RESEARCH THEMES Energy Infrastructure

From physical networks of pipelines and power cables to datadriven models of assets and plants, energy infrastructure provides the backbone of our energy systems. These systems are being transformed in response to the Net Zero imperative, geopolitical threats, and extreme weather events driven by our changing climate, creating new challenges for engineers and scientists. Our Energy Infrastructure theme encompasses a wide range of research in this field, a core area of strength for Imperial’s energy community.

Our teams are playing a central role in the design of efficient, affordable and resilient delivery and storage systems for new fuels, energy vectors, and captured greenhouse gases; in the integration of new forms of power generation onto electricity grids and the development of smart grids; and in the protection of critical infrastructure from security threats. Imperial-led innovation is helping to ensure the energy transition can be achieved with minimal disruption and at the lowest possible cost.

Advanced Heat Transfer and Storage

Led by Dr Antonis Sergis in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Advanced Heat Transfer and Storage group investigates multiscale advanced heat transfer and storage to enable sustainable applications and operations.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.sergis09

Applied Modelling & Computation Group (AMCG)

Based in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering, the Applied Modelling & Computation Group (AMCG) is committed to both the development and application of innovative modelling techniques in earth, nuclear, engineering and biomedical sciences. AMCG has core research interests in the development and application of numerical methods for fluids including ocean, atmosphere, and industrial multi-phase flows, for neutral particle radiation transport, for optimisation mathematics and its applications, and for the solution of inverse (imaging/tomographic) problems.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/earth-science/research/ research-groups/amcg/

Civil Engineering Fluid Mechanics

The Fluid Mechanics Section is one of seven groups within the five-star rated Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Imperial. It has ten academic staff members with a diverse range of research interests. These can be broadly split into two themes: coastal, waves and renewable energy; and environmental fluid mechanics.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/fluid-mechanics/research/

Clean Energy Processes Lab

Based in the Department of Chemical Engineering and led by Professor Christos Markides, conducts research on fundamental aspects of thermodynamics, fluid flow, heat and mass transfer processes, as well as their applications to a range of components, devices, technologies and systems for energy recovery, conversion and storage. Working in collaboration with industry, international research centres and universities, the group’s work covers theoretical, experimental and modelling approaches and the full range of scales from molecules to systems.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/clean-energy-processes/

Control and Power Research Group

Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation

The Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation (CSEI) was established in 2010 to provide a hub for work that brings systems approaches to civil infrastructure. Led by Dr Ana Mijic, the Centre’s vision is to bring systems engineering and innovation to civil infrastructure by changing how cross-sector infrastructure challenges are addressed in order to maximise resilience, safety and sustainability. The Centre advocates for an approach that sees the natural environment as all-pervasive, where the built infrastructure is inseparable from it.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/systems-engineeringinnovation/ https://www.imperial.ac.uk/electrical-engineering/ research/control-and-power/

The research programme of the Control and Power Group combines curiosity-led and applications-led research in the domains of control systems, power electronics, power systems, and smart grids. The research in Control Theory and Applications includes all aspects of control engineering needed to implement practical control systems, from analysis and design to simulation and hardware. Application fields include hybrid electric vehicles, system biology, robotics. The research in Power Electronics covers the control, conversion, transmission and harvesting of electric power. Special focus is devoted to High Voltage DC technologies and wireless power transfer systems. The research in Power Systems and Energy covers all the aspects of planning, analysis, reliability, operation and economics of the generation, transmission, and distribution of electrical energy for industrial and domestic uses. The research in Smart Grids unifies the efforts of the other three macro research areas to propose solutions which deeply integrate smart sensors, control algorithms, power systems and power electronics.

Hydrodynamics laboratory

The Hydrodynamics Laboratory is located in the Civil Engineering Building on the South Kensington Campus and has a tradition of excellence in wideranging areas of fluid mechanics with civil and environmental engineering applications.

The ocean basin at Imperial is the largest researchonly facility of its kind in the UK, measuring 20m by 12m. This facility has a maximum operational water depth of 1.5m yet can accurately model both deep and shallow water marine environments through use of an adjustable bed system. The wave-generation process is controlled through a bank of 56 numerically controlled flap-type wave paddles. These paddles allow state-of-the-art experimental conditions to be generated, including directional sea states with frequency dependent spectra. For specialist purposes, the centre of the basin has a 3.5m deep core measuring 1.2m by 1.2m– ideal for modelling catenary moorings and other deep-water operations.

