PhD students and post-doctoral researchers will have the opportunity to undertake 4 weeks of secondment at the UK’s largest carbon capture pilot plant at SSE’s Ferrybridge Power Station in West Yorkshire.

The pilot plant opened in November 2011, in collaboration with Doosan and Vattenfall. It bridges the gap between the various pilot-scale trials that are underway and the commercial-scale demonstration projects envisaged by the UK government, as it captures 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide per day from the equivalent five megawatts (MW) of coal-fired power generating capacity.

The first two sponsored students, Bill Buschle and Olivia Errey, will undertake 4 weeks of secondment in February and March 2012 and will gain valuable industry experience to complement their PhD projects. Another four secondments will take place throughout 2012 and 2013.

Bill Buschle and Olivia Errey respectively carry out their research on the control, optimisation, and measurement of CO2 Absorber Transients (COMCAT), and on maximising the performance of CCS gas plants under real market scenarios.

The research and development programme is complemented by research and knowledge management activities, in which the School of Engineering is taking part. This involved several activities aimed at MSc and undergraduates students as part of the School’s Innovative Learning week:
- In February 2012: A 5-day Industrial Awareness Module for post-graduate students currently enrolled in the MSc in Carbon Capture and Storage Engineering in the School of Engineering and in the MSc in Carbon Capture and Storage in the School of Geosciences. 
- In February 2012 and in February 2013: A visit of the Power Plant and the Carbon Capture pilot facility for post-graduates students enrolled in the MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems and for undergraduates.