This page list some past and present projects. The majority of these projects were sponsored by the government by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Innovate UK.
| Future Electric Vehicle Energy Networks supporting Renewables (FEVER) Transition to low-carbon is one of the key goals for this century to ensure the effects of man-made climate change are limited, and perhaps, mitigated. Through the electrification of transport, polluting fossil fuels and the harmful emissions generated by their consumption can be significantly reduced. The E-transport paradigm is challenging due to the introduction of large energy demands on the electricity supply grid, requirement for the installation of a national charging infrastructure, limited battery capacity leading to range anxiety, uncertainties around cost and user experience, including the expectation that vehicle fuels can be replenished within just a few minutes, to name but a few. These issues span the whole of society and have wide reaching implications: if the Electric Vehicle (EV) experience is not "satisfactory" then consumers will be reluctant to make the switch. To address this challenge, an EV charging solution that can deliver fully grid-independent, renewably powered charging is required. This solution should stand to: (i) facilitate the deployment of new renewable generating capacity for the purposes of EV charging; and (ii) overcome existing national grid capacity constraints for growth in the EV charging-load. Such a solution could also underpin the creation of localised smart grids, that can flexibly support energy demand in communities under-served by the current infrastructure, further alleviating pressure on the existing electricity grid. Through the "FEVER concept" devised in this programme grant, the investigators will design, develop and demonstrate such an EV charging solution. FEVER will use renewable generation, within an innovative off-vehicle energy storage (OVES) system, to offer a secure, year-round, grid-independent charging for EVs. Moving beyond the state-of-the-art technologies a cost-effective and socially-acceptable 'hybrid' OVES will be developed, that is suitable for both urban and rural deployment and use. This interdisciplinary project unites a diverse team of academic scientists and engineers (mechanical, electronics and electrical, computer science) and social scientists (psychology, economics and management) across three research-led UK universities: Southampton, Sheffield and Surrey. The expertise embodied by this team reflects the fact that it is a combination of technological viability, financial cost and social acceptance (including socio-political, market/end-user, and community acceptance) that typically determines the operational and commercial success of a given innovation. Only utilising a platform like the programme grant scheme, can this wide range of expertise and backgrounds be brought together with key industrial partners from the sector (including Shell, Cenex, Siemens, Hive Energy, Wood Clean Energy and Yuasa) to address such a complex problem and provide an integrated research and innovation solution. Through the programme, the team aims to: (1) Understanding the problem context by investigating the current barriers and drivers affecting the development of fully grid-independent, renewables powered OVES based EV charging stations. (2) Design, develop and trial viable, low-cost, and socially-endorsed solutions to this problem via the novel combination of energy storage technologies (including different battery technologies, and supercapacitors). (3) Construct two functioning demonstrations of an optimised OVES concept (i.e. FEVER), to verify and validate its real-world performance as an EV charging solution, and to explore opportunities to use the technology to support wider local demand for electricity from homes, industry and business (via the creation of local 'smart-grids'). (4) Investigate key factors affecting social approval of the FEVER concept and specific demonstrators among key groups and individuals likely to affect the commercial success of the technology (e.g. policy makers, the public). https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/W005883/1 |
| Innovation in Battery Storage for multiple uses in Sierra Leone Innovation in Battery Storage for multiple uses in Sierra Leone
Mobile Power - Energy Catalyst Round 7
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| Targeted waveform enhanced plasma microreactor: Engineering Chemistry at the Interface of Microbubbles This project aims to optimise how the formation of plasma-activated species is coupled to the transient operation of the plasma electronics that create the excited species that eventually react at microbubble gas-liquid interfaces. Preliminary studies show that the composition of an excited air plasma, for instance, can dramatically change with the contacting time in the reactor and the electric field applied. They also suggest that how that electric field is applied in space and time dramatically affects the chemical composition of the plasma, and consequently what chemical reactions dominate the microbubble mediated gas-liquid chemistry. The purpose of this proposal is to characterise this coupling between the time-varying plasma electronics output, as implemented with tuneable electrical engineering design, and the induced chemistry of the plasma and microbubble mediated reaction. The characterisation will be captured in computer models that permit inversion; from the desired chemical outputs, the optimum plasma electronics design, control and operating mode ("the waveform") will be predicted. https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/S031421/1 |
| AdD HyStor European project to research hybridised energy storage systems featuring batteries and flywheels. https://doi.org/10.3030/760443 |
| Multi-physics sensor fusion for power electronic converter prognostics Research into a multi-physics sensor fusion technique to provide accurate prognostics for highly integrated powerelectronic converters for electric vehicles. The real-time prognostics, accurately estimating and true age of the converter, will allow the vehicle management system to intelligently adjust the available power and cooling requirements. This will be achieved through dynamically adjusting the safe operating area of the power converter based on the prevailing conditions and records of previous ageing. |
| A New Partnership in Offshore Wind: Siemens Wind Power Prosperity Partnership A collaborative project between Siemens-Gamesa, Orsted and the universities of Sheffield, Durham and Hull investigating technologies to improve wind turbines. Topics include generators, power electronic converters, blades, foundations and condition monitoring. https://npow.group.shef.ac.uk/ https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/R004900/1 |
| Development of novel power tool motors KTP project developing novel electrical machines and controllers for power tools |
| Inverter Integrated Machine for Low Carbon Vehicles Development of electrical machines and power electronic systems for low-carbon vehicles https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=103585 |
| FPeT: Framework for designing piezoelectric transformer power supplies Most electrical equipment requires a power supply which usually incorporates a magnetic transformer to provide safety isolation and to step up or step down the input voltage. Piezoelectric transformers (PTs) offer an exciting alternative to conventional transformers particularly in applications requiring high power density, low electromagnetic interference and high temperature operation. Their widespread adoption is hindered, however, by the need for power supply designers to possess knowledge and training in both materials science and power electronics, combined expertise that is rarely found in industry or even academia. This lacking knowledge base represents a real impediment for power supply manufacturers who may wish to adopt PT technology and consequently PTs have only seen marginal market penetration.
The project addresses these issues by producing a multi-physics design framework which provides abstraction from the fundamental science and therefore allows the design engineer to focus on the overall system design. The framework converts a high-level power supply specification into a PT power supply solution through a series of circuit and materials based transformations. An optimisation process (using evolutionary computing and finite element analysis) produces a fully characterised final design. The output of this process includes a circuit design and a "recipe" for the piezoelectric transformer, including materials and construction details presented in a format suitable for manufacture. The framework will be encapsulated in a user-friendly software design tool and validated against real-world power supply applications suggested by the project's industrial partners thereby ensuring the relevance of the research.
The research, which will transcend the traditional barriers between electrical engineering and materials science, has an investigatory team with expertise in both areas. As well as developing a framework, the research will develop novel piezoelectric materials particularly suited to high temperature operation, finding promise in a number of application areas including aerospace, oil/gas exploration, electric vehicles and for remote monitoring in harsh environments. Additionally, the need for environmentally damaging lead-based PTs will be diminished through the development of new materials which comply with Restriction on Hazardous Substances 2016.
The research programme will culminate in an open workshop where industry and academic researchers can learn about PT power supplies and evaluate the design tool for themselves. To ensure that the research remains industrially relevant we have partnered with several leading companies who will provide expertise and commercial drive and in return they will receive proof-of-concept power supplies ready for commercialisation. https://fpet.shef.ac.uk/ https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/P015859/1 |
| MANIFEST (Mustliscale ANalysIs for Facilities for Energy STorage) A collaborative project researching grid-connected energy storage systems. https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/N032888/1 |
| Low Cost Power Supplies for Developing Countries - Repurposing Computer Power Supplies (RECOMPS) Repurposing of computer power supplies into solar photovoltaic (PV) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) battery chargers https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=132410 |
| TransEnergy: Road to Rail Energy Exchange (R2REE) Research in to the use of energy storage system for capturing regenerative energy on rail networks. https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/creesa/projects/transenergy http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/N022289/1 |
| PowerPassives: On-Line Passive Component Thermal Modelling in Integrated Drives Development of a passive component prognostic system for integrated drive systems. http://mpfoster.staff.shef.ac.uk/index.php/2-uncategorised/9-powerpassives |
| Industrial Secondment Industrial secondment to develop a resonant battery charger with VxI Power Ltd. https://www.vxipower.com |
| Qatar Power System Transition to a Smart Grid To improve energy efficiency and resilience Qatar needs to be equipped with a grid that is intelligent, self-healing and resilient to anomalies which accommodates the existing assets, renewable energies, and information & communication technologies. This project examined the key drivers for transiting the existing Grid into a Smart Grid and finding the best technologies to enable this transition.
