BP, Skolkovo Foundation, Boreskov Institute and Imperial College London to work together on energy efficiency research programme
BP Russia and the Skolkovo Foundation are pleased to announce an agreement today to set up a major research collaboration with Russia’s Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, one of the world’s largest research centres, specialising in catalysis, and Imperial College London, one of the world’s leading universities. The parties will now work together to define a three to five year GBP 9.3 million energy efficiency research programme which will, subject to the conclusion of the collaboration agreement, be co-funded by BP Russia and the Skolkovo Foundation.
The partnership will focus on improving efficiency in the use and recovery of thermal energy in the oil and gas industry, with a particular emphasis on refining processes. The programme will consist of research and technology development in a number of areas, including heat exchange equipment and processes, novel catalysts, fouling mitigation technologies in heat exchanges and pipelines, energy recovery and waste heat recycling.
The agreement was signed in Moscow on December 21st by David Peattie, Head of BP Russia, and Vasily Belov, Executive Director of Skolkovo Foundation Energy Efficiency Cluster.
Head of BP Russia David Peattie said: “We are very pleased to be involved with this very important research programme. Improving heat exchange technology is very important for the environmental efficiency of the oil processing industry. We are very pleased to team up with Skolkovo to fund Boreskov and Imperial, two of the world’s leading research institutes in this key research programme”.
Vasily Belov, Executive Director of Energy Efficiency Cluster of Skolkovo Foundation said: “The Skolkovo Foundation is pleased to announce the start of the joint project by Imperial College London and Boreskov Institute of Catalysis. The teams of both institutions will focus on research on efficiency of both heat exchange and catalysis processes. The project may significantly impact the refining industry by potentially decreasing its energy losses by 15 per cent. We view involvement of BP as a significant step to enhance cooperation between academia and industry that would ensure viability and practicality of the research”.
Boreskov Institute of Catalysis director, academician Valentin Parmon said: "We believe, that combining our experience in development and utilization of catalysts and catalytic processes with experience of Imperial College in chemical technologies would lead to fundamentally new approaches in advancing energy efficient technologies of processing carbon fossil fuels. The agreement, initiated by the Skolkovo Foundation, is setting an extremely important example (including for Russian companies) of support, provided to fundamental research and innovation by leading international corporations”.
Professor Sir Keith O’Nions, FRS, Rector of Imperial College London, added: “The College has a strong track record working with the oil industry across the globe to help them to optimise their performance, increase their efficiency and decrease the impact of CO₂ emissions. We look forward to working with our partners on this important project, which could translate into real energy savings and improvements for the environment in Russia and beyond.”
It is intended that the Boreskov Institute will provide organisational structure to carry out the programme with Imperial College and that BP Russia will provide a practical industry input and access to operations for field testing, as appropriate.
Further information
Contacts
BP Press office, London, +44 (0)207 496 4076, BPpress@bp.com
BP press office, Moscow, +7 (495) 363-6262
Skolkovo Foundation, +7 495 967 01 48, MMikhailov@corp.i-gorod.com
Notes to editors
- BP is one of the world’s largest oil companies serving customers every day in more than 90 countries across six continents. BP’s activities are Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Alternative Energy, its low-carbon energy business. BP is one of the biggest foreign investors in Russia. The company has been operating in Russia since 1990 with activities in oil and gas exploration, refining, lubricants, marine products and trading operations. BP has a 50% interest in TNK-BP (a large Russian oil and gas integrated company). This research programme will form part of BP’s global commitment to leading academic research establishments.
- The Skolkovo Foundation is a Russian nonprofit organization founded in 2010 and charged by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with creating a new science and technology development center in the Moscow suburb of Skolkovo. The Skolkovo innovation ecosystem comprises the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, corporate R&D centers, business incubators and accelerators, private seed and venture funds, and start-up companies, as well as residential space and social infrastructure. Skolkovo is governed by a special law, which gives its resident companies special economic conditions for running their businesses. More than 300 companies have received the status of Skolkovo resident.
- Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 14,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve global health, tackle climate change, develop sustainable sources of energy and address security challenges. In 2007, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust formed the UK's first Academic Health Science Centre. This unique partnership aims to improve the quality of life of patients and populations by taking new discoveries and translating them into new therapies as quickly as possible. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk.
- Based in Novosibirsk, Boreskov Institute of Catalysis is the largest research centre in the world, specialized in catalysis. The BIC’s R&D activities span the areas from fundamental problems of catalysis to development of new catalysts and catalytic technologies and to designing semicommercial plants for the catalysts manufacturing. The main fields of catalytic research at the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis are establishment of general physicochemical regularities of catalysis, development of scientific bases for molecular design of materials and implementation of catalytic processes; creation of new generation catalysts for chemical, refinery and petrochemical industries, as well as creation of catalysts and technologies for innovative application areas.
