Dyson Future Power Systems Lab

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Other)

Basic and strategic applied research

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor BC Mecrow
Electrical, Electronic & Computer Eng
Newcastle University

Standard

EPSRC

23 September 2020

26 March 2026

66 months

£2,459,497

Electrical engineering

North East

Business Partnerships Fund

Professor BC Mecrow, Electrical, Electronic & Computer Eng, Newcastle University

Dr M Armstrong, Electrical, Electronic & Computer Eng, Newcastle University
Dr GJ Atkinson, Sch of Engineering, Newcastle University
Dr T J Lisle, Sch of Engineering, Newcastle University

Project Contact, Dyson Appliances Ltd

With an ever growing need to become carbon neutral as a society, and increasing concern about the harm of disposable products and the pollution they cause, the time is right to strive to change the domestic market for electrical consumer goods and deliver solutions that are more environmentally friendly and consume less energy. Dyson is well-placed to effect change in this industry with its experience in delivering efficient, lightweight power systems in collaboration with Newcastle University. Through optimisation and innovation of the power systems at their heart, Dyson has shown in recent years how vacuum cleaners and hairdryers can be made smaller, lighter and more efficient, reducing their material and energy usage. Newcastle University have been a key partner in the development of these systems and some of the key technologies that enable them; both in terms of academic contribution and in educating a significant portion of the Motor and Power Systems engineers in Dyson's Research department.Traditionally, concepts such as efficiency, sustainability, and end of life impact have not been of major concern in smaller domestic appliances, where cost was the prime concern and the power system for the product was a bought-in component. However, with 1/3 of all UK electricity consumption being attributable to domestic use and an estimated 1 billion domestic appliances in the UK alone, both the efficiency and sustainability of these appliances need urgent reflection and improvement to help drive the UK and the world towards long-term sustainability goals. In particular, the environmental impact of domestic appliances is dominated by through-life electrical power consumption, which averages an annual 36TWh in the UK, thus even a modest 5% improvement in energy conversion efficiency (which we believe is achievable through improvements in motor efficiency alone) would represent a significant saving in grid generation requirement.We will achieve our goal of improving the energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact of domestic products through a whole-systems-level integrated approach in which all subcomponents of the power system are considered, designed and optimised simultaneously. Additionally the typical modes of operation of the end appliances will be incorporated into the design procedure to maximise performance and efficiency gains at the most common (and therefore most important) operating points.

08/10/21