s Energy White Paper (2020) has identified hydrogen as a potential source of decarbonised heat in buildings. In order to prove the viability of hydrogen the UK Government requires a strong evidence base before deciding whether to promote hydrogen distributed in the existing gas network infrastructure (at all current pressures) to decarbonise heat.
GRN: NIA_NGN_423
Period: 01/12/2023 to 31/10/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
Hydrogen remains a viable option in the decarbonisation of homes and businesses in the UK. To support the safe end use of hydrogen in domestic and non-domestic properties, technical standards are being developed to enable the training of downstream engineers to convert, and then operate, existing gas installations under hydrogen service. The Gas Distribution Network Operators (GDNOs), and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), have delivered a vast amount of end user hydrogen safety research over the past two years which must be reflected in any hydrogen-enabling downstream standards. This project is therefore designed to assist the Institute of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) in amending their downstream hydrogen standards to reflect the latest understanding of the research ahead of publication.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0062
Period: 01/05/2024 to 28/02/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
Currently, the ESO produce a forecast of hourly interconnector flow at a lead time of day ahead to 1 week ahead. This forecast is based on the expected difference between electricity prices of the two interconnected countries.To forecast the hourly electricity price in each country, the ESO have acquired future market price data for the peak and baseload periods from external data sources. This is transformed to hourly prices using a technique based on similar historical days. However, this method does not produce the level of accuracy required for a key input into the ESO interconnector flow model, published externally. This project therefore seeks to produce an improved method of converting future market prices data into a forecast of hourly electricity prices.
GRN: NIA_WWU_02_40
Period: 01/11/2023 to 31/05/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
There are sectors of the transport system, such as buses and heavy goods vehicles, which have proven challenging to electrify due to their high energy demands. The expected adoption of EVs is a challenge to networks across the globe as they expect to plan network to facilitate the demand growth followed by the transport electrification. Megawatt charging system of eTrucks has the potential to help plan the charging of eTrucks. This proposal aligns with the focus areas of our Innovation strategy. This project will investigate charging infrastructure and its impact on our network. The project will produce models that will accurately assess the impact of a roll out of EV Trucks across our license areas. The key deliverables will be shared with all RIIO licensed UK DNOs for their own use.
GRN: NPG_NIA_48
Period: 01/05/2024 to 31/08/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The UK's Net Zero strategy is for all sectors of the economy to meet the Net Zero target by 2050. Similar long-term aims to move towards Net Zero emissions on the same timescales exist in other countries, including the USA. High-performance computing (HPC) is not exempt from needing to adapt to these strategic challenges, and pushing HPC towards sustainability and Net Zero is crucial if the scientific community is to keep justifying the use and cost of large-scale HPC resources in the face of climate change. Electricity consumption of data centres and systems is by far the largest contributor to the carbon footprint of operational HPC and minimising the energy that is consumed, and reducing/reusing waste, is therefore key in achieving Net Zero.The International Collaboration Towards Net Zero Computational Modelling and Simulation (CONTINENTS) project will build on the expertise of EPCC, the supercomputing centre at the University of Edinburgh, the National Centre for Atmospheric Science in the UK and the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in the USA to transform the state-of-the-art in sustainability and power/energy efficiency of computational modelling and simulation through an ambitious programme of research that will drive innovations in: data centre and HPC system operation; optimal use of hardware; machine learning applied to data analysis and numerical modelling; and software design and development strategies.As a specific use case, CONTINENTS will focus the application of its research on weather and climate modelling. These are both scientifically and computationally challenging, and compute resource intensive, domains that are vital to furthering our understanding of climate change and the factors that influence it. CONTINENTS is a unique interdisciplinary collaboration between leading centres of HPC research and service provision, atmospheric science experts, and numerical and machine learning application developers, providing a comprehensive approach to addressing the Net Zero challenge from the data centre all the way through to individual applications using both computational and climate science expertise. The projects objectives include: establishing a long-term collaboration between leading supercomputing researchers and centres in the UK and USA; pushing the boundaries of sustainable operation of data centres; exploring the use of novel and specialised hardware; developing new methods for performance, power and energy efficient software development and deployment; minimising the resources needed for moving, processing, analysing and storing data; and creating a collaborative research environment that encourages sharing of expertise and knowledge
GRN: NIA2_NGESO050
Period: 01/10/2023 to 31/07/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
This project will produce the Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) to cover hydrogen distribution and use across Great Britain. This work builds on DNV"s previous work as part of the H21 project, where the risk across Great Britain was quantified for hydrogen use in houses. It also makes use of work carried out by DNV as part of the End Use Safety Evidence (EUSE) programme, to investigate the risks posed by leaks in different locations within a house, and within small non-domestic buildings. In particular, the CONIFER risk assessment package will be used in this QRA.
