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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/M011054/1
Title: A new simulation and optimisation platform for marine technology
Principal Investigator: Piggott, Professor MD
Other Investigators:
Gorman, Dr G Kelly, Professor P Ham, Dr DA
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Mr SC Kramer Dr L Mitchell
Project Partners:
Alstom Group Argonne National Laboratory Centre for Env Fisheries Aqua Sci CEFAS
H R Wallingford Ltd MeyGen Ltd Numerical Algorithms Group Ltd
Renewable Energy Systems Ltd Simula Research Laboratory
Department: Earth Science and Engineering
Organisation: Imperial College London
Scheme: Standard Research
Starts: 01 March 2015 Ends: 28 August 2018 Value (£): 434,711
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Energy - Marine & Hydropower Underwater Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Energy
Related Grants:
EP/M011151/1 EP/M011100/1
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
11 Sep 2014 Software for the Future Call II Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form


The coastal zone plays a crucial part in addressing two of the most pressing issues facing humanity: energy supply and water resources. Marine renewable energy and desalination are both characterised by the deployment of relatively small-scale technology (for example, tidal turbines, or desalination plant outfalls) in large-scale ocean flows. Understanding the multi-scale interactions between sub-metre scale installations and ocean currents over tens of kilometres is crucial for assessing environmental impacts, and for optimisation to minimise project costs or maximise profits. The vast range of scales and physical processes involved, and the need to optimise complex coupled systems, represent highly daunting software development and computational challenges. Geographically, the UK is uniquely positioned to become a world leader in marine renewable energy, but adequate software will be a key factor in determining the success of this new industry.

To address this need, this project will re-engineer a unique CFD to marine scale modelling package to provide performance-portability, future-proofing and substantially increased capabilities. To motivate this we will target two applications: renewable energy generation via tidal turbine arrays and dense water discharge from desalination plants. Both are characterised by a common wide range of spatial and temporal scales, the need for design optimisation and accurate impact assessments, and a current lack of the required software.

This project will build upon several world-leading open source software projects from the assembled multi-disciplinary research team. This team already has a long and successful track record of working together on the development of high quality open source software which is able to exploit large-scale high performance computing and has been used widely in academia and industry. In addition, the project has assembled a wide range of suitable project partners to aid in the delivery of the project as well as to promote longer term impact. These include complementary centres of excellence in cutting-edge software development, industry leaders in the targeted application areas, marine consultancies, and those contributing to environmental regulation.

Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Organisation Website: http://www.imperial.ac.uk