Energy System Modelling

Led by Professor Goran Strbac, this group has extensive experience in advanced modelling and analysis of the operation, planning, security and economics of energy systems. The group leads the development of novel advanced analysis approaches and methodologies that have been extensively used to inform industry, governments and regulatory bodies about the role and value of emerging new technologies and systems in supporting a cost effective evolution to a smart lowcarbon energy future.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/g.strbac

Geotechnics

Led by Professor Lidija Zdravkovic, the Geotechnics group, based in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering, studies the mechanics, behaviour and properties of soils and soft rocks in order to provide real solutions to industry including tunnelling, oil and gas, infrastructure and road building. The group’s work involves laboratory-based soil element testing, numerical modelling and field monitoring. The Geotechnical Laboratories at Imperial are perhaps best known for their advanced element testing apparatus and development of experimental procedures. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/geotechnics

Non-Destructive Evaluation

Led by Professor Michael Lowe in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Non-Destructive Evaluation group is recognised as a world leader in its field, having produced several important research outcomes which are now exploited by industry, both in the UK and around the world. Since the late 1980s, the group has contributed to many areas within NDE, including ultrasonic guided waves, electromagnetics and imaging, and today has a wide range of projects continuing across a large number of fields. The group leads the UK Research Centre in NDE, consisting of 6 UK universities and 16 industrial members.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/non-destructiveevaluation/

Novel Reservoir Modelling and Simulation Group

The Novel Reservoir Monitoring, Modelling and Simulation (NORMS) group is a multidisciplinary collective of geoscientists, applied mathematicians, engineers, and experimental and computational physicists. The group develops and applies new methods to monitor and model fluid flow and transport in subsurface reservoirs and aquifers. Applications of the research are numerous and include monitoring and modelling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport, exploitation of essential metals for the energy transition, subsurface energy storage, geothermal resources and magma reservoir processes.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/earth-science/research/ research-groups/norms/

Sargent Centre for Process Systems Engineering

The Sargent Centre for Process Systems Engineering is a multi-institutional research centre of world-class departments at Imperial College London and University College London. It was inaugurated in 1989 by Professor Roger W.H. Sargent. The Sargent Centre has continued the legacy of Professor Sargent and remains a Centre of Excellence. Its academics come from chemical engineering, mathematics, physics and chemistry and are international leaders in their fields.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/process-systemsengineering/

Strategic Engineering Lab

Led by Dr Michel-Alexandre Cardin, the Strategic Engineering Lab (SEL) tackles challenges related to the design, deployment, and operations of nextgeneration engineering systems. Such systems currently accomplish vital tasks for society, for defence, energy, resource extraction, transportation, and space exploration. SEL develops tools to model uncertainty and analyse risks, support creativity, optimise systems operating under uncertainty, and support the decisionmaking process for policymakers and business leaders.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/design-engineering/ research/strategic-engineering/

Subsurface CO2 Research Group

A number of assessments suggest that the widespread storage of CO2 in deep subsurface sedimentary rocks will be needed to avoid dangerous climate change. The Subsurface CO2 Research Group, led by Dr Samuel Krevor at the Department of Earth Science & Engineering, looks at the ability to model and predict injected CO2 movement and immobilization in the subsurface to maximize the use of pore space and minimize risks of leakage to the atmosphere. The group’s research aims to answer critical questions related to the regional and global scale capacity for CO2 storage.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/earth-science/research/ research-groups/subsurface-co2-research-group/

Sustainable Gas Institute

Since 2014, the Sustainable Gas Institute has provided thought leadership and authoritative interdisciplinary evidence and analysis on the role of natural gas, hydrogen and biogas/biomethane in future low carbon energy systems. Researchers at the Institute manage, lead and deliver world-class research with our global partners across the spectrum of science, engineering, economics and business to support policymakers and industry in their decision-making. The institute is led by Professor Adam Hawkes, and its governance board is chaired by Professor Nigel Brandon.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/sustainable-gas-institute/