GRN: NIA2_NGESO053
Period: 01/09/2023 to 31/03/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
There is an urgent need to understand, quantify, and assess the lightning risk threat on the fast-expanding electricity network assets. Previous related projects focused on real-time fault management for distribution networks offering limited transmission level insights. Yet, growing evidence has it that climate change is influencing lightning, in terms of formation, severity, patterns, frequency, and distribution. This project aims to develop novel strategies to assess lightning risks for NGET transmission infrastructure assets considering past climatological data and adding superimposed long-term climate site-specific trend projections. Because climate change influences lightning occurrence and patterns, the project can inform the design and location of new energy infrastructure, ensuring appropriate lightning protection. The project will improve system planning, regulatory compliance, lead to reduced damage, downtime and maintenance costs.
GRN: NIA2_NGESO060
Period: 01/10/2023 to 31/03/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The aim of this project is to complete a Gap Analysis for full industry qualification requirements, complete independently certified testing, develop bends, crossings, and repair techniques. The gap analysis and detailed research into current IGEM/API industry standards will be used to define independent testing to qualify the system beyond what has already been completed. It has also been identified that key features are required to integrate the system more easily into current operating requirements. This will include numerical modelling of the additional concept designs and methodology that will need to be developed. Further work to realise the ongoing maintenance requirements and suitable integration to current regulatory and gas operator policies will be determined. This will subsequently specify the design requirements for a large-scale trial.
GRN: NIA2_NGESO048
Period: 01/12/2023 to 31/05/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
MASiP Phase 2 is a technical development project with identified go/no-go milestone as key factors as to whether further qualification testing should be completed. This necessity is due to the requirement to have a repair technique prior to any deployment for onshore pipelines. The project intends to deliver detailed methods statements created for the qualification testing plan require for product qualification. The most stringent testing parameters were defined from IGEM, ASME, API 15S in phase 1 to ensure that industry wide acceptance of this new approach would be received.
GRN: NIA_WWU_02_22
Period: 01/05/2024 to 30/09/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The project seeks to investigate the deployment and use of MASiP (Mobile Automated Spiral Intelligent Pipe) in NGN"s network. MASiP is an integrated approach to digital integrity monitoring, automated mobile pipe manufacture and flexible pipe structure. The system allows for a better monitored network, increased network resilience and prepare the network for elevations in pressures, transporting of green fuels and gather data on high priority locations. The project will be a desktop study to identify the feasibility and viability of deploying such a system onto the network. Detailing the applications within high priority crossings and the creation of new hydrogen pipelines.
GRN: NIA2_NGESO064
Period: 01/02/2024 to 31/03/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Significant electrification of heating is a fundamental requirement for decarbonisation. Electrification of home heating is expected to increase residential electricity demand by 50% in 2035, and to double peak demand by 2050, creating a significant additional cost for the GB electricity system. This project will look to understand how flexibility market signals can encourage electrification of heating, and the adoption of flexible heating practices from domestic consumers and their homes. This project aims to understand what market signals the ESO should develop to encourage electrified heating, flexibility practices and understand where these sit in the wider context of market signals for domestic consumers.
GRN: NIA_CAD0096
Period: 01/10/2023 to 30/06/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The current IGEM standards for requirements of qualification testing of onshore pipelines do not contain guidance on specific tests for hydrogen. SGN has engaged PIE to develop a material qualification procedure for inclusion in standards for assets in hydrogen serviceWhen completed, the project will identify relevant criteria for fracture toughness, fatigue and any relevant material aspects impacted by hydrogen. Learning from this project can be applied to other operations to facilitate safe transition to 100% hydrogen.
