Senate

Subject: EPSRC DTC in Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and their Applications

Origin: Professor R Stobart, Dr J L Horner, Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering

Executive Summary/Senate Action Required:

Senate is asked, on the recommendation of Research Committee, to approve the introduction of the PhD programme in Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and their Applications with immediate effect, subject to approval of the taught element of the programme.

Regulations for the programme, which also require Senate’s consideration and approval are attached as an annex to this paper.

EPSRC has awarded funding for a Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) in Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and their Applications to the University of Birmingham in collaboration with Nottingham and Loughborough as partners in the Midlands Energy Consortium (MEC). A PhD programme that includes a substantial taught element is required to meet the DTC’s objectives. The proposed programme is offered by Loughborough in co-operation with the MEC Universities. The Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham will be offering similar programmes and there will be substantial sharing of the taught modules. The main purpose of the DTC is the training of 50 PhD students [30 PhD students at UoB, 10 at LU and 10 at UoN] and is funded over 5 years (£5.5million) by EPSRC.

The generation, storage and use of hydrogen remain in their infancy. Technology solutions are urgently needed to make a hydrogen a viable option for future energy needs. Hydrogen remains one of the most likely energy vectors for transportation and other mobile equipment and at Government level there is great interest in developing solutions that suit the UK environment. There is a need for research leaders able to function in industry and with skills that enable them to work in teams, to nurture and promote ideas and to work with teams that may span industrial and academic organisations.

The effect of the proposal will be to increase the number of research students at Loughborough, improve industry links and to promote an atmosphere of co-operation with the other Midlands Energy Consortium (MEC) universities. Students will work across disciplines and acquire the vital transferable skills that will enhance their employability.

An important component of the proposed course is the research project portfolio that allows the student to build a series of ideas and applications that exemplify their research. The aim of this programme is to produce Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Scientists, Engineers and Economists who are equipped to play leading roles in a professional capacity in both industry and academia, and who have developed the technical, intellectual and transferable skills needed to underpin their education and continuing professional development. Each student will be funded for four years and expected to gain 120 credits from taught modules offered at Masters level in the first two years of their research registration. A portfolio of modules will be offered across the three universities and students must study at least one module at each university.

Loughborough is contracted to supply at least 40 credits of Master’s level modules per year for years 2 to 5 of the life of the grant. These will consist of existing modules offered on the MSc in Automotive Systems Engineering and an existing module offered by the Dept of Economics. An exit award of a PG Cert or PG Dip will be available to those students who complete the taught element of the programme but do not complete the research element.

There is strong evidence of demand. The EPSRC funding is a component of the theme Sustainable Power Generation and Supply of the Research Councils’ Energy Programme. This is a reflection of the importance of hydrogen technologies in the agenda of both government and industry. Of the two potential “energy vectors”, hydrogen and electricity, there is still consensus as to which will be ultimately dominant. In the penultimate Loughborough Centenary lecture, Professor John Heywood, Director of the Sloan Automotive Lab at MIT re-iterated the need for research and development to cover both of the eventualities, essentially a call to sustain research into both hydrogen and electrical storage. As additional evidence of the topicality of research, AAE has just appointed a new Chair in low carbon power engineering, one of whose tasks will be to build up our research agenda in hydrogen technologies.

The issues around use of hydrogen are multi-disciplinary in nature. The most fundamental challenge is in storage of hydrogen on vehicles and research will extend across mechanical systems, thermodynamics, materials and electrical systems. The goal of the DTC and the proposed Loughborough programme is to address this need for research leadership and quality.

There is an increasing demand for skilled staff in the field of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, which at present has no dedicated UK centre for training, disseminating and co-ordinating with government bodies, industry and the public. Large companies such as Johnson Matthey and Air Products have substantial hydrogen and fuel cell projects, with hundreds of employed PhD level scientists and engineers. Recruitment has been a problem in recent years since only a handful of UK universities carry out R&D in this area. Several large centres for research and training exist in Europe, the USA, Canada and Japan and it is imperative that the UK increases its student output to keep pace. Even Turkey and Korea have Hydrogen Fuel Cell centres, whereas UK has none at present.

This programme is underpinned by:

•The increasing demand from industry and society for skilled scientists and engineers in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell research.

•The strong research base and excellent track record in energy research with significant international networks in the three HEI’s (Birmingham. Loughborough and Nottingham).

•The clustering of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell activity in industry and academe across the Midlands, with large company support, including Air Products, Areva, Baxi, Acal Energy, Johnson Matthey, and Opel..

•The relevant training and exciting and innovative courses offered at the three HEIs to maximise the quality of the PhD.

•The recent infrastructure investments by Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and East Midlands Development Authority (EMDA) in this area,