Doctoral Training Partnership(DTP) in Structural Metallic Systems for Gas Turbine Applications-universities of Cambridge,Swansea and Birmingham.

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Transport)
Not Energy Related
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electric power conversion)
Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Oil and gas conversion)

Training

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor P Bowen
Metallurgy and Materials
University of Birmingham

Standard

EPSRC

01 October 2009

31 March 2020

126 months

£9,469,808

Manufacturing

West Midlands

Manufacturing: Engineering

Professor P Bowen, Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham

Professor M R Bache, Engineering, Swansea University
Dr WJ Clegg, Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Dr BJ Connolly, Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham
Professor N Green, Doncasters Group Ltd
Dr KM Perkins, Engineering, Swansea University
Dr C Rae, Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Dr HJ Stone, Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Dr MT Whittaker, Engineering, Swansea University

This Doctoral Training Partnership is between the universities of Cambridge,Swansea and Birmingham.Dwindling resources and climate change are forcing engineering designers to utilise materials and energy supplies with ever-greater efficiency. It is argued that cuts in CO2 emissions of between 60-90% must be achieved if irreversible climate change is to be avoided.At present, almost all aircraft propulsion and over 1/3 of the UK's total generating capacity rely on gas turbines. Their flexibility and efficiency compared with the alternatives mean that their use in power generation is predicted to dramatically increase for the foreseeable future. Similarly, a substantial growth in air travel is also predicted with passenger numbers forecast to double or triple by 2050. Achieving drastic reductions in the emissions from gas turbines, without bring national economic activity to a standstill, requires urgent activity on a very wide number of fronts. This is particularly importantfor the UK. It has Europe's largest gas turbine industry, second only to the US, including major engine makers, such as Rolls-Royce, Alstom and Siemens, together with approximately 3,000 companies supplying alloys, high integrity components, such as discs, blades and shafts, as well as coatings and seals. The industry as a whole employs over 400,000 people and generates 2 billion in exports in the power sector alone.EPSRC and Rolls-Royce plc have established a Strategic Partnership in the field of Structural Metallic Systems for Gas Turbine Applications with two key aims:i) To undertake the fundamental materials research necessary to improve the efficiency and environmental sustainability of gas turbine engines.ii) To train the next generation of world-class materials scientists and metallurgical engineers in structural metallic systems that will be critical to the future health of the discipline in UK academia and industry.Both these aims meet key UK needs in research and training as identified in the International Review of Materials 2008, the RAE Recommendations and the EPSRC EngD Review 2008. They also form an integral part of the propulsion roadmap of the Materials and Structures National Technical Committee of the Aerospace and Defence knowledge transfer network

12/08/09