GRN: NIA_WWU_02_202
Period: 01/03/2024 to 30/09/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The transition to clean renewable energy requires cheaper and more efficient means of both harnessing and storing energy. This is limited by the functional properties of the materials used in devices such as solar cells and batteries. To design new materials with better performance, we must understand the structure of the material and how they work in a given application. In particular, the atomic-level structure and chemistry uniquely determine the material attributes and how well they perform.In this project, I will use solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to identify the mechanisms and structure of functional materials. NMR measures the magnetism of atomic nuclei, which is highly sensitive to the local arrangement of atoms, as well as to motion of the atoms over a wide range of timescales, from picoseconds to minutes. Correlation experiments further measure the interaction between the magnetic moments of different nuclei, enabling spatial proximities of different species to be determined. NMR is particularly well-suited to complex, multicomponent, and/or nanoscale materials, which are challenging to study with other techniques. I will focus on two important classes of materials, hybrid perovskites and MXenes.Hybrid perovskites offer the promise of next-generation solar cells with higher efficiency and lower production costs than current silicon-based photovoltaics. However, their commercialisation is held back by their propensity to degrade under environmental conditions, particularly exposure to light. I will study the effects of light illumination on the structure and dynamics of perovskite materials, to understand how they degrade and, therefore, how to protect against degradation. This will require new experiments to measure the NMR spectra of device-relevant thin-film samples on exposure to light.MXenes are a class of layered 2D materials, reminiscent of graphene, that can be used as batteries or gas sensors and separators. The surfaces of the MXene layers are covered in a disordered array of functional groups which are hard to characterise, but which critically determine the functional properties such as the battery capacity and charging rate, or the gas separation selectivity and sensing limits. To optimise the performance of MXenes in these applications, I will investigate how ions and gas molecules fit between the layers and how this is affected by the surface groups. Advanced NMR methodologies will be used to perform these experiments while charging/discharging the material in-situ, and with in-situ introduction of gas molecules. These ambitious experiments will reveal the structural factors that limit the performance of both sets of materials in real-world applications, thereby guiding the design of improved materials via new formulations, processing methods, and treatment strategies. Overall, this will push the materials towards commercialisation. Moreover, the methodological development and expertise can subsequently be applied to other novel materials with new functional challenges
GRN: NIA2_NGET0058
Period: 01/04/2024 to 31/07/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The UK Government has set ambitious targets of 50GW of offshore wind installed on the GB transmission system by 2030. Increasing these inverter-based resources provides new opportunities for stability services via grid forming control (GFM) of power electronic converters. The GFM control can help deal with issues synonymous with future electricity systems, such as low inertia and low fault levels. However, while using a GFM approach has benefits, significant energy storage investment is needed. This project will investigate new methods and control strategies for when additional energy storage is not needed. In particular, this project will help develop an understanding of the potential for data-driven intelligent control of wind turbines while delivering a techno-economic comparison of various control strategies.
GRN: NIA_CAD0100
Period: 01/10/2023 to 31/12/2023
Funding Source: Ofgem
Our global technological infrastructure depends on producing smaller, faster, and energy-efficient electronic devices. However, the miniaturisation needed to increase power density leads to larger heatfluxes, representing a bottleneck for next-generation electronics. Current thermal management systems (TMS) are both inadequate and inefficient, requiring vast natural resources. Novel, energy-efficient,and ultrahigh performance TMS are urgently needed in order to sustain economic growth while combating climate change.Nanomaterial-enhanced two-phase cooling has recently shown immense promise, but limitations in our understanding of nanoscale interfacial heat transfer - where the nanocoating or nanostructure meets the coolant liquid and where the liquid meets its vapour - in experiments has prevented this promise from being realised. The proposed work is of fundamental engineering science which will radically improving our understanding of interfacial heat transfer. This will be achieved by:i) combining molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and interfacial phonon analysis to develop new theoretical models for heat transfer across simple solid/liquid interfaces;ii) developing machine-learning-powered MD to extend this approach to realistic nanomaterials and coolant liquids; andiii) building a first-of-its-kind multiphysics simulation toolkit for TMS design, and validating against novel experiments in two case studies involving emerging nanomaterial-enhanced TMS: a) pool boilingusing nanocoated surfaces; and b) evaporative cooling within nanoporous membranes.NANO-COOL will fill critical knowledge gaps and open an entirely new research field: "Simulation-driven design of nanomaterial-enhanced two-phase cooling for electronics". Results of NANO-COOL will be published as open-source models, open-access articles, and open data repositories. The long-term ambition of NANO-COOL is to become the enabling framework for novel two-phase TMS design
GRN: NIA2_SGN0041
Period: 01/11/2023 to 31/01/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
This project proposes the use of a Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) tool on LTS Futures pneumatic fatigue test vessels to assess fatigue crack growth rates of internal pipeline defects. Internal crack fatigue crack growth rate for lower alloy steels in a hydrogen environment has been studied, but there is limited data from full scale tests. The LTS Futures project is performing full-scale fatigue testing of pipeline defects on fatigue vessels that have been fabricated using vintage pipeline material taken from the existing SGN LTS network, thus providing additional learning to their offsite testing program.
