| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/T005548/1 |
| Title: |
Dyson Future Power Systems Lab |
| Principal Investigator: |
Mecrow, Professor BC |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Sch of Engineering |
| Organisation: |
Newcastle University |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research |
| Starts: |
23 September 2020 |
Ends: |
22 September 2025 |
Value (£): |
2,359,497
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Electric Motor & Drive Systems |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Transport Systems and Vehicles |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.ncl.ac.uk |