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IEF

IEF

Optimal distribution network investment and distribution network operator dispatch under peer-to-peer market
Funder: Brunel Research Initiative and Enterprise Fund (BRIEF)
Duration: May 2020 - October 2021
APPLICATION OF SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY TO PROCESSES: ASTEP
Funder: European Commission
Duration: May 2020 - April 2024
Knowledge exchange on healthcare big data analytics
Funder: Medical Research Council
Duration: April 2020 - March 2022
Solar heat storage for drying Forest Tree Seeds (SoFTS)
Funder: Innovate UK
Duration: April 2020 - June 2021
Solar Energy for Cleaner, Safer Kitchens in Kenya
Funder: Innovate UK
Duration: April 2020 - June 2021
Solar Energy for Cleaner Safer Kitchens in Kenya
Funder: Innovate UK
Duration: April 2020 - March 2021
Black Liquor to Fuel by Efficient Hydro Thermal Application integrated to Pulp Mill
Funder: European Commission
Duration: April 2020 - March 2023
High-fidelity lattice-Boltzmann prediction of porous-membrane emulsification
Funder: Royal Society
Duration: March 2020 - February 2022
Newton Fund PhD placement support - Adya Isha
Funder: British Council
Duration: March 2020 - January 2021
Direct Writing of Cementitious Inks to Scaffolds with Complex Microarchitectures (DIWoCIS)
Funder: British Council
Duration: February 2020 - January 2022
Morphing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Realising future flight capabilities
Funder: Defence and Security Accelerator, UK Ministry of Defence
Duration: February 2020 - December 2020

This project seeks to demonstrate a step change in fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle flight capability. The work will apply a new morphing wing warping technology developed at Brunel University to deliver a generic (UAV) platform with enhanced flight performance, efficiency, and control capabilities up to 20% greater than that currently available. The prototype will employ wings of novel construction which possess near resistance-free compliance in twist affording real-time, closed-loop, non-linear, span-wise wing twist adjustment capabilities required for continually-optimised flight under differing operating conditions and flight requirements. Additional project partners are the University of Cambridge and BMT.

Ultra High Performance Hemp-based Composites for the Construction Industry
Funder: EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account
Duration: January 2020 - June 2020

The main novelty of this project for UK's manufacturing industry of bio-composites is to optimise the feedstock (hemp shive) considering environmental and economic feasibilities. The second goal that the project addresses is to enhance the surface morphology at the interface to maximise load-bearing capacity of bonded joints, and to improve the deformational characteristics of bio-composites for structural components. The project’s pre-treatment protocol focuses on the removal of non-cellulosic constituents from the surface (i.e. impurities, hydrophobic extractives and waxes) and expansion of microstructure (i.e. swollen cell walls), to improve the surface wettability, increase the roughness, and create micro and/or nano sites for efficient/deeper penetration of the binder into the cell walls.

Powertrain Efficiency and Fuel Economy Improvement on Tata Gasoline Engines
Funder: Tata Motors European Technical Centre
Duration: January 2020 - July 2023
Investigation & Modelling of Fast Frequency Phenomena - Phase 2
Funder: National Grid Electricity System Operator Ltd
Duration: January 2020 - October 2020
Investigation of Dual Fuel and Direct Injection LPG Combustion Engines (PhD studentship)
Funder: G-volution Ltd
Duration: January 2020 - December 2022
STEP WP5 - Heat Pipe Design Challenge
Funder: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Duration: November 2019 - April 2020
Sol-Tech - Solar Powered Horticulture Cold Chains
Funder: UKRI
Duration: November 2019 - April 2021
Innovative Solar Energy Technology for Kenyan Tea Industry (InSET4KTI)
Funder: Innovate UK
Duration: November 2019 - April 2021
Walls Energizing Buildings: POWERSKIN
Funder: European Commission
Duration: November 2019 - October 2023
Research and Development of New generation Gas Engine Technologies
Funder: Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Company Ltd
Duration: October 2019 - October 2022
Ultra-high gasoline direct injection (PhD studentship)
Funder: Ford Motor Co Ltd
Duration: October 2019 - September 2022
Cryogenic Hybrid heat pipe heat exchanger
Funder: Air Products PLC
Duration: October 2019 - September 2022
Solar Powered Horticulture Cold Chains (Sol-Tech)
Funder: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Duration: October 2019 - March 2021
RAEng Visiting Professorship (19/20) - Alexandra Knight
Funder: Royal Academy of Engineering
Duration: September 2019 - July 2022
High Performance Compressed Straw Board (HPCSB)
Funder: Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council
Duration: September 2019 - September 2021

This project aims to introduce a greatly improved, lightweight variant of compressed straw board (CSB) for the construction industry, strong enough to accommodate structural loads both in tension and under compression. It will exploit a novel concept of industrially efficient and highly selective removal of defects in straw feedstock, using scalable methods and tools. The optimising of the straw feedstock, i.e. removing its defects and improving its surface, will substantially enhance the performance of CSBs by 50%.

Demonstrator for UK's First Solar Electric Forecourt
Funder: InnovateUK
Duration: September 2019 - February 2021
Supply Chain Collaboration among Agribusiness SMEs and Post-Brexit UK-Australia Trade
Funder: BAM-ANZAM Collaborative Research Award Scheme 2019
Duration: September 2019 - December 2020
BAM/ANZAM Collaborative Research Award Grant Scheme 2019/20
Funder: British Academy of Management
Duration: September 2019 - December 2020
Demonstrator for UK's First Solar Electric Forecourt
Funder: Innovate UK
Duration: August 2019 - January 2021
High-Performance Compressed Straw Board (HPCSB): A New Generation of Building Materials
Funder: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Duration: July 2019 - June 2021

This project aims to introduce a greatly improved, lightweight variant of compressed straw board (CSB) for the construction industry, strong enough to accommodate structural loads both in tension and under compression. It will exploit a novel concept of industrially efficient and highly selective removal of defects in straw feedstock, using scalable methods and tools. The optimising of the straw feedstock, i.e. removing its defects and improving its surface, will substantially enhance the performance of CSBs by 50%. Up to 10 million tonnes of wheat straw every year is either ploughed back into the land or put to very low-grade use. Our research can bring an end to the waste of this potentially valuable resource.

Enhanced Multiscale Boiling Surfaces (EMBOSS): From Fundamentals to Design
Funder: Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council
Duration: May 2019 - May 2022
Domestic Extraction of Emerging Products by Purple Photrophic Bacteria: Deep Purple
Funder: European Commission
Duration: May 2019 - April 2023
To customise Vulcanaer for M&M engines and run on-vehicle and on-road trials in India
Funder: Mahindra & Mahindra
Duration: April 2019 - December 2019
Concentrating Solar-Thermophilic Anaerobic Reactor for Municipal Solid Waste (COSTARMSW)
Funder: UK-India Education and Research Initiative
Duration: April 2019 - February 2021
A New Framework of High Value Added Zero-waste Recycling of Concrete from Construction and Demolition Waste
Funder: UK-India Education and Research Initiative
Duration: April 2019 - February 2021