GRN: NIA_CAD0095
Period: 01/10/2023 to 31/05/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
Following the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) and the subsequent approval of the Post 2020- Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) in Dec 2022, there will be more stringent requirements on business to assess and disclose their impacts and dependencies on Biodiversity. This project aims to examine the supply chain risks and dependencies in terms of its impacts on nature across the full value chain. As an Electricity Transmission and Distribution sector, National Grid, SSEN and SPEN will draw from many of the same global suppliers, and therefore share many of the risks, upstream and downstream impacts to nature. There is an ambition as part of this project to develop a consistent approach and robust methodology for assessing the biodiversity impacts risks and dependencies across the global supply chain (supplying UK based activities) using innovative approaches that align with best practice frameworks in this area.
GRN: NIA_WWU_02_37
Period: 01/10/2023 to 30/09/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The TRW (Transmission Reinforcement Work) study shows that over the next ten years, a significant area of the transmission network will exceed the existing 63kA maximum fault current capability if the PPM (Power Parked Module)-based wind and solar generation and batteries feeds a minimum fault infeed of 1pu into a fault. Many sites might have to be rebuilt with 80kA fault level capability or run split. The project aims to develop an innovative method which control cumulative fault infeed in order to manage maximum fault levels in the future network and reduce the need for reinforcement.
GRN: NIA_WWU_02_59
Period: 01/04/2024 to 31/01/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
This project will provide monitoring capabilities, observing two dynamic phenomena in the GB power system oscillatory behaviour and regional Rates of Change of Frequency (RoCoF) trends. It will utilise data from high resolution eXtensible Measurement Unit (XMU) devices, combined with analytical capabilities to provide insights into the behaviour of the transmission system. It is a desktop study that will use data gathered from the XMU devices and historic events to provide insights into the two dynamic phenomena and will allow us to assess the effectiveness of XMU devices in monitoring system behaviour.
GRN: NIA_WWU_02_49
Period: 01/01/2024 to 31/10/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Decarbonising heat in buildings is widely recognised as a key challenge in the delivery of net zero carbon emissions in the UK. However, the interactions between various initiatives and measures, including energy efficiency, changing heating systems and wider decarbonisation of supply are complex.A tool is necessary for landlords to easily assess the relative merits of different interventions across their housing portfolio. Some tools already exist which may provide some of the functionality, however existing housing stock tools do not relate the impacts of energy saving measures to the wider energy networks. This project is taking a new approach by developing where possible the Pathfinder modelling environment further to a dispersed housing stock, linking stock analysis and stock performance to the energy system.
GRN: NIA_CAD0103
Period: 01/04/2024 to 31/03/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
IN-DEEP is a European Doctoral Network composed of nine doctoral candidates (DCs) and top scientists with complementary areas of expertise in applied mathematics, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and engineering applications. Its main goal is to provide high-level training to the nine DCs in designing, implementing, and using explainable knowledge-driven Deep Learning (DL) algorithms for rapidly and accurately solving inverse problems governed by partial differential equations (PDEs).Inverse problems in which the unknown parameters are connected to experimental measurements through PDEs cover from medical applications - like cancer growth assessment - to the safety of civil infrastructures, and green geophysical applications such as geothermal energy production. Their application value is measured in human lives and society's well-being, which goes beyond any quantifiable amount of money. This is why equipping a new generation of specialists with highly-demanded skills for the upcoming transition toward safe and robust AI-based technologies is imperative. Despite the promising results in many applications, DL for PDEs has severe limitations. The most troublesome is its lack of a solid theoretical background and explainability, which prevents potential users from integrating them into high-risk applications. IN-DEEP aims to remove these constraints to unleash the full potential of DL algorithms for PDEs. We will achieve this by: (a) focusing on emerging applications of DL for PDEs with immense societal and/or industrial value, (b) designing mathematics-infused advanced solvers to address them efficiently, and (c) involving, from the beginning, industrial and technological agents which can monitor, upscale, and exploit this knowledge. On the way, we shall establish the foundations of a better knowledge exchange ecosystem amongst the main academic and industrial actors within Europe, disseminating the results worldwide
GRN: NIA_NGN_451
Period: 01/02/2024 to 30/11/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) often encounters scenarios where cross-border markets react to the same price signals simultaneously, leading to rapid changes in interconnector (IC) flow and frequency deviations (potential swing to 12GW and a maximum ramp rate of 500MW/min when these interconnector ramp rates are combined). Multiple control room actions must be taken by the ESO to accommodate these large changes and managing them with a fixed ramp rate of 100MW/min is financially intensive. With IC capacity due to double by 2030, the ESO will need additional operational tools to ensure security of supply  This project will develop a cost benefit analysis (CBA) review of possible solutions to help solve this issue.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0044