Grant no. NPRP 6 - 244 - 2 - 103 https://pub.qgrants.org/Awards/ProjectDetails?p=10229 |
| Grid Scale Energy Storage Demonstrator (Willenhall Energy Storage System) During this project a 2MW 1MWh grid connected lithium titanate battery research facility was constructed on a Western Power Distribution substation located in Willenhall. The system termed Willenhall Energy Storage System (WESS) have been used by academia and industry to under research on all aspects of grid-connected energy storage including providing grid support services (inc fast frequency response), cell degradation and communication issues. The project was funded by the EPSRC under the Capital for Great Technologies call. https://www.creesa.co.uk/willenhall-project https://epsrc.ukri.org/files/research/capital-for-great-technologies-call-grid-scale-energy-storage-panel/ |
| Recycling and sustainable remanufacture of computer PSU's into MPPT solar interfaces for battery charging Technical feasibility of repurposing computer power supplies (ATX) into solar photovoltaic maximum power point tracking (MPPT) battery chargers http://mpfoster.staff.shef.ac.uk/index.php/2-uncategorised/10-atx |
| Full-scale permanent magnet wind power generator technology with high-reliability and power density |
| Cost efficient integrated propulsion and charging system for low carbon vehicles |
| Integrated Propulsion and Charging System for Low Carbon Vehicles Development of integrated electric motor and battery charging functionality to reduce cost and weight of electric vehicles. https://gtr.ukri.org/project/3FC4E08C-F9D5-4AEC-AF4E-BB3AB28B8BE3 |
| Develop safety integrity level systems for a gamma probe and subsequent certification for a range of radiation monitoring equipment KTP project to develop instrumentation for monitoring radiation emissions |
| Grid-shift and peak reduction through Distributed Storage, Smart DC and VPP models Innovate UK sponsored feasibility study with Moixa Technology Ltd exploring the business models for aggregated domestic distributed energy storage. https://gtr.ukri.org/project/21A4C0F2-2719-4958-B9FE-B2A75BDD497A |
| Novel Automotive Battery Including Enabling Innovations of Charge Shuttling and Thermal Energy Management Features Innovate UK (TSB) sponsored project with Amberjac Projects Ltd |
| Developing FUTURE Vehicles (Fundamental Understanding of Technologies for Ultra Reduced Emission Vehicles) |
| Novel Induction heaters and workheads for container sealing |
| Recycling of tracked EV Li-ion batteries Innovate UK (TSB) feasibility study into the Recycling of Li-ion EV batteries, undertaken by a project consortium consisting of Axeon, Oakdene Hollins, the University of Sheffield and led by TRL. |
| Feasibility of Re-Using Batteries on the Electricty Grid Innovate UK (TSB) sponsored feasibility study into reusing electric vehicle batteries on the electricity grid. Collaborative project involving Energy Cost Advisors Limited, Aston University,Western Power Distribution, G. & P. Batteries Limited,University of Sheffield and Renault Group U.K. Limited. https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=130708 |
| Photovoltaics for Future Societies Funded by the EPSRC this interdisciplinary project investigated photovoltaics from the fundamental technology to the communities in which they are utilised. https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/I032541/1 |
| Inductively coupled wireless lighting system Innovate UK (TSB) KTP project |
| Nanoelectronics for Electric Vehicle Intelligent Failsafe Drive Train |
| Ultra Battery Feasibility - Investigation into the combined battery-supercapacitor for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) applications EPSRC sponsored feasibility study to determine the mechanisms behind the operation of an experimentally derived, Lead-Acid based Battery / Carbon Supercapacitor hybrid. https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/ngboviewgrant.aspx?grantref=ep/h050221/1 |
| Wind power PM generation systems of high reliability and power density |
| Investigating bearing reliability in wind turbine permanent magnet generators |
| Power Electronics for Adverse High Temperature Environments (PEATE) High temperature power electronics for driving gas down-hole compressors https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=DT/E005195/1 |
| Piezo-electric transformers for power electronic applications PhD studentship funded through Innovative electronics Manufacturing Research Council (IeMRC) |
| Behavioural modelling, design and digital control of high-order resonant power supplies This First Grant project researched design and control techniques for LCC, LLC and LCLC resonant power supplies. Outputs included a PLL self-oscillating controller, genetic algorithm for designing LCC resonant converters and describing function models for LLC resonant converters. https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/C015924/1 |
| Modelling, design and digital control of resonant power supplies |