Funds are sought to employ a Research Assistant and a Research Student to research the modelling of the coupling between manufacturing porosity/damage, strain-induced damage, the degradation of thermal properties and stress-strain response of woven Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs). The project is a continuation of research done on GR/K81256, and on subsequent projects.Two CMC materials have been selected. The first is a simple plain 0/90 weave DRL-XT C/SiC CMC which has previously been studied extensively. The material will be researched using classical Finite Element unit cell modelling techniques to establish methods for modelling the coupling of manufacturing porosity and strain-induced damage with the degradation of thermal conductivity. The modelling will take place at the level of the fibre/tow/matrices materials, with the driver being to predict bulk composite properties from the physical and mechanicl properties of the constituent phases of the composite i.e. fibres, tows of fibres, interfaces between different materials and the matrices which hold the composite together.The next part of the research will be to repeat this modelling exercise on the DRL-XT C/SiC with the more computationally economic and conceptually simple Binary Modelling technique; with a view to establishing its viability and accuracy.Having established this, the Binary Modelling technique used on the first material, will be used to study the second one. That is a more complex HITCO C/C 8-Satin weave which is extensively used in industrial engineering components. The coupling between manufacturing porosity, strain-induced damage and the degradation of the thermal properties of the 8-Satin CMC will be researched. For both materials, success of the computer modelling will be judged against experimental stress-strain-thermal conductivity data collected under grant GR/K81256.The research will establish mehodologies for characterisation of manufacturing porosity, for eliciting physical and mechanical properties of fibres, tows, interfaces and matrices, using semi-inverse techniques and bulk composite experimental data.Lastly, the Binary Modelling technique will be used to predict the stress-strain-damage-thermal transport response of a simple engineering component subjected to combined thermal and mechanical loading; and to assess the viability of the approach. Recommendations will be made on viability and possible constraints to use for thermo-mechanical modelling e.g. complex woven composites.

To achieve the UK's ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 without compromising energy security, the UK's conventional power plants must be operated in a flexible manner in terms of high efficiency, using alternative fuels (e.g. biomass) and integrating technologies for carbon abatement (e.g. Carbon Capture and Storage, CCS). Major reviews conducted by International Energy Agency in 2013 on the current status of the most advanced solid fuel-based conventional power generation technologies clearly show that ultra-supercritical (USC) steam Rankine cycle power generation combined with Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) combustion technology is the most viable alternative to the pulverised coal (PC)-based USC power generation. In addition, USC/CFB has a number of advantages over USC/PC, particularly regarding fuel flexibility. However, there are still many fundamental research and technical challenges facing the development of USC-CFB technology. In particular, combustion issues related to safe and stable operation of CFB boilers when burning a variety of solid fuels are not yet fully understood and there is a great need to develop novel materials that will be able to cope with adverse conditions associated with USC/CFB operations. This consortium brings together internationally recognised research experts from Universities of Leeds, Nottingham and Warwick in the fields of conventional power generation, fluidized bed combustion, power plant materials, modelling and control with the strong supports of industrial partners in Alstom, Doosan Babcock, Foster Wheeler and E.ON and its international academic partner - Tsinghua University. The project proposed aims to maximize the benefits of USC/CFB in terms of power generation efficiency, fuel flexibility including biomass and integration with CO2 capture by conducting research that addresses the key challenges in combustion, materials and modelling. The specific project objectives are: (1) To understand how the combustion of a variety of fuels affects bed material agglomeration, fouling and corrosion of boiler heat exchanger tubes and emissions (2) To understand the influence of the hostile conditions in USC/CFB in terms of creep and oxidation/corrosion resistance on ferritic, austenitic and Ni-based materials and to use the knowledge gained to develop coatings, enablng these materials to withstand the higher temperatures and pressures (3) To investigate the additional impacts on combustion, emissions and materials when a USC/CFB is operating in the oxy-fuel combustion mode (4) To develop a whole USC/CFB power plant dynamic model and to use the model to study optimal process operation strategies for higher efficiencies and better fuel flexibility To achieve the proposed research aim and objectives and address the fundamental challenges, four inter-connected work packages composed of experimental and modelling studies will be completed: (1) WP1 - Investigating CFB combustion issues through combustion tests at laboratory- and pilot-scales (2) WP2 - Evaluating hostile conditions of USC/CFB on candidate materials (3) WP3 - Development of surface engineered coatings & mechanical testing of coated alloys (4) wp4 - USC/CFB system modelling

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

In order to meet UK Government targets to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050, rapid growth in electricity generation from intermittent renewable energy sources, in particular, wind, is required, together with increasing constraints on the operation and environmental performance of conventional coal and gas-fired plant. Unprecedented demands for operational plant flexibility (i.e. varing power output to reflect demand) will pose new challenges to component integrity in ageing conventional plant, which it is widely recognised will play a crucial role in maintaining security of supply. In parallel, demands on fuel flexibility to reduce emissions, i.e. firing gas turbine plant with low-carbon syngas or biogas and firing/cofiring steam plant with biomass, will create new challenges in plant engineering, monitoring and control, and materials performance. Improved plant efficiency is a key requirement to cut emissions and to make decarbonisation economically feasible. The continuous development of novel, stronger high temperature materials may also enable component replacement, rather than complete new build plant, to maintain the essential reserve of conventional generation capacity. Finally, the decarbonisation transition involves new and complex economic and environmental considerations, and it is therefore important that these issues of sustainability are addressed for the development of future conventional power plant. The research programme will consider the key issues of Plant Efficiency, Plant Flexibility, Fuel Flexibility and Sustainability and how these four intersecting themes impact upon plant operation and design, combustion processes in general and the structural integrity of conventional and advanced materials utilised in conventional power plants. Outcomes from the proposed Research Programme include: - Improved understanding of the complex relationship between plant efficiency, fuel flexibility, plant flexibility, component life and economic viability - Novel approaches for monitoring and control of future conventional power plants - Improved fuel combustion and monitoring processes to allow use of a wider range of fuels - Improved understanding of structural materials systems for use in components with higher operating temperatures and more aggressive environments - Improved coating systems to protect structural materials used in power plant components - New models for optimisation of operating conditions and strategies for future conventional power plants The consortium comprises six leading UK Universities with strengths and a proven track record in the area of conventional power generation - led by Loughborough University, working together with Cardiff and Cranfield Universities, Imperial College London and the Universities of Nottingham and Warwick. The Industrial Partners collaborating in this project include several major UK power generation operators, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Government laboratories and Small and Medium Sized (SMEs) companies in the supply chain for the power generation sector. The Energy Generation and Supply Knowledge Transfer Network will be a formal delivery partner of the consortium. The proposal has been developed following extensive engagement with the industrial partners and as a result they have made very significant commitment, both financial and as integrated partners in the research programme.

The increasing amounts of renewable energy present on the national grid reduce C02 emissions caused by electrical power but they fit into an electrical grid designed for fossil fuels. Fossil fuels can be turned on and off at will and so are very good at matching variations in load. Renewable energy in the form of wind turbines is more variable (although that variability is much more predictable than most people think) and there is a need for existing power plants to operate much more flexibly to accommodate the changing power output from wind, tidal and solar power. This work brings together five leading Universities in the UK and a number of industrial partners to make conventional power plants more flexible. The research covers a wide range of activities from detailed analysis of power station parts to determine how they will respond to large changes in load all the way up to modelling of the UK electrical network on a national level which informs us as to the load changes which conventional power plants will need to supply. The research work is divided up into a number of "workpackages" for which each University is responsible together they contribute to four major themes in the proposal: Maintaining Plant Efficiency, Improving Plant Flexibility, Increasing Fuel Flexibility and Delivering Sustainability. Cambridge University will be conducting research into wet steam methods. Water is used as the working fluid in power plant as it has excellent heat transfer properties. However in the cold end of power extraction turbine the steam starts to condense into water and droplets form this is especially a problem at part load. The work at Cambridge will allow this process to be predicted better and lead to better designs. Durham University will contribute two different work packages: modelling work of the entire UK power system and the introduction of the world's first dynamically controlled clearance seal. The modelling work will enable the requirements for plant flexibility to be determined accurately. The dynamic seal developed in conjunction with a major UK manufacturer will allow the turbine to maintain performance as the load varies. Oxford University - Improved Heat Transfer Methods for Turbine Design. The output from this work will be a highly accurate coupled fluid flow and heat transfer calculations that will enable designers to better predict the thermal transients inside power stations. Leeds and Edinburgh University will lead work on increasing the use of biomass fuels. The modelling work at Leeds will allow plant operators to devise suitable measures to minimise the environmental impact of burning biomass. Leeds and Edinburgh University will contribute the development of a Virtual Power Plant Simulation Tool This work acts as a bridge between the different project partners as inputs from the models produced at Durham, Cambridge, Oxford and Leeds are combined. This tool based on the latest research findings can be used to optimize transient operations such as fast start-up and load following as wind turbine output varies.