Period: 01/12/2023 to 31/03/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Multi-phase, trans/supercritical and non-Newtonian fluid flows with heat and mass transfer are critical in enhancing the performance of energy production, propulsion and biomedical systems. Examples include: hydraulic turbomachines, ship propellers, CO2-neutral e-fuels and e-motor cooling systems, particleladen flows in inhalers and focused ultrasounds for drug delivery. What all these cases have in common is the high level of complexity which makes Direct Numerical Simulations impossible. State-of-the-art LES simulations rely on simplified assumptions but do not have yet the desired accuracy, while often require enormously expensive CPU resources.The aim of project (acronym 'SCALE') is to develop simulation methods and reduced-order models using physics-informed and data-driven Machine Learning and optimisation methods for such flow processes. These will be trained against 'ground-truth' databases that will be generated for the first time using both DNS and experimentally validated, industry-relevant LES and multi-fidelity RANS simulations. The new simulation tools will be applied for the first time to industrial problems and their ability to accelerate design times and improve accuracy will be jointly pursued and evaluated with the non-academic partners of SCALE. These are international corporations and market leaders in the aforementioned areas. Holistic training by experts from science and industry includes broad reviews on relevant scientific topics, modern high performance computing architectures suitable for performing such simulations, big data analytics as well as extensive support for mastering scientific tasks and transferring the knowledge acquired to industrial practice. SCALE will also deliver transferable soft skills training from a well-connected cohort of leaders with the ability to communicate across disciplines and within the general public. This coupling of research with industry makes SCALE a truly outstanding network for doctoral candidates to start their careers
GRN: NIA2_SGN0064
Period: 01/06/2024 to 30/09/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Maintaining communications with customers and operations staff, particularly during major incidents, can be difficult and can overwhelm systems. Storm Triage seeks to provide an additional IT enabled communications option to speed up responses reducing restoration times and contributing to reducing the impact of major outages on vulnerable customers. Improved response will also prevent customers becoming vulnerable.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0047
Period: 01/10/2023 to 30/06/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Project SAVE-CAES is all about developing large-scale long-duration energy storage that will enable the UK to be powered largely (and possibly completely) from renewables. That energy storage must be affordable, sustainable and large-scale. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) has the potential to meet all these critically-important criteria. Developing such storage is probably the biggest single challenge standing in the way of "Net-Zero" for the UK by 2050.Offshore wind around the UK is a remarkable resource for a future zero-carbon UK electricity system. If we were to exploit all of the area that could feasibly be imagined, UK offshore wind could produce about 2000TWh of electrical energy every year - more than 5 times greater than the amount of electricity we presently consume in one year. Electricity usage will increase, of course, between now and 2050 - possibly increasing from ~350TWh each year to ~1000TWh annually. However, it is perfectly feasible that we can generate all of this electricity from wind.Solar power will also play a key role in powering the Net Zero UK but there are straightforward reasons why this will provide only about 20% of our power in the future. The strongest of those has to do with seasonality: solar on an average day in mid Summer is 9 times higher than on an average day in mid Winter, however our energy demand in Winter is higher than that in Summer. Happily the wind is also seasonal and it typically delivers 2.3 times more energy on an average mid-Winter day than it does on an average mid-Summer day. Nuclear power will also have some role. Opinions differ on how substantial that role will be but that is not very important for the purposes of understanding or justifying this research proposal.The key problem with having a country powered largely from inflexible low-carbon sources is that demand and supply must be matched and demand is relatively "inelastic". This means that proportionately small changes in the cost of electricity have very small influence on how much electricity that is consumed. Quantitative assessments of how much we will be paying for our electrical energy by 2050 suggest that less than half will be made up of the direct cost of generating the actual units of electrical energy. The larger cost will be connected with providing the flexibility - the ability to match up supply and demand. Different researchers predict different proportions, but the consensus is that flexibility costs will be the dominant ones.CAES is one of the most promising sets of options available in the UK for storing very large quantities of (wind or solar) energy over periods of tens of hours - possibly up to 100 hours. CAES has the potential to combine good performance (upwards of 70% round-trip efficiency) with relatively low costs (<£2/kWh). There are two different grid-scale energy storage plant which store compressed air in the world - one at Huntorf in Germany and the other in McIntosh, Alabama - however, these plants also store fossil fuel. Many commentators make the serious mistake of extrapolating from these to estimate what CAES can possibly do. Project SAVE-CAES sets out to apply fundamental engineering science to determine what a well-designed CAES plant without fossil fuel addition could possibly do. SAVE-CAES is a project filled with novelty. Pressurised air will be stored in salt caverns that are either offshore or at the coast. The project will explore the use of isobaric storage of the pressurised air and the management of concentrated brine (salt-water) for pressure regulation. It will also explore ultra-high-pressure air storage (for best value per cubic metre of cavern). It will also explore the potential for exploiting relatively mild geo-thermal heat during the re-expansion of the air and the possibility that some wind turbines might be deployed directly as last-stage compressors for charging the energy stores
GRN: NIA_WWU_02_42
Period: 01/05/2023 to 30/09/2023
Funding Source: Ofgem
