- Date:
- 2008-2010
- Themes:
- High Voltage Engineering, Liquid dielectrics
- Funding:
- National Grid plc
Silicone oil provides an excellent self healing liquid insulation system for high voltage applications and has minimal environmental impact. Unlike conventional hydrocarbon oils, it is capable of withstanding extremely high temperatures, such as those found in small transformers, and hence lends itself to more specialised applications outside of the reach of conventional oil/paper or polymeric insulation systems. These oils have also been used in terminations for many years with little understanding of their degradation or ageing behaviour and one noticeable problem is that these oils can become cloudy/black after relatively few years in service. The current project, in collaboration with National Grid, aims to quantify the effects of ageing on a range of silicone oils, to establish the pertinent chemistry and to identify suitable diagnostic tests to allow service engineers to make an informed decision of whether to replace or recondition plant.
The initial phase of the project concerned thermal and electrical ageing of a number of "model oil systems". A range of diagnostic indicators have been identified which provide indication of ageing in the field such as colour changes, oxidation, increased dielectric loss, formation of precipitates and increased viscosity. Whilst silicone oils are certainly capable of withstanding very high temperatures with very little degradation of thier dielectric properties, electrical ageing (even at moderate discharge energies) caused the oils to be rapidly blackened with significant deterioration in properties. It was clear from this work that electrical, rather than thermal ageing, is the dominant ageing mechanism under the conditions found in a typical termination and should therefore provide the focus for further work.
Construction of a new experimental apparatus to enable the study of electrical ageing on a local level (i.e. near the electrodes) is currently underway. Understanding the mechanism of ageing will provide pointers for improved designs to mitigate internal discharge activity and recommendations for more suitable oils or additives.
Primary investigators
- asv
- sgs
Secondary investigator
Partner
- National Grid
Associated research groups
- Electrical Power Engineering
- Electronics and Electrical Engineering
- Date:
- 2008-2010
- Themes:
- Agent Based Computing, Decentralised Information Systems, Algorithms for Wireless Sensor Networks, Wireless Sensing and Sensor Networks, Decentralised Architectures
- Funding:
- SEAS DTC
This project addresses the challenge of developing effective and computational efficient inference and coordination algorithms in order to allow multiple mobile (and stationary) sensors to form agile teams such that they can efficiently represent, explore and search challenging, uncertain and dynamic environments. Working in collaboration with the University of Oxford, the project will combine fundamental theory, algorithms and methodologies from the fields of multi-agent systems, decentralised control and Bayesian inference to allow physically distributed autonomous sensors to make effective, timely and coordinated decisions.
Primary investigators
- acr
- Nick Jennings
Secondary investigators
- rlgc
- rs06r
- af2
Partner
- Steve Roberts (University of Oxford)
Associated research group
- Intelligence, Agents, Multimedia Group
- Date:
- 2002-2008
- Themes:
- Medical Engineering, Nanoelectronics
- Funding:
- BBSRC
We have developed a new method for writing of biomolecular patterns on silicon in sub-micron scales using the interference of light. In the first instance DNA patterned surfaces were fabricated. Covalent attachment of DNA oligonucleotides accessible towards hybridisation with a complementary sequence was achieved with very high density (one oligonucleotide per 16 nmò). Further development of the surface attachment chemistry has provided DNA modified patterned substrates for hybridisation with long DNA fragments.
Primary investigator
Secondary investigators
- Tom Brown, School of Chemistry
- Human Genetics, School of Medicine
Associated research group
- Optoelectronics Research Centre
- Date:
- 2007-2008
- Themes:
- Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-chip, Sensor Technology, Medical Engineering
- Funding:
- BBSRC
The detection of low levels of cytokines in biological matrices is currently limiting for a range of research and clinical diagnostic applications. This is particularly true for our studies on the inflammation biology of the nervous system. The limiting factors for our studies are sensitivity, sample size and interference from complex proteins or molecules. We are developing optical waveguide sensor technology for cytokine detection and quantification. Our aim is to provide a sensitive, simple assay for the detection of cytokines to provide further evidence for the role of inflammatory proteins in neurological function.
