Oxford University Innovation Ltd

Isis Innovation Limited

Intelligent Sustainable Energy Limited

Malcolm Duncan McCulloch

Tim Woolmer

James Donaldson

Peter Michael Armstrong

Alexander Matthews

Simon Dowson

Chee Yeow Leong

William Treharne

Hugo Spowers

Sarah Surrall

Guy Tinmouth Houlsby

Andrew Thornby

Martin Louis Gascoyne Oldfield

Nicholas Carpenter

The present invention relates to a sensor for measuring temperature of a fluid within a vessel, the vessel having a first region and a second region and the fluid having a temperature profile extending between the first region and the second region, the sensor comprising an array of elements, each element having a temperature-dependent parameter, the array being capable of deployment within or adjacent the vessel such that the array extends along the vessel for measuring the temperature profile, the elements of the array being coupled together between an input and an output, the input being coupled or capable of being coupled to a driving source for driving the sensors, and the output being coupled or capable of being coupled to a detector for measuring an aggregate of the temperature-dependent parameter from the array of elements. The invention further relates to a fluid temperature controller comprising a first input for receiving a first signal indicating a measurement of an aggregate of a temperature-dependent parameter from a sensor deployed within or adjacent a vessel containing a fluid having a temperature profile, a second input for receiving a second signal indicating a (preferably absolute) temperature of the fluid in the vessel and a processor configured to calculate a total thermal energy of the fluid in the vessel based on the first and second signals. The invention also relates to a combination comprising a sensing arrangement and a controller; a device; and a system.

Sensor, controller and system

The present invention relates to a sensor for measuring temperature of a fluid within a vessel, the vessel having a first region and a second region and the fluid having a temperature profile extending between the first region and the second region, the sensor comprising an array of elements, each element having a temperature-dependent parameter, the array being capable of deployment within or adjacent the vessel such that the array extends along the vessel for measuring the temperature profile, the elements of the array being coupled together between an input and an output, the input being coupled or capable of being coupled to a driving source for driving the sensors, and the output being coupled or capable of being coupled to a detector for measuring an aggregate of the temperature-dependent parameter from the array of elements. The invention further relates to a fluid temperature controller comprising a first input for receiving a first signal indicating a measurement of an aggregate of a temperature-dependent parameter from a sensor according to any preceding claim deployed within or adjacent a vessel containing a fluid having a temperature profile, a second input for receiving a second signal indicating a (preferably absolute) temperature of the fluid in the vessel and a processor configured to calculate a total thermal energy of the fluid in the vessel based on the first and second signals. The invention also relates to a combination comprising a sensing arrangement and a controller; a device; and a system.

An electric machine () comprises a rotor () having permanent magnets () and a stator () having coils () wound on stator bars () for interaction with the magnets across an air gap () defined between them. The bars and coils are enclosed by a stator housing () that extends between the air gap and defines a chamber () incorporating cooling medium to cool the coils.

Cooled electric machine

An electric machine () comprises a stator () and a rotor () mounted for rotation about a rotor axis () with respect to the stator. Permanent magnets () are carried by the rotor. The rotor has an output (). The stator has coils () wound on stator bars () for interaction with the magnets. The rotor has two stages () arranged one at either end of the stator bars, with two air gaps () between the ends of the bars and the rotor stages. An annular housing () retains and mounts the stator. A bearing () is between the rotor and stator, the rotor being hollow around said rotor axis. There are two significant magnetic flux paths (') of the motor. The first passes between adjacent coils in a circuit on a substantially circumferential plane with respect to the axis (). A second path&#x2032; is in an axial plane, passing around the bearing. The stator coils are spaced around the rotor axis and approach the rotor axis no closer than a first, stator radius (R) of the stator. The bearing comprises rolling elements rolling on a surface of the rotor that is no closer to the rotor axis than a second, rotor radius (r), which rotor radius is between 60% and 90% of the stator radius.

Electric machine-modular

A method of identifying the operation of an electrical appliance comprising an induction motor is described. The method comprises identifying the operation of an electrical appliance including an induction motor when a path traced by real power values against corresponding reactive power values over a time period of interest comprises one or more substantially circular arcs. The real power values are related to the total real power supplied to one or more electrical appliances as a function of time, and the reactive power values are related to the total reactive power supplied to the one or more electrical appliances as a function of time. There is also described a related method of identifying the operation of a specified type of appliance, in which the operation of said specified type of appliance is dependent on a supply of at least one utility such as electricity, natural gas or water.

Identifying the operation of a specified type of appliance

A water turbine is disclosed comprising a rotor mounted to be rotatable about an axis. The rotor comprises at least three blades for causing the rotor to rotate about the axis when the blades are located in flowing water. The rotor comprises a plurality of members in the form of a triangulated structure, and at least one of said members comprises one of said blades.

Water turbine

An apparatus has an input section arranged to receive values representative of the total instantaneous supply of electrical current as a function of time from an alternating voltage supply. Current waveforms comprising sets of values representative of the cyclic waveform of the electric current supply are obtained. A delta waveform generator calculates the difference between a current waveform and an earlier current waveform. An edge detector is arranged to detect an edge or edges in the delta waveform. An analysis section is arranged to identify at least one appliance load based at least on information on the edge or edges detected by the edge detector, and to determine the electrical energy consumed by said appliance load.

Growing community of inventors

Oxford, United Kingdom

Malcolm Duncan McCulloch