The project aims to create a new Hub that will act as a national gateway for Advanced Metrology, engaging with UK industry to co-create and co-deliver frontier and innovative research and technologies, and with policy makers and scientific leaders, to drive future UK manufacturing excellence with a clear emphasis on sustainability. The Hub will have environmental and economic sustainability embedded throughout its programme, both in terms of prioritising industry challenges that the research will address, and within the operational delivery.One of the largest challenges in improving sustainability in manufacturing is the availability of the actionable information that is essential to both improve existing processes to reduce waste, and to enable new processes and methods that significantly enhance resource efficiency through reduced energy usage, material reuse and recycling, and reduced transportation (as a result of supply-chain efficiency). By delivering a future where pervasive metrology systems sense, monitor and control manufacturing systems to self-optimise, we will realise the connected and autonomous systems critical for achieving net zero.Delivering these advances requires the development of manufacturing systems that cannot be realised without a new integrated paradigm in metrology, embracing ultra-fast and compact sensors, distributed artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and autonomous prognostics control systems far beyond the current state-of-the-art. Hence, the Hub's research programme will be structured around three underpinning research themes to address three Key Research Objectives:Create and apply new sensor technologies incorporating nanophotonics/quantum sensing principles combined with photonic edge computing to realise high-precision ultra-fast, ultra-compact, and low-cost sensors/instruments within smart manufacturing processes and systems.Create and apply new resilient and interpretable metrology aimed at capturing actionable information for sustainable manufacturing.Unify whole system autonomous control for sustainability in manufacturing machinery systems, which optimises process, energy use and resource efficiency in complex systems at the design state and through life.When combined, these objectives will deliver universal 'measurement/analysis/control' solutions for early adoption to address sustainable manufacturing challenges. Five priority areas have been identified to demonstrate new metrology technologies and methods; sustainable and connected machinery, zero carbon transport, clean energy systems, semiconductors, and manufacturing reuse. The programme will develop and demonstrate new metrology technologies and methods with clear applications in these sectors. This will be achieved working closely with metrology equipment/software/service providers, manufacturing systems providers, and with manufacturing end-users, supported closely by partners across the UK Catapult network and national and international standardisation bodies. The Hub comprises a substantial consortium, led by the Centre for Precision Technologies at Huddersfield. Initial research spokes will be based at Heriot-Watt, Oxford, Queens (Belfast) and Southampton universities, with Innovation Spokes at The Manufacturing Technologies Centre (MTC) and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), and a hybrid Research/Innovation Spoke at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Over 25 industrial partners were involved in co-creating the Hub and will be working with the research team to support, delivery and accelerate commercialisation of research outcomes via sponsored research projects, knowledge exchange, technology transfer (IP licensing and spin-out), and training/skills development
GRN: SIF_WWU_3_1
Period: 01/03/2024 to 01/06/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
24/7 (hourly) matching of Carbon Free Energy (CFE), is a significant change from the status quo (annual matching), enabling consumers to meaningfully reduce GHG emissions in real time. Demand and regulatory changes mean that 24/7 matching could rapidly begin at scale. It is critical for ESO to understand implications for system operation, market design and dispatch patterns of this change. The study will consider the ESO roles and interactions with system objectives including coordination of CFE instruments, treatment of CO2 emissions, and management of transmission constraints. Through this project the ESO will better understand the actions it can take to mitigate risks and maximise the benefits, from a system operation perspective, which arise from the development of 24/7 CFE trading.
GRN: NIA_CAD0101
Period: 01/03/2024 to 30/09/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Discovery Research Projects - sitting within/between WPs and focussing on high-impact, innovative discoveries. New areas will be identified via industry-academic co-creation events. Projects will be delivered by postdoctoral researchers (PDRAs), supervised by several Co-Is (across institutions and disciplines).Early-Stage Commercialization Projects - support translation of recent discoveries by accelerating manufacturing uptake. Projects, delivered by PDRAs, must involve both academic and supply chain partners.Industry-Academia Co-Creation & Leadership - Manufacturing Challenge Workshops will convene supply chain partners to identify major knowledge gaps and co-create solutions, identify new projects, guide WPs and produce recommendations for technology roadmaps.SCHEMA will deliver against HMG Clean Growth strategies, e.g. Skidmore Review (Net Zero) and create economic, environmental and societal impact across academic, industry, policy and public audiences through a multi-channel dissemination approach. Skills development and ED&I will be core to delivery supporting the development of more diverse workforces and industry leaders to deliver the future of UK manufacturing
GRN: NIA2_NGESO058
Period: 01/10/2023 to 31/12/2023
Funding Source: Ofgem
The aim of the project is to complete a literature review and a technical design assessment to ascertain if existing pipe lining technology could be used in SGN"s LTS network to safely transport hydrogen blends up to 100%. Internal lining technology has been underexploited in the past within onshore gas transportation. This is because permeation through the lining materials into the annular space can cause the liner to collapse. This would be more prevalent due to the properties of hydrogen. Several venting solutions have been attempted but are not suitable when transporting hydrogen. The future strategy of this project to the GB gas network will be to develop lining technology as a viable solution to extend the life of existing assets where the current material is not suitable to transport hydrogen.