Primary investigator
Secondary investigators
- Prof. Hugh Perry, School of Biosciences
- Dr. Jessica Teeling, School of Biosciences
- Prof. James Wilkinson, Optoelectronics Research Centre
Associated research group
- Optoelectronics Research Centre
- Date:
- 2008-2008
- Themes:
- Semantic Web, Knowledge Technologies, Interaction with Knowledge and semantics
- Funding:
- JISC
The aim of the IBWiki project is to develop an initial public version of the Semantic Wiki part of the e-Framework Upper Level. The project will also work with a sister project (IBMap based at Manchester) developing the HILDA layer to ensure and plan future integration.
The projects objectives are to:
- Create a robust Semantic Wiki framework capable of hosting the eFUL (based on Semantic MediaWiki and using appropriate extensions)
- Create a public version with appropriate help files and navigation aids
- Undertake usability testing with external stakeholders in the JISC community
- Create exemplar content to begin the population of the Wiki
- Learning Societies Lab
Primary investigator
Secondary investigator
Associated research group
- Date:
- -2012
- Funding:
- EU
The overall aim of the EC Information and Communication Technologies FP7 DEPLOY Project is to make major advances in engineering methods for dependable systems through the deployment of formal engineering methods. Formal engineering methods enable greater mastery of complexity than found in traditional software engineering processes. It is the central role played by mechanically-analysed formal models throughout the system development flow that enables mastery of complexity.
As well as leading to big improvements in system dependability, greater mastery of complexity also leads to greater productivity by reducing the expensive test-debug-rework cycle and by facilitating increased reuse of software.
The work of the project will be driven by the tasks of achieving and evaluating industrial take-up, initially by DEPLOY's industrial partners, of DEPLOY's methods and tools, together with the necessary further research on methods and tools.
Primary investigator
Secondary investigators
- mrp
- Colin Snook
- sth
- Abdolbaghi Rezazadeh
- Date:
- 2008-2009
- Theme:
- Virtual Communities and Social Systems
- Funding:
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
This programme will address the public health need to provide evidence for more rationally targeting antibiotics to those most likely to benefit and to develop better antibiotic and non-antibiotic strategies. Acute infections are the commonest conditions managed in primary care, and most people still receive an antibiotic despite limited evidence for their effectiveness. The overuse of antibiotics creates a major threat to the public health - antibiotic resistance. To move patient care forward we need to understand which patients are likely to suffer adversely when antibiotics are not given, assess the impact of infections and their treatment on quality of life, assess the effectiveness of alternative antibiotic prescribing strategies and non antibiotic approaches, and develop easily accessible information for patients. The role of ECS in this project is to develop the infrastructure to provide an interactive web based information system to the trial participants and collect statistics in manor that makes it easy for the researchers to collate and analyse the data.
Primary investigators
- Gary Wills
- Prof. Paul Little (Primary Medical Care)
- Prof. Lucy Yardley (Psychology)
Associated research groups
- Learning Societies Lab
- Electronic and Software Systems
- Date:
- 2007-2012
- Themes:
- Modelling and Simulation, Environmental modelling
- Funding:
- National Grid plc
The RoCiT project follows on from a number of previous projects (including FEAR - finite element analysis for cable ratings) and examines the methods used to derive current ratings for high voltage cables (132kV and above) installed in tunnels. Such installations are becoming increasingly desirable for the operators of power transmission networks, particularly for supplying power to densely populated urban areas. The project has developed improved circuit rating algorithms through removing limiting assumptions in the existing Electra 143 methodology, while making use of numerical modelling tools (including FEA/CFD analysis) and operational data from existing cable systems. This has led to a more flexible model which permits calculations where multiple different cable circuits, operating on different load cycles, exist within the same space. The results obtained assist cable engineers to provide the optimum current rating ratings for these expensive assets. Risk to the cable asset through overheating is minimised, but not at the expense of under utilising the cable circuit.
Primary investigators
- Paul Lewin
- jp2
- sgs
Secondary investigator
- jp2
Partner
- National Grid plc
Associated research groups
- Electronics and Electrical Engineering
- Electrical Power Engineering