Dr Nigel Simms
Principal Research Fellow in Energy Technology
Location: Building 56b, Cranfield campus
E: n.j.simms@cranfield.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1234 752954
Environmental Science and Technology
Current activities
Dr Nigel Simms is a Principal Research Fellow and Group Leader for the Energy Materials & Bioenergy Group within the Energy Technology Centre. He is the Programme Director for the Masters Energy and Offshore Programmes.
He manages group’s extensive experimental research programme into current power generation issues. This group consists of approximately fifteen post-doctoral research officers, technicians and PhD students. The activities are targeted at generating understanding and predictive models of materials performance in current and new power systems, the use of alternative fuels (e.g. biomass, waste products) and the development of new processes to minimise environmental impact (e.g. by optimisation of hot gas cleaning systems). Within the power systems, the focus tends to be on the performance of materials in gas turbines and heat exchangers. Underlying studies are supported by a range of government funding: for example membership of two EPSRC Supergen Consortia (one on Bioenergy and another on Conventional Power Plant Life Extension). A further major activity related to materials performance and standardisation of testing methods is a UK-US collaborative programme on ‘Advanced Materials for Low Emission Power Plants’. Industrial companies are also increasingly funding research related to materials and coating performance in specific corrosive/oxidation environments, including the development of predictive models and new coatings. The group actively presents papers at conferences and publishes in a range of journals.
Clients
- Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), UK government
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK government
- European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
- European Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS)
- EU Framework Programmes 5 and 6
- Rolls-Royce plc
- Alstom Power, Rugby, UK
- Alstom Power, Baden, Switzerland
- Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery, Lincoln UK
- Siemens Power Generation Inc, Florida, USA
- Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd, Renfrew and Crawley, UK
- Brunner Mond, UK
- Porvair Filtration, UK
- Thames Water Utilities Ltd
- Severn Trent plc
- RWE npower plc
- E.ON
Background
Dr Nigel Simms, MA, PhD, joined Cranfield University in 1998 following a 10 year period working for British Coal, which was preceded by education at Cambridge University. At Cambridge he completed a BA in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Materials Science and Metallurgy. At British Coal he worked on a wide range of topics including the development of various advanced coal-fired power generation systems and component/process failure analysis. As Metallurgy/Materials Team Leader at British Coal, he managed a team of up to 15 people and participated in a range of UK and European collaborative projects on materials performance and hot gas cleaning in clean coal systems, including projects within the BC/CEGB Joint Programme on PFBC, the Grimethorpe Topping Cycle Project and the Air Blown Gasification Cycle developments. These activities have given him wide-ranging experience of the performance of components and materials in advanced power generation systems, as well as experience in the design and development of large laboratory scale test rigs and pilot plants for investigating materials performance in realistic industrial conditions.
Since joining Cranfield University he has been particularly involved in research and technology transfer. He managed the installation and modernisation of a series of pilot plants / large laboratory scale test facilities at Cranfield University following their move from British Coal and the further development of these types of facility to include a wider range of processes and fuels. His research work has been focusing on materials performance in advanced power generation systems, including the development of predictive models and new protective coating systems, as well as the effects of a range of solid fuels (e.g. biomass, waste and coal). This work has been funded by a wide range of UK government and EU agencies, as well as a range of major industrial companies. He has been heavily involved in EU COST 501, 522 and 538 programmes. He has been an external examiner for PhD students in high temperature corrosion/coatings. He has published over 60 research papers on coal/biomass/waste technologies, materials/coatings performance and the development of corrosion life prediction models.