GRN: NIA2_NGET0051
Period: 01/11/2023 to 31/03/2026
Funding Source: Ofgem
The discovery of superconductivity under ambient conditions would unlock the full potential of this remarkable phenomenon and allow technological developments that would help solve some of the most pressing and important societal challenges, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transforming health and healthcare, and developing new quantum technologies, all of which are EPSRC research priorities. This experimental research proposal aims to probe the microscopic nature of high-temperature superconductivity in a class of materials known collectively as hydride superconductors and in so doing, will take critical steps towards achieving this important milestone.Electric currents can flow through superconductors without energy dissipation, i.e. without electric resistance, below a critical transition temperature Tc. This unique property is already exploited in medical applications such as MRI and encephalography, while superconducting qubits are considered as one of the most promising platforms for quantum computation. New applications to deliver cleaner energy are also under development. In nuclear fusion reactors (www.tokamakenergy.co.uk), for example, the high magnetic field strengths required to confine the hot plasma can only be produced by superconducting magnets. The main impediment to large-scale exploitation of superconductors in mainstream applications is simply the cost incurred in having to cool them down below Tc. This drives the continual search for better and more robust superconductors.The ultimate quest for room-temperature superconductivity has been one of the most intensely pursued topics in condensed matter physics. Recently, it has reached its peak with the discovery of several superhydride compounds such as H3S and LaH10 synthesised at ultra-high pressures. While near-room-temperature superconductivity has been confirmed in these compounds by a few independent research groups, no microscopic signatures of the superconducting state have yet been reported. Determining the fundamental parameters responsible for room-temperature superconductivity under such extreme pressures will help guide theoretical efforts to identify candidate materials that can support superconductivity under ambient conditions, i.e. at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure.Under the auspices of this Fellowship, I will aim to provide groundbreaking insights into the microscopic nature of the near-room-temperature hydride superconductors. I will develop a set of state-of-the-art experimental techniques, including Raman spectroscopy and tunnelling spectroscopy under extreme conditions of high pressures and high magnetic fields, to deliver quantitative measurements of the superconducting gap amplitude, as well as the energy spectrum of the relevant atomic vibrations and their coupling with electrons; all key parameters in controlling Tc. At the same time, I will work in close partnership with renowned theorists in the field, who will use my experimental inputs in their search for candidate structures and chemical compositions that could replicate the favourable conditions for achieving near-room-temperature superconductivity at lower applied pressures. In this way, progress towards large-scale exploitation of this transformational technology can be made.
