University of Bath secures Innovate UK grants

Funds will be used to research improving automotive engine efficiency and emissions

The University of Bath’s Powertrain & Vehicle Research Centre (PVRC) has secured three grants from Innovate UK to work with leading industry partners.

The first two-year project – Mechanically Decoupled Electric Turbocharger for Optimal IC Engines Efficiency – will be working with Aeristech, Jaguar Land Rover and Advanced Design Technology.

The research will investigate, through advanced simulation tools, the behaviour of the Aersitech full electric turbocharger technology (FETT) and how its performance can be optimised in interaction with a Jaguar Land Rover diesel engine. A prototype FETT device will be evaluated experimentally on the university gas stand facility.  

The second two-year project – Inverted Brayton Cycles for Exhaust Heat Recovery – will see the university partner with HiETA Technologies, developers of additive manufactured heat exchangers, and AXES Designs. The project will explore a new way of recovering waste energy from the exhaust gases of a car engine.

The IPM e-Cartridge project is a result of the third grant application. The project, which is in collaboration with Ashwoods Electric Motors, Curtis Instruments and Caterpillar, will investigate the efficiency improvements that can be realised by electrifying aspects of the vehicle hydraulic systems fitted to off-highway machines.

Professor Gary Hawley, dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Design and director of the PVRC, said: “Over the past 15 years we have established an excellent reputation within the automotive industry for our ability to bring deep research expertise in powertrain engineering to address highly complex problems. During this time we secured over £23 million of research funding.

“Our industrial clients and sponsors continue to expand and the projects that have been won here bring new collaborations especially with SMEs who we are keen to include within our portfolio of partners,” he added.

The PVRC is part of the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. In September this year will open an EPSRC National Centre of Excellence for research on low carbon vehicles.