Our Projects

Seals are an essential component used in a variety of applications and machinery, from steam engines to electric motors. They are considered a cost-effective method in improving engine performance and efficiency. They are designed to limit parasitic loss, such as hot gases escaping a turbine. Labyrinth seals have been used for some time and are popular in turbomachinery applications. However, brush seals are an alternative (and are considered an improvement) but are prone to excessive wear which prevents their widespread use.

Joris's PhD projects develops advanced pLCA methodology utilising IAMs for modelling the future environmental impacts of automotive. In collaboration with UCL, this project aims to utilise the TIMES (The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System) IAM to generate future energy mix scenarios aligning to 2°C and 3°C global warming targets. Computational methods in Python will build on existing Wurst packages to link scenario data to EcoInvent – a worldwide LCA data repository – to modify market and transformation activity data according to scenario timelines (IAM-EcoInvent).

The IAM-EcoInvent model will be applied to a variety of automotive inventory data, using Brightway2 packages to conduct pLCA on the long-term environmental impacts of automotive technology that will: address temporal mismatch between life-cycle stages; incorporate the evolving impacts of upstream production processes; and investigate the influence of future electricity and heat generation mixes on LCA results.

Tara's PhD will explore how changes in the road environment (e.g., road closures, liveable neighbourhoods) impact people’s car driving habits.

In order to address climate change and achieve the ambitious goal of net-zero emissions, the concept of all-electric aircraft offers a disruptive technological pathway for the aviation sector. The propulsion system of all-electric aircraft is entirely powered by clean energy sources, such as hydrogen, which plays a key role in facilitating the transition to renewable energy. However, the integration of numerous additional electric devices and drives has significantly increased the complexity and power capacity requirements of the propulsion system. As a result, more constraints are placed on testing its dynamic performance, verifying the control strategy, and managing energy consumption at a system level.

Dehoa's research aim is to develop a system-level hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test bench for the electric propulsion system of all-electric aircraft, providing robust support for optimizing and enhancing its performance against uncertain disturbance. This objective includes addressing communication between various electric devices, developing real-time mathematical models for non-critical components, integrating the cyber and physical environments, and optimizing controllers and operation strategy.  The HIL test bench will provide researchers with the capability to acquire more reliable operational characteristics of the propulsion system under realistic conditions. The establishment of HIL test bench is composed of propulsive electric motors, DC power grid, controllers, and other simulated electronics, with real power flowing through it.

The decarbonisation of the UK’s nearly 5.5m small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who contribute approximately 1/3 of national emissions, is essential for achieving the national 2050 net zero commitment, as well as for meeting various regional decarbonisation targets. For SMEs, taking steps to reduce operational emissions present opportunities, such as reduced energy bills, generation of additional revenue, attraction of environmentally conscious customers, and futureproofing against regulatory and market pressures. Despite this, SME decarbonisation progress has so far been slow, hindered by key barriers such as upfront cost, perceived unavailability of suitable technologies, lack of information and expertise, and uncertainty surrounding financing, energy markets and changing regulations.

Oliver’s PhD will develop a decision-making tool to help SMEs identify and prioritise investments in energy and transport decarbonisation measures. The tool will optimise both the choice and timing of investments under uncertain future conditions, such as fluctuating energy prices and evolving regulation. Using Bath City Football Club as a case study, the research will model the financial and emissions impacts of feasible decarbonisation options, including use of EVs as distributed energy resources (DERs), and will also explore opportunities for SMEs to coordinate with local network operators, reducing risks and costs for both. Ultimately, this work aims to accelerate SME decarbonisation and integrate their actions into wider energy system planning, supporting regional and national net zero goals.

​The context of Julian's research is the urgent global climate challenge of preventing a global mean surface temperature increase of more than 1.5 °C compared to the pre-industrial average, defined as 1850-1900. The IPCC (2023) has warned of serious consequences to human health and societies of such a rise in global temperature. We are already 80% of the way to this threshold: the global mean surface temperature for 2018-2022 the was about 1.2 °C about the pre-industrial average (Met Office 2023).

