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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/S022996/1
Title: EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Resilient Decarbonised Fuel Energy Systems
Principal Investigator: Irons, Professor R
Other Investigators:
Mohr, Dr AL Ma, Professor L Pourkashanian, Professor M
Bowen, Professor P Marsh, Professor R LIU, Professor H
Sun, Professor C Finney, Dr KNN
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Ashwell Biomass Solutions Biomass and Fossil Fuel Res Alliance Biomass Power
Carbon Capture and Storage Association Carbon Clean Solutions Limited (UK) Chinese Academy of Science
Clean Electrictiy Generation UK Ltd. CPL Industries Group Limited Cultivate Innovation Ltd
Dept for Bus, Energy & Ind Strat (BEIS) Doosan Power Systems Drax Power Limited
EDF Electric Power Research Institute EPRI Energy Systems Catapult
Freeland Horticulture GE (General Electric Company) Glosfume Limited
HiETA Technologies Ltd Innospec Environmental Ltd International Flame Research Foundation
Johnson Matthey Mineral and Energy Economy Research Inst Promethean Particles Ltd
RJM International Shandong University Siemens
Southeast University Tarmac Tata Steel Limited
Tees Valley Combined Authority Thermocore Europe Ltd UKCCS Research Centre
University of Kentucky Wales & West Utilities Welsh Water (Dwr Cymru)
WSP Group plc UK
Department: Faculty of Engineering
Organisation: University of Nottingham
Scheme: Centre for Doctoral Training
Starts: 01 October 2019 Ends: 31 March 2028 Value (£): 5,771,301
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Carbon Capture & Storage
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
07 Nov 2018 EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training Interview Panel R – November 2018 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Resilient Decarbonised Fuel Energy Systems

Led by the University of Nottingham, with Sheffield and Cardiff

SUMMARY

This Centre is designed to support the UK energy sector at a time of fundamental change. The UK needs a knowledgeable but flexible workforce to deliver against this uncertain future.

Our vision is to develop a world-leading CDT, delivering research leaders with broad economic, societal and contextual awareness, having excellent technical skills and capable of operating in multi-disciplinary teams covering a range of roles. The Centre builds on a heritage of two successful predecessor CDTs but adds significant new capabilities to meet research needs which are now fundamentally different. Over 80% of our graduates to date have entered high-quality jobs in energy-related industry or academe, showing a demand for the highly trained yet flexible graduates we produce.

National Need for a Centre

The need for a Centre is demonstrated by both industry pull and by government strategic thinking. More than forty industrial and government organisations have been consulted in the shaping and preparation of this proposal. The bid is strongly aligned with EPSRC's Priority Area 5 (Energy Resilience through Security, Integration, Demand Management and Decarbonisation) and government policy.

Working with our partners, we have identified the following priority research themes. They have a unifying vision of re-purposing and re-using existing energy infrastructure to deliver rapid and cost-effective decarbonisation.

1. Allowing the re-use and development of existing processes to generate energy and co-products from low-carbon biomass and waste fuels, and to maximise the social, environmental and economic benefits for the UK from this transition

2. Decreasing CO2 emissions from industrial processes by implementation of CCUS, integrating with heat networks where appropriate.

3. Assessing options for the decarbonisation of natural gas users (as fuel or feedstock) in the power generation, industry and domestic heating system through a combination of hydrogen enhancement and/or CO2 capture. Also critical in this theme is the development of technologies that enable the sustainable supply of carbon-lean H2 and the adoption of H2 or H2 enriched fuel/feedstock in various applications.

4. Automating existing electricity, gas and other vector infrastructure (including existing and new methods of energy storage) based on advanced control technologies, data-mining and development of novel instrumentation, ensuring a smarter, more flexible energy system at lower cost.

Training

Our current Centre operates a training programme branded 'exemplary' by our external examiner and our intention is to use this as solid basis for further improvements which will include a new technical core module, a module on risk management and enhanced training in inclusivity and responsible research.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Our current statistics on gender balance and disability are better than the EPSRC mean. We will seek to further improve this record. We are also keen to demonstrate ED&I within the Centre staff and our team also reflects a diversity in gender, ethnicity and experience.



Management and Governance

Our PI has joined us after a career conducting and managing energy research for a major energy company and led development of technologies from benchtop to full-scale implementation. He sharpens our industrial focus and enhances an already excellent team with a track record of research delivery. One Co-I chairs the UoN Ethics Committee, ensuring that Responsible Innovation remains a priority.

Value for Money

Because most of the Centre infrastructure and organisation is already in place, start-up costs for the new centre will be minimal giving the benefit of giving a new, highly refreshed technical capability but with a very low organisational on-cost.

Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Summary
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Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk