Staff Profiles

I teach and I give lectures, seminars and laboratory classes to students, who are in the first and the second academic year of BEng in Mechanical Engineering, in the following subjects: Basics Dynamics and Engineering Thermo-Fluids.

Practical laboratory work that I organise and run at level five includes:

• Laboratory 1: Selection of Materials for a Car Bumper, concerning EU legislation for the safety of the driver, passengers and pedestrians.
  This practical is concerned with an investigation of the properties of the plastic materials to determine their suitability as materials for car bumpers. Students have the opportunity to test samples of different materials by recognised test methods using appropriate industry standard apparatus, Tensile Test Machine and Charpy Pendulum impact testing.
• Laboratory 2: Life Cycle Analysis of a Stirling Engine.
  This is a computer based laboratory class in which students carry out a Life Cycle Assessment of the Oxford Brookes Stirling Engine design. The exercise gives students the chance to investigate the materials used in the design and obtain data on these materials from the Cambridge Engineering Selector database. Then students use these data to carry out a basic Life Cycle Assessment of the design.

I organise and run the “Open Seminar Support” sessions that provide weekly drop-in sessions for students who are in their first year and need help with engineering specific topics and tutorial sheets.

I liaise with staff in the main ERASMUS exchange office and our European University partners for engineering and mathematics arranging and approving student exchanges as the International Exchange Coordinator for the Department. I have a key role in promoting students' sense of belonging to an academic community and supporting their development as a successful learner within Brookes and beyond.

I am studying for a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) as a part-time research student on the MPhil/PhD programme in the Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment at Oxford Brookes University. The title of my research is "Development of shape optimization for wind turbine blade".

Research group membership

I have been attached to the research group of Simulation, Modelling and Systems Integration.

Research projects

My research project consists of developing new knowledge related to the concept of a smart aerodynamic device for wind turbine blades.

Research impact

To reduce the threshold speed to turn the rotor and dampen the wind gusts.

Journal articles

• Raugei M, Peluso A, Leccisi E, Fthenakis V, 'Life-Cycle Carbon Emissions and Energy Implications of High Penetration of Photovoltaics and Electric Vehicles in California'
  Energies 14 (16) (2021)
  ISSN: 1996-1073 eISSN: 1996-1073
  Abstract

  California has set two ambitious targets aimed at achieving a high level of decarbonization in the coming decades, namely (i) to generate 60% and 100% of its electricity using renewable energy (RE) technologies, respectively, by 2030 and by 2045, and (ii) introducing at least 5 million zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2030, as a first step towards all new vehicles being ZEVs by 2035. In addition, in California, photovoltaics (PVs) coupled with lithium-ion battery (LIB) storage and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are, respectively, the most promising candidates for new RE installations and new ZEVs, respectively. However, concerns have been voiced about how meeting both targets at the same time could potentially negatively affect the electricity grid’s stability, and hence also its overall energy and carbon performance. This paper addresses those concerns by presenting a thorough life-cycle carbon emission and energy analysis based on an original grid balancing model that uses a combination of historical hourly dispatch and demand data and future projections of hourly demand for BEV charging. Five different scenarios are assessed, and the results unequivocally indicate that a future 80% RE grid mix in California is not only able to cope with the increased demand caused by BEVs, but it can do so with low carbon emissions (<110 g CO_2-eq/kWh) and satisfactory net energy returns (EROI_PE-eq = 12–16).
  

  Website 
• Raugei M, Peluso A, Leccisi E, Fthenakis V, 'Life-Cycle Carbon Emissions and Energy Return on Investment for 80% Domestic Renewable Electricity with Battery Storage in California (U.S.A.)'
  Energies 13 (15) (2020)
  ISSN: 1996-1073 eISSN: 1996-1073
  Abstract

  This paper presents a detailed life-cycle assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions, cumulative demand for total and non-renewable primary energy, and energy return on investment (EROI) for the domestic electricity grid mix in the U.S. state of California, using hourly historical data for 2018, and future projections of increased solar photovoltaic (PV) installed capacity with lithium-ion battery energy storage, so as to achieve 80% net renewable electricity generation in 2030, while ensuring the hourly matching of the supply and demand profiles at all times. Specifically—in line with California’s plans that aim to increase the renewable energy share into the electric grid—in this study, PV installed capacity is assumed to reach 43.7 GW in 2030, resulting of 52% of the 2030 domestic electricity generation. In the modelled 2030 scenario, single-cycle gas turbines and nuclear plants are completely phased out, while combined-cycle gas turbine output is reduced by 30% compared to 2018. Results indicate that 25% of renewable electricity ends up being routed into storage, while 2.8% is curtailed. Results also show that such energy transition strategy would be effective at curbing California’s domestic electricity grid mix carbon emissions by 50%, and reducing demand for non-renewable primary energy by 66%, while also achieving a 10% increase in overall EROI (in terms of electricity output per unit of investment).
  

  Website 

Areas of expertise

I am a Mechanical Engineer specialising in transport and vehicles engineering. To date my experiences have given me a strong background in the fields of manufacturing and industrial engineering and in "general mechanical" disciplines, with particular focus on the automobile sector and renewable energies.

 

Membership of professional bodies

I am a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a global community of mechanical engineers represented in over 140 countries, the Institution is the largest network of mechanical engineering knowledge, skill and opportunity in the world and in which I am recognised as a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Engineering Professors' Council which is the representative body for engineering in UK higher education.

I am also a member of the Ordine degli Ingegneri della Provincia di Roma, the Italian professional body in which all engineering professions are brought together, and in which I am recognised as an Ingegnere Industriale (Chartered Engineer) and a member of the European Register of Euro-Project Designers and Managers.

Furthermore I am a Fellow of The Higher Education Academy in recognition of attainment against the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and learning support in higher education.

Further information

Link to my profile on Linkedin