South Bank pays host to London's most innovative research

The REF reviews the quality and impact of UK higher education institutions’ research and takes place every six years. There are three assessment criteria that are graded to give an overall score – with impact being a criteria added for the first time in 2014. The university’s scores for impact were particularly strong in the field of General Engineering, with 80% of LSBU REF entries achieving a 4 or 3 star grade.

Two examples of LSBU research in General Engineering that were entered into the REF are described below.

The world-famous London Underground turned to LSBU to find a cost-effective solution to cool underground tube stations. The research team looked into using low-carbon ground source geothermal cooling to reduce the temperature of underground stations, developing novel cooling methods with genuine potential. In particular, they made use of existing infrastructures, keeping costs down and minimising the amount of disruption that would be needed to install them.

Many underground stations are below the water table and need to constantly pump water out to avoid being flooded. LSBU's ingenious proposal was to transfer the heat from the air into water already being pumped out of the station. The newly-cooled air could then be circulated back into the station to lower the temperature, as warmed water was discharged into the sewer system. LSBU's cooling concept was incorporated into the £500m plans for the Victoria Line upgrade.

A London Underground spokesperson said: “LSBU has been an active research partner of London Underground since 2001. A number of projects have been conducted looking at low carbon cooling technology for both station and train systems. LSBU has provided clear guidance on a variety of complex topics combining academic rigour with practical problem solving.”

Sellafield, the UK's leading nuclear decommissioning and reprocessing company, is tasked with managing hydrogen explosion hazards on a regular basis. In 1999, the group approached LSBU's team of experts in the field of Explosions and Fire Research because of their modelling and experimental expertise in the area of Flammable Gas explosions.

The LSBU research team became the primary authors of Sellafield's Hydrogen Technical Guide which was first published in 2002. It is the company standard for the management of hydrogen safety and continues to be updated by the Explosions and Fire Research Team in line with their research findings. It also provides the national regulator with the necessary assurances that Sellafield can manage its hydrogen safety affairs effectively and with confidence, as even a minor incident could result in a plant shutdown costing millions.

Since 2008, LSBU has carried out research contracts valued at over £1m, and the team of experts is sponsored by Sellafield, which estimates it has potentially saved over £550m thanks to LSBU's work.

“London South Bank University takes great pride in our research as it is addressing the challenging issues faced by society today and providing applied solutions to the business world and beyond,” commented Professor David Phoenix, Vice-Chancellor, LSBU, following the REF announcement. “The fact that many of the organisations for whom we have carried out research return to us time and time again is further demonstration of our impact, as they know LSBU can be relied upon to overcome the challenges put before us. It is pleasing to see that the majority of our research impact was seen to be of the highest standard.”