AICHE

Brown group member Ioanna Kalospyrou attended the 2023 AIChE Annual Meeting, 5-10th November 2023 in Orlando, FL. Ioanna presented research work conducted by herself, Dr. Min Tao and Dr. Robert Milton on mRNA vaccine production optimisation aided by Gaussian Processes and Global Sensitivity Analysis. She presented work in two sessions:

  1. Data-driven and hybrid modeling for decision making I, 
  2. Biomolecular Engineering IV: Enabling tools for studies of the life sciences. 

Her individual work presented was on the novel methodology she developed for her MEng thesis aiming at the simultaneous optimisation of simulation and experimental practice related to an mRNA bioreactor by combining Gaussian Process and sensitivity analysis techniques. 
​Dr. Tao‘s work presented was on his new approach to parameter tuning of the mechanistic model related to the same mRNA bioreactor utilising Gaussian Process and sensitivity analysis techniques as well.
The software package utilised for both innovative methodologies presented at the AIChE is rom-comma, a package Brown group member, Dr Robert Milton developed.

ESCAPE-33

The Brown Group members attended the 33rd European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering, 17-21st June 2023 in Athens, Greece.  Conference proceedings cab be found here.
​Mathew Wilkes ​presented his work on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) for co-production of power and hydrogen, i.e., BECCS-Power-H2. Included in the technical evaluation is the amount of hydrogen that can be produced via biomass gasification, and the carbon intensity of hydrogen when incorporating CO2 capture technologies. This work forms the basis of a larger study looking at the feasibility of utilising sustainable biomass for the production of useful fuels. 
​Dr Diarmid Roberts showcased his work on the techno-economic comparison of peaking power plants. Utilising process and economic models to techno-economically evaluate two invaluable forms for dispatchable power: open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) power generation with carbon capture and storage (CCS)(OCGT+CCS) and battery energy storage system (BESS) using Li-ion batteries. Interestingly, the results show the lower cost of BESS, but only for low duration (<8h) operation. Therefore, future work is required on long duration energy storage and alternate low-cost capture solutions for Gas-CCS. 
Dr Min Tao investigated Multiple-output Gaussian Process based Global Sensitivity Analysis for the cost-performance of electric vehicle (EV) in the United Kingdom. In this work, a multiple-output Gaussian processes (GPs) based Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) method is employed to investigate the relationship between these EV properties and the cost-performance. The variance-based GSA computations provide the detailed understandings of these key vehicle parameters for EV end-users and manufacturers. It is initially found that the total travel distances and its relevant variables available ID and fraction, and battery efficiency are the dominant factors for the cost of performance within all optimal solutions.
Thomas Cowley presented his research on the techno-economic feasibility of multi-source district heating networks (DHNs) that use mine water and industrial waste heat. By applying an agent-based network dynamics model, he evaluated the potential of low-temperature DHNs, in a region heavily dependent on natural gas, like Barnsley. Intriguingly, the results indicated that integrating industrial waste heat, despite higher operational costs, could lead to lower Levelised Cost of Heat (LCOH) and reduced carbon emissions. However, these benefits were especially evident at specific gas price points, highlighting the need for future studies on the impact of fluctuating global gas prices.​
Dr Peter Bugryniec​ studies the safety of Li-ion batteries, in which the main concern is thermal runaway. Under failure, Li-ion batteries can generate large amounts of heat along with flammable and toxic gases. Through his poster “Predicting the Evolution of Flammable Gases During Li-ion Battery Thermal Runaway Using Micro-Kinetic Modelling” a novel method is developed to determine the generation of decomposition gases from first principles. This work provides predictive capabilities for the fire and toxicity hazard assessment of LIB energy storage systems across multiple length scales.​
Timothy Hutty presented ​
Dr Robert Milton presented ​
Prof Solomon Brown presented work conducted by former member Dr Jude Ejeh, titled: An MINLP model for the optimal design of CO2 transportation infrastructure in industrial clusters. 

Drax Power Station

The Brown Group had a tour of Drax Group's biomass power station in North Yorkshire. The group learnt all about sustainable biomass combustion, from pelletisation to flue gas treatment. The sheer scale of the facility was mesmerising and the visit was extremely useful to those group members studying bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). 

Drax Power Station provides 12% of the UK’s renewable power, providing a secure, reliable and flexible source of renewable energy to support more intermittent renewables, such as wind and solar. The station has a capacity of 3,906 MW and the power it produces is almost 100% using compressed wood pellets, a form of sustainably sourced biomass. For more information about Drax and the power station please visit: https://www.drax.com/

Although the pilot scale CO2 capture tests were not operational during our visit, it was good to see commercial work being carried out on decarbonising power generation. Once the full-scale capture facility is operational, the BECCS site will become a negative emissions technology, helping the UK achieve its Net Zero targets. 

ECR Net Zero Conference

The first ECR Net Zero Conference took place at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester (30th November - 1st December 2022). The event was organised by the UKCCSRC, C-DICE, CO2RE, CREDS, ERA, EnergyREV, IDRIC, TFI Network+, and UKERC. It was attended by several members of the Brown Group - Oludayo Asuni, Mathew Wilkes, Thomas Cowley, and Joseph Hammond.
Oludayo Asuni ​-  It was an enlightening experience with discussions and interactive sessions on the role ECRs can play within the Net Zero Space. It was great to meet other ECRs working in the space to share ideas and discuss varying opinions on the challenges we face and their potential solutions. The conference highlighted the need for effective stakeholder engagement to amplify the impact of our work which I plan on implementing.

GHGT-16

Dr Jude Ejeh and Mathew Wilkes attended the 16th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, 23-27th October 2022 in Lyon, France.
Dr Jude Ejeh presented work on  
Mathew Wilkes presented a techno-economic study of small-scale CO2 capture for dispatchable gas turbines. This work utilised process models developed in earlier publication and used the design parameters to calculate the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for dispatchable Gas-CCS.
ghgt16_mdw.pdf
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ESCAPE-32 
Several group members attended the 32nd European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering, 12-15th June 2022 in Toulouse, France. 
Flora Biggins presented a poster on using energy storage to maximise wind farm profits under uncertainty. Findings suggest that adding a hydrogen electrolyser is more economical than a battery and allows greater for use of otherwise curtailed wind.​
Aaron Yeardley​ presented a poster on using predictive maintenance in the digital era. The research robustly tests machine learning algorithms on a large-scale cyber-physical production system using a rigorous comparative approach. The results showed methods adopted were accurate in predicting faults and suitable for predictive maintenance in the digital era. Finally, the work concluded by considering the importance of a predictive maintenance model in a design framework to be used as a tool to implement a successful maintenance schedule.
Mathew Wilkes delivered a keynote presentation on the flexible operation of vacuum-pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) for CO2 capture from modern gas turbines. The study highlighted VPSA is comparable to the benchmark MEA capture process.
Dr Peter Bugryniec​
escape_2022_fb.pdf
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escape_2022_ay.pdf
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escape_2022_mw.pdf
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SAMO

Dr Robert Milton attended the Sensitivity Analysis of Model Outputs (SAMO) Conference, March 2022 in Tallahassee, Florida. He ​gave a talk on novel sensitivity analysis, with uncertainty quantification, of multiple outputs. He also presented a poster showing how this analysis can be used to dramatically reduce dimensions by locating an active subspace. 
samo_2022_presentation_-_milton.pptx
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samo_2022_poster_-_milton.pptx
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