For his project ​"Integrated Drive System with Modularised Energy Storage for Automotive Applications" Constantinos will attempt to determine and quantify potential merits to the use of modular multilevel converter (MMC) topologies in automotive applications as compared with existing 2-Level Converters or state of the art 3-Level converters.  Future automotive electrified powertrains face severe restrictions on energy consumption and need to meet extremely high real-world benchmarks of efficiency and cost to remain commercially viable but also to offer any real societal benefits in terms of environmental impact.

Three main topologies will be investigated and compared with each other, in order to determine how they might impact the powertrain in terms of efficiency, cost and energy utilisation during various drive cycles.  Preliminary research has shown that it is possible to reduce costs or increase peak efficiency of the main traction inverter’s output stage, but MMCs may offer further benefits in low or partial loads as might be seen in certain drive cycles. It is anticipated that the modular nature of this topology may offer, cost benefits by allowing for further system level integration of Power Electronics within the battery pack and functional aggregation as it is able to take on the responsibilities of the On-Board Charger or partially, that of the 12V DC/DC converter while simultaneously outputting a much cleaner AC voltage waveform potentially reducing losses in the Motor.  While these topologies show promise, their increased complexity or the way the battery is utilised may result in MMCs presenting a technologically or financially low value in certain applications and as such research is being undertaken to evaluate the potential benefits and drawbacks of these topologies in automotive applications.

Edison's project explores integrating Sharing Economy Business models in automotive companies and the strategies for enhancing corporate sustainability. 

While the 20th century represented the era of individual car ownership, the 21st century seems to disrupt this inherited system. The new mobility trend prioritises access over ownership, meaning that users get access to a mobility service instead of having a private vehicle. These practices are called car-sharing and carpooling. The main motivations for car-sharing include cost savings for users, reducing carbon emissions, recirculation of goods, increased utilisation of durable assets, and exchange of services. This incoming mobility system is based on an economic system known as the ‘sharing economy’.  The sharing economy has social interactions at its core, integrating activities such as renting, trading, swapping, and borrowing. According to Allied Market Research® (2023), the shared economy market size could grow from US$387.1 billion in 2022 to around US$827.1 billion by 2032. This economic model projects such growth as it offers more affordable solutions for consumers than traditional models do, also technological solutions such as digital platforms enhance accessibility to this model which often is aligned with consumers’ sustainability principles.

The automotive companies are undergoing significant transformations driven by the advent of the sharing economy and sustainability goals. The sharing mobility platforms are altering customer behaviour and challenging OEMs' traditional business models. These changes bring uncertainty for the long-term sustainability of these companies and their strength to adapt to new market dynamics. Despite the increasing sharing economy research output, there is a gap in examining its impact on the corporate sustainability of automotive companies. Current literature focuses on operational and consumer implications in the SE but ignores the broader implications for corporate sustainability, including economic viability, social responsibility, and environmental impact. This PhD project aims to fill this gap by investigating how adopting SE business models in OEMs influences their corporate sustainability.

For this purpose, a mixed methods methodology across three interconnected studies will be undertaken. (1) through a systematic literature review, the first study will assess the impact of sharing economy business models on the enhancement of corporate sustainability, (2) the second study will employ structured interviews with OEMs' decision-makers at the corporate level and document analysis of the selected OEMs' annual reports to identify operational and strategic adjustments for the implementation of sharing economy business models. Finally, (3) the third study will evaluate the economic benefits and challenges associated with integrating the sharing economy business models through undertaking financial analysis, surveys and structured interviews.

The aim of Joshua's PhD is to examine how uncertainty is integrated and ultimately reduced when planning transport methods into the future, specifically modelling these within computational Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) techniques. An LCA refers to the process of systematically analysing the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle; this can be from being manufactured to its disposal, known as cradle-to-grave, or manufacture to recycling into another product, that being cradle-to-cradle. It is relatively easy to model impacts in the past and present as for the most part, the data exists already. However, current data is inadequate to use to see into the future. To overcome this, we can use ‘prospective’ methods, which assume that certain use and disposal/recycling techniques will change and evolve over many years – in particular, incorporating the anticipated change in renewable energy use. As this kind of uncertainty is lacking in contemporary LCA models in vehicles, this project aims to improve that within newer designs of vehicle design, with a particular emphasis on battery electric vehicles.

Howard's PhD will investigate the influence that current ripple has on a Lithium-ion battery cell when it is applied on top of the DC current used to charge/discharge the cell.

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