Energy, power and CCS at the Winter School 2019

Introduction

The 2019 Winter School held by EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in CCS and CFE aims to help early career researchers to develop their knowledge and capacity to apply research in conventional fossil fuel energy and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to global problems. The training course also aims to develop their understanding of technical and social issues of energy, the environment and climate change in the UK.

As an ECR of the UK CCS Research Centre, I appreciate that I have had the chance to get involved in this event and meet other people who work in the CCS. In the next sections, I will share my journey in 2019 Winter School.

Activities

The 2019 Winter School involves researchers from the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in CCS and CFE and the UK CCS Research Centre. In the first day, it includes two activities. Firstly, speakers from the academia and industry give their presentations surrounding the energy, the environment and CCS. Dr Robin Irons talked about what changed in Energy in the last year. Prof Colin Snape illustrated whether the UK need shale gas and how much it has. Mr Andy Barker and Mrs Lucy Snape explained the permitting of onshore oil and gas sites and gas exploration in the East Midlands. Dr Mai Bui talked about the way forward of CCS.

Then the 1st year PhD researchers give their presentation about their projects. There are many interesting and useful projects have been presented during this session. Lots of researchers cooperate with industrials to solve the real world problems in energy and power, and CCS. I also presented my project on the first day on ‘ investigation of air and oxy-fuel biomass combustion kinetics in the spout fluidised bed reactor’. I received lots of useful questions and suggestions from mentors and other researchers. I also meet some new friends who are working in a similar area in oxy-fuel combustion and artificial intelligence.

In the second day of the Winter School, 2nd year and 3rd year poster and presentation have been presented with the questions and answers from the mentors and researchers during the day. At the beginning of the day, Prof Jon Gibbins talked about some practical considerations for CCS deployment over the next decades. Prof Philip Sharman introduced the International Flame Research Foundation. After that, the researchers have been allocated into seven different groups to complete the group to make a plan to decarbonisation of different UK industrial sectors to realize 80% net reduction by 2050. Our group task was focused on decarbonatisation of UK plastics manufacturing industry. After two nights good team work, we  have make a detailed and reasonable proposal for decarbonisation of the UK plastics manufacturing industry and presented in the last day.

Conclusion

After 3-days intensive training and learning, I believe that the experience in Winter School will extend my knowledge and skills in energy and power, and CCS. Thanks for the kind and careful supervision from the group project mentors – Prof Allan Jones and Prof Greg Kelsall. Thanks for the UK CCS Research Centre to provide the financial support.