Driving on sunshine! Bright students impress experts with solar
Thu, 12 May 2011 09:03:00 BST
Pictured with Jennifer Hirst of Cummins are the Huddersfield
student engineers (l-r) Josh Harbour, Bryan Doan, Dan Briggs,
team leader Khader Hankir, Tom Daniels and Chris Moran.
THE dream of a practical solar-powered car might have come closer to reality thanks to blue-sky thinking by a group of engineering students at the University of Huddersfield.
And their ideas – backed up by technical know-how – caught the eye of experts at one of the world’s top technology companies, where heavy emphasis is now being placed on energy conservation. A Huddersfield graduate, aided by a work placement student, is playing an important role in this too.
Cummins Turbo Technologies, part of a massive global engine corporation, has a major plant in Huddersfield. Jennifer Hirst, who graduated from the University in 2008, has been appointed its Energy Engineer and one of her innovations was to organise an exhibition to take place during Climate Change Week.
Displays were mounted by a wide range of firms and agencies in fields such as solar power and energy conservation. The exhibition was set up by current Huddersfield engineering student Graham Roseby, who is enjoying a year’s work placement at Cummins.
Meanwhile, second-year students studying automotive design at the University had been formed into teams and set a challenge, as they are every year, as a crucial part of their course. From scratch, they must research, devise and design a specialist vehicle.
This year, one of the briefs devised by lecturer Tony Johnson was to conceptualise a solar-powered car. And he was highly impressed with the results, which he describes as outstanding.
Using advanced computer-aided design (CAD) techniques, the team of Khader Hankir, Jonny Chambers, Bryan Doan, Dan Briggs, Chris Moran, Josh Harbour and Tom Daniels produced highly-impressive technical illustrations and a model. And they came up with a host of innovations
“They have created a very neat streamlined shape and very lightweight structures by using carbon fibre,” said Tony. “They are using ‘pancake’ motors – shaped a bit like a plate – which are highly efficient, and they are incorporating the latest battery systems.”
The solar-powered car designed by the students so far exists only in illustrations, diagrams and model. But it is a realisable project, said Tony.
“It is practical. They have thought about manufacture, they have even thought about costings.”
The solar-powered car team were invited to display their design at the Climate Change Week exhibition planned by Jennifer Hirst at Cummins. And not surprisingly it created huge interest among the hundreds of engineers and technicians who work for the firm and came to view the exhibition.
One of those who were impressed was Helen Makin, who is Facilities Technician at Cummins.
“The display was very impressive and the students were highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic. They seemed to have a vast knowledge of the actual concept of the solar car and it generated quite a bit of interest,” said Helen.
The Cummins Connection
Jennifer Hirst, who is a Huddersfield graduate in business with environmental studies, had a work placement at Cummins while still an undergraduate. Her contribution to the company meant that she was recruited as a full-time member of staff and was appointed Energy Engineer, meaning she works to improve energy efficiency and sustainability at the large manufacturing plant.
Huddersfield placement student Graham Roseby (left) with
engineering tutor Tony Johnson
It is a brand new role and Jennifer’s job includes monitoring energy consumption at the factory, keeping in touch with the latest technology and mounting initiatives that encourage energy conservation. The exhibition was one of these and Jennifer in also behind an in-house publication that keeps employees in touch with developments. She also has a role in boosting energy efficiency at all of Cummins’s UK sites.
In addition to environmental benefits, there are sound business reasons for monitoring and reducing energy consumption, says Jennifer. Costs can be lowered and if energy supplies begin to falter – she believes that regular power cuts are an inevitability – then an energy-smart company can ensure that its plant keeps running.
Work placements at Cummins are coveted by University of Huddersfield students, and Graham Roseby, from Whitley Bay, is relishing his year with the firm. Studying engineering with technology management, he resumes studies in September and will graduate next year.
Working at Cummins had been a fantastic opportunity, he said, and he had been sent on a variety of specialist training courses. The company has a graduate recruitment scheme and Graham said that he would definitely be applying in due course.
