Energy systems
Development of methodology to use decision support tool for sustainable urban planning. Case study: Potable water demand and wastewater treatment in Lahore, Pakistan
Student: Waleed Ahmed
Supervisors: Dr Koen H Van Dam, Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr Miao Guo, Department of Chemical Engineering
Pakistan is a developing country with an urbanization rate of 3.2% per year. Currently, it is facing a water crisis which is worsening due to rapid urbanization. The project aims to model the wastewater system in one of the cities in order to determine the optimum capital costs, operational costs and emissions for installation of new infrastructure to cope with the rising demand.
A financial and technical assessment of solar and hand water pumping for off-grid areas: The case of Burkina Faso
Student: Elvire Marie Cordelia Andre De La Fresnaye
Supervisors: Dr Judith Cherni, Centre for Environmental Policy, Dr Loic Queval, University of Paris-Saclay, Mr Simon Meunier, University of Paris-Saclay
Researchers and governments have been doing studies about the different ways to collect water in off-grid areas of developing countries, comparing wind, diesel powered and solar water pumping systems. The consensus in the literature is that, among motorised pumping system, solar pumps are the most promising technology for a deployment in developing countries. But there is no wider comparison, and especially cost-benefit comparisons, between solar pumps and hand pumps, which are currently the most used “improved water supply” in sub- Saharan countries. The aim of this thesis is to position photovoltaic (PV) water pumping relatively to hand pumps by performing an economic analysis in the context of Burkina Faso, where the Human Development Index is one of the lowest and a better access to water is urgently needed.
The cost benefits of decentralised generation, flexible demand and battery storage for hotel electricity consumption
Student: Chuen Wai Chan
Supervisors: Dr Dimitrios Papadaskalopoulos, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mr Nikita Chirkov, ADETA Family Group Group
It is evident that the global energy market is undergoing a rapid transition. One of the most interesting areas is energy decentralization which could change the entire energy paradigm completely. This research aims to prove the feasibility of decentralised energy systems on capture cost benefits in a decentralised energy market. The study investigates the impact on hotel energy costs by having various decentralized energy systems, including flexible loads, decentralised generation and electric vehicles. Different decentralised energy systems operate in different mechanisms to reduce energy costs. With optimisation modelling, the interactions among the decentralised energy systems are explored. Furthermore, the associated cost benefits of having these systems are quantified in order to assess the performance of these energy systems individually and collectively.
Prediction of yearly heating need in the residential sector to benchmark retrofitting scenarios
Student: Robin Clerc
Supervisors: Dr Edward O'Dwyer, Department of Chemical Engineering, Mr Niccolo Le Brun, Department of Chemical Engineering
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive released by the European Commission in 2010 has countries set up an energy labelling for buildings. The labelling relies on simplified methods to evaluate the yearly energy consumption of a building. This thesis explores how accurate these methods are, and whether they can be improved without drastically increasing their complexity.
How can the benefits of different distributed energy technologies be compared for different types of consumers?
Student: Catherine Hayes
Supervisors: Dr Roberto Moreira, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Dr Adria Junyent Ferre, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Allan Lowson, SSE
This thesis analyses the costs and benefits of distributed energy resources, incorporating case studies of hospitals, universities and schools in the UK. It aims to model the value to consumers derived from selling balancing services. It compares technology options such as on-site stationary storage, electric vehicles and HVAC systems suitable for demand response.
CHP control strategies under uncertainty
Student: Yining Liu
Supervisors: Mr Niccolo Le Brun, Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr Salvador Acha, Department of Chemical Engineering
This project is part of the Imperial-Sainsbury’s Partnership in which reducing carbon emissions is the primary goal. It aims to investigate the optimal control strategies for the operation of low carbon technologies, especially focusing on CHP, by deterministically modelling the energy systems and then evaluating different operational strategies. Also the impacts of different uncertainties on the different control strategies are evaluated. The objective is to maximise the energy savings and reduce the investment risk.
Optimal modelling of distributed energy technologies in the retail sector
Student: Vlad Nicolescu Alexandru
Supervisor: Dr Salvador Acha, Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr Romain Lambert, Department of Chemical Engineering, Mr Niccolo Le Brun, Department of Chemical Engineering
As one of the major energy consumers in the market, the retail sector bears a major responsibility in helping the transition to a low carbon future. Such organisations also have to look after the interests of their shareholders when considering investment in energy technologies in terms of achieving the required ROI, and in the same time optimise a limit budget. This project will investigate the optimum size of distributed energy technologies that can be implemented in different size stores and retail units. Additionally, it will analyse the impact on the investment decision of varying different external parameters such as utility prices or carbon tax. The project is part of the Imperial College - Sainsbury's parnership.
Optimisation of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park district heating scheme
Student: Katie Potter
Supervisors: Dr Christoph Mazur, Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr Edward O'Dwyer, Department of Chemical Engineering
District heating has huge potential to decrease emissions associated with the heating and cooling sector, currently one of the largest primary energy uses. However, creating sustainable yet profitable District Heating networks can be a challenge to developers. This project models future changes in the demand side of the district heating scheme at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. By modelling both the supply and demand side of the scheme together, the impact changes to the demand will have on supply have been explored.