The proposed research will examine the use of heat pipes for effective thermoelectric heat pumping. The research will develop a themodynamic computer model for heat and mass transfer analysis of revolving heat pipes and thermoelectric devices. The work will investigate a novel, domestic-sized, mechanical-ventilation, heat pump system, using thermoelectric modules and revolving devices which act as both heat pipes and air impellers. The dual function of the revolving devices minimises the number of components, and size of the system. Rotation of the devices enhances heat transfer, both within the heat pipes and externally between the air and the finning. Owing to their rotation, the accumulation of dirt on the pipe surfaces will be small and so reduce the need for cleaning. The research will investigate the use of different types of thermoelectric devices, including novel thin-film thermoelectric materials that can offer high performance heat pumping. Passing electricity across a thermoelectric device produces a temperature gradient. Heat can thus be pumped from one side to another making them essentially solid state heat pumps. The revolving heat pipes will be used to transfer heat to and from the hot and cold sides of the thermoelectric devices. Thermoelectric devices have the advantage of no noise or vibration as they have no mechanical moving parts. Furthermore, they are compact light weight, highly reliable and inexpensive. The system will also be environmentally-friendly as CFC refrigerants are not required.

Research into the development and application of sustainable construction, renewable energy applications and energy management technologies, including their economic and social impacts, is the main thrust of the Centre. Attention will also extend to the way in which the adoption and use of such technologies can be enhanced through procurement and other policy levers. In particular, research in the Centre will be focused on the following two complementary themes:1. Sustainable building and services systems:The emphasis of this theme is on developing new concepts in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of sustainable building and through-life service systems. The impact of climate change and the modelling of the local environment and its interaction with the built environment as well as sustainable procurement and the diffusion of innovative sustainable technologies will also be included. The aim is to achieve lower carbon emission in the construction and operation of buildings and their environmental control systems.2. Energy management in buildings and infrastructure systems:This theme concerns the integration of low- to zero-carbon energy generation systems in buildings and infrastructure systems, demand management technologies (e.g. smart meters, consumption feedback devices, utility load management), and building energy management technologies. The theme addresses the systems integration of sources of supply, demand and storage within a geographically defined area to achieve local area supply-demand matching. The emphasis will be on analysis, integration and management of existing energy technologies at the site scale and the factors governing their adoption within the construction industry.These activities will be delivered with the supporting research areas below:- Climate, climate change and the built environment- Sustainable materials and structures- Innovation, design and sustainable technologies- Informatics for sustainable technologiesA key aspect of this proposal is that the EngD training programme should be sufficiently flexible to cater for the varying needs of the Research Engineers (REs) who will be based in industry, but employed by the University. In addition to the research programme, candidates will undertake a mixture of core and elective modules, some of which are currently offered in the University for PhD research students and existing MSc programmes. The taught programme will be an integral part of the EngD programme and supports the research that the REs will be carrying out at the sponsoring companies. The taught programme is planned to fulfil the following objectives:- Provide up-to-date knowledge of the relationship between engineering research, innovative technologies, and sustainability with emphasis on application to the built environment and energy management.- Deliver professional development in management and business skills that are necessary for dealing with constantly changing legislative environment particularly in relation to energy utilisation.- Fill any knowledge gaps that may arise from the research project.The training will be carried out with the full collaboration of the companies sponsoring the research engineers. The participating companies are also expected to contribute to an enhanced stipend to attract the best talent. The Research Engineers will be registered full-time on the EngD degree course.

Schools are planning to re-open in September and with the recent increased awareness of airborne transmission of Covid-19, there is an urgent need to monitor the situation and to provide guidance on ventilation best practice. This is emphasised by the expected onset of cooler weather when there will be a conflict between maintaining high fresh air ventilation flows and energy consumption and occupant comfort. We will quantify the risk of airborne COVID-19 transmission in schools and evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation measures, by developing techniques to assess the absolute risk of infection in a given indoor space, using field studies in primary and secondary schools, complemented by laboratory experiments and CFD to elucidate the flow patterns responsible for airborne transport. The understanding generated will underpin recent developments in infection modelling to predict the likelihood of airborne transmission within schools. The project will reduce the uncertainties associated with airborne transmission routes and provide evidence to evaluate mitigation measures. The scenarios we will investigate include changes to ventilation, use of screens, classroom lay-out and occupancy profiles. The methodology will facilitate application to offices, restaurants, shops etc. Airborne infection occurs through re-breathed air, the concentration of which can be directly inferred from measurements of CO2. Indoor flow is strongly affected by the locations of windows or vents, the heat rising from occupants/equipment and disturbances caused by people movement. Thus, accurate representations of these processes in the laboratory and CFD are needed to interpret the monitoring data currently collected in schools, which are typically single point measurements.