GRN: NIA2_NGET0055
Period: 01/03/2024 to 30/09/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
The Parliamentary Thematic Research Lead on Transport, will be embedded in the UK Parliament, working alongside parliamentary staff. This lead role will bring the research perspective to work carried out by select committees, libraries and Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST).The role will include leading horizon scanning and futures work and supporting parliamentary staff to take a strategic approach to planning their work programmes, including supporting the development of committee Areas of Research Interest.The Thematic Research Lead will identify upcoming needs for Parliamentary Academic Fellows and opportunities for co-production of briefings between academics and Parliamentary staff. They will connect and expand their networks (including research, learned societies and industry) to support parliamentary activities and will liaise with those in the Government CSA Network team. This will enhance engagement with those working in research to policy, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange.The Thematic Research Lead will liaise with UKRI and its research councils to enable increased parliamentary impact of UKRI investments. They will share insights from Parliament back to the research councils and UKRI; by doing so, they will contribute to the development of the research-policy ecosystem.The Thematic Research Lead will support with identifying the skills and experience needs of members of the parliamentary thematic team and relevant development and training opportunities. They will also help to identify opportunities for secondments, placements or people-exchanges both into and out of Parliament. Beyond working in their policy area, the Thematic Research Lead will work as part of a network with the other Thematic Research Leads to identify cross-cutting opportunities or issues and develop strategic responses, share information, learning, insights and best practice
GRN: ENA_10061569
Period: 01/10/2023 to 01/04/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
LPT2 will comprise 30km of cable tunnels stretching from Wimbledon in south-west London to Crayford in south-east London. When de-energising a circuit for maintenance the absence of earth bars in the tunnels removes the possibility for locally-earthed safe working, being the preferred method under NSI5. It has been determined separately that earth rods installed in the tunnel present an inadequate control measure, installation of rods through tunnel walls is undesirable for reasons of wayleave, hydrostatic pressure and corrosion. This project seeks to evaluate the alternative working methods for implementation on LPT2 by June 2025, in the first instance in preparation for energising Hurst-Newcross cct 2. Further detailed investigations will be carried out to consider various scenarios. Furthermore, magnetic field exposure will need to be determined and ensure that that they are within the allowed limits.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0042
Period: 01/12/2023 to 31/03/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
High voltage cables produce electromagnetic fields (EMF) external to the cable due to the current flowing through their metallic components, primarily the main conductors. Accurately quantifying and understanding the impact of anthropogenic EMF on marine life is important from a project consenting perspective to ensure that the transition to net zero through the increased use of interconnector systems does not result in ecological harm. This project will focus on the effects of EMF on marine sediment dwelling invertebrates and intends to identify organism sensitivity to EMF by quantifying organism changes in species behaviour, physiology, and associated effects on ecosystem properties.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0068
Period: 01/06/2024 to 31/12/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
Digitalisation and data sharing are critical enablers to the achievement of net zero. If an ecosystem of connected digital twins is to be delivered for the energy system, a common framework is required. No framework for interoperable data exchanges in energy exists or has reached this stage of development. The proposed design developed to date through desk-based research and interviews requires validation through a proof of concept aligned to related programmes National Digital Twin Programme and Digital Spine.This project continues the development of the tangible demonstrator for the common framework, with the aim to develop a simplified proof of concept and detailed design of the technical architecture required, bringing together the related programmes.
GRN: NIA_NGN_432
Period: 01/09/2023 to 31/12/2023
Funding Source: Ofgem
VICAP 2 builds on the success of VICAP. In VICAP, drones recorded success in automatically capturing asset condition for use in condition-based asset maintenance. In VICAP 2, a refined artificial intelligence (AI) model will be adopted to automatically process the asset data and grade the steelwork across the tower. As manual processing of the data will be removed from the system, there will be savings on time and cost. As a result, the AI will provide efficient, reliable and consistent output / recommendations. In addition, the AI model will predict future asset condition and make reports on recommendations for painting / replacement of steel work.
GRN: NIA2_NGESO068
Period: 01/03/2024 to 31/01/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
Low demand on the network has the potential to push network voltages beyond safe operating levels. Network voltages are maintained within these safe operating levels by controlling which voltage support equipment: generators, circuits and reactive equipment are in use in each UK network region. Currently, determining which voltage support equipment should be in use is done using complex simulations, which can be time-consuming and take up to one week to plan which combination should be switched in or out for any one week.As part of this project, the relationship between national demand forecasts, outage patterns and voltage advice given in the Integrated Energy Management System (IEMS) data will be analysed and the most common pattern of assets switched in/out will be extracted. This will result in the development of predictive techniques that allow high confidence assignment of one of the common switching combinations or a suggestion to return to simulation in unusual circumstances, achieving huge reductions in time spent on simulation.
GRN: NIA2_SGN0039
Period: 01/12/2023 to 30/11/2024
Funding Source: Ofgem
The project aims to investigate the deployment of a vortex tube for the use within pressure reduction stations in NGNs network. The Vorte solution proposes a low-cost efficient cooling and heating platform that solves pain points in an environmentally friendly way for multiple applications. The solution generates desired temperatures using gaseous compositions or just ambient air.
GRN: NIA2_NGESO051
Period: 01/09/2023 to 28/02/2025
Funding Source: Ofgem
With the integration of renewable energy resources as part of the net-zero transition, electricity networks will experience a loss of inertia which is well documented. This situation makes the power systems more dynamic and time constants for mitigations are getting shorter. These decreased reaction times in operation require automated systems which can tackle the higher dynamics in the grid. Wide Area Monitoring, Protection, Automation and Control (WAMPAC) schemes are one key element in this context. Wider availability of synchronized phasor data increases the observability and awareness of higher system dynamics. The phasor data and power system modelling will be used to develop a roadmap and proof of concept for advanced WAMPAC systems including optimised automated network control enacting contingency measures for power system events.