The UK food chain, comprising agricultural production, manufacturing, distribution, retail and consumption, involves more than 300,000 enterprises and employs 3.6 million people. The food and drink industry is the largest manufacturing sector, employing 500,000 people and contributing £80 billion to the economy. It is also estimated that the food chain is responsible for 160 MtCO2e emissions and 15 Mt of food waste, causing significant environmental impacts. Energy is an important input in all stages of the food chain and is responsible for 18% of the UK's final energy demand. In recent years, progress has been made in the reduction of energy consumption and emissions from the food chain primarily through the application of well proven technologies that could lead to quick return on investment. To make further progress, however, significant innovations will have to be made in approaches and technologies at all stages of the food chain, taking a holistic view of the chain and the interactions both within the chain and the external environment. The EPSRC Centre for Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains will make significant contributions in this field. It will bring together multidisciplinary research groups of substantial complementary experience and internationally leading research track record from the Universities of Brunel, Manchester and Birmingham and a large number of key stakeholders to investigate and develop innovative approaches and technologies to effect substantial end use energy demand reductions. The Centre will engage both in cutting edge research into approaches and technologies that will have significant impacts in the future, leading towards the target of 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050, but also into research that will have demonstrable impacts within the initial five year lifetime of the Centre. Taking a whole systems approach, the research themes will involve: i) Simulation of energy and resource flows in the food chain, from farm-gate to plate to enable investigations of energy and resource flows between the stages of the chain and the external environment, and facilitate overall energy and resource use optimisation taking into consideration the impact of policy decisions, future food and energy prices and food consumption trends. ii) Investigation of approaches and technologies for the reduction of energy use at all stages of the chain through reduction of the energy intensity of individual processes and optimisation of resource use. It is expected that a number of new innovative and more efficient technologies and approaches for energy reduction will be developed in the lifetime of the Centre to address processing, distribution, retail and final consumption in the home and the service sector. iii) Identification of optimal ways of interaction between the food chain and the UK energy supply system to help manage varying demand and supply through distributed power generation and demand-response services to the grid. iv) Study of consumer behaviour and the impact of key influencing factors such as changing demographics, increased awareness of the needs and requirements of sustainable living, economic factors and consumption trends on the nature and structure of the food chain and energy use. Even though the focus will be on the food chain, many of the approaches and technologies developed will also be applicable to other sectors of the economy such as industry, commercial and industrial buildings and transportation of goods. The Centre will involve extensive collaboration with the user community, manufacturers of technology, Government Departments, Food Associations and other relevant research groups and networks. A key vehicle for dissemination and impact will be a Food Energy and Resource Network which will organise regular meetings and annual international conferences to disseminate the scientific outputs and engage the national and international research and user communities

The Innovative Construction Research Centre (ICRC) is dedicated to socio-technical systems research within the built environment, with particular emphasis on through-life performance in support of the client's business operations. Our vision is for a research centre that not only supports the competitiveness of the architectural, engineering, construction and facilities management sectors, but also supports societal needs for built infrastructure and the broader competitiveness of the UK economy. The domain of enquiry lies at the crucial interface between human and technical systems, thereby requiring an inter-disciplinary approach that combines engineering research methods with those derived from the social sciences. The ICRC's research portfolio is organised into six themes: (1) Integration of design, construction and facilities management. Concerns the through-life management of socio-technical systems within the built environment. Topics of consideration include: integrated logistic support, design for reliability and systems integration for building services. Of particular concern is the way that firms within the supply chain are integrated to provide solutions that add value to the client's business. (2) Knowledge management and organisational learning. Addresses the means of supporting knowledge flows across extended supply chains and the extent to which procurement systems learn across projects. Of particular importance is the design of learning mechanisms that extend across organisational boundaries. Also investigates the degree to which the construction sector can learn from other sectors, i.e. aerospace, automotive, retail, defence. (3) Human resource management and the culture of the industry. The construction sector is too often characterised by regressive approaches to human resource management (HRM) with little emphasis on developmental to support innovation. Of particular importance is the concept of 'high commitment management' that has emerged as a central component in the quest to link people management to business performance. Any attempt to improve HRM practices in the construction sector must also recognise cultural barriers to the implementation of new ways of working.(4) Innovative procurement. Includes legal, economic and organisational aspects of procurement systems. The last twenty years has seen a plethora of new procurement methods seeking to encourage different behaviours and allocations of risk. Many such initiatives experienced significant reality gaps between technological intent and resultant behaviours. Of particular importance in the current context is the notion of performance-based contracting which seeks to reward parties on the basis of building performance.(5) Innovation in through-life service provision. Most innovation in facilities management (FM) is concerned with service provision rather than the design and construction of the built asset. The inclusion of FM-service provision reflects the ICRC's strategic focus on through-life issues. The shift towards service provision is reflected in practice through procurement approaches such as PFI/PPP. But the issue has a wider significance as construction contractors increasingly embrace service philosophy. (6) Competitiveness, productivity and performance. Focuses on techniques for performance improvement, coupled with a broader emphasis on competitiveness and profitability within the marketplace. Techniques for performance improvement include: process mapping, benchmarking, value management, risk management and life-cycle costing. Also seeks to assess the competitiveness of the construction sector in comparison to other countries, and to achieve a broader understanding of the economic context within which firms operate.