Innovation Management

1. Instructions: Assignment scenario For the purposes of this assessment you are to assume that you are employed as a project manager at a small engineering company Phase Heat Ltd based in the UK. (This is not a real company, so please do not try to search for it!) Phase Heat Ltd have identified an opportunity to develop an advanced hot water heat storage cylinder (HWHSC) for use in the home or small commercial premises. The hot water heat storage cylinder product will heat and store hot water to be used for showers, baths, sinks and wash basins. The cylinder may be heated by electric immersion heater and/or heat exchange coil (typically connected to a separate, re-circulating hot water circuit from a boiler or solar thermal panel). Heat loss is reduced by insulating the cylinder with plastic foam on its outside. The main cylinder design by Phase Heat Ltd has a series of small sealed tubes inside it. Each of these tubes contains a paraffin hydrocarbon that melts at about 60 degrees centigrade. This melting or ‘phase change’ from solid to liquid takes a large energy input which is available to recover later on as latent heat when the liquid is allowed to solidify. The use of phase change heat storage within the water cylinder is novel and has the potential to store heat energy when it is available (eg from solar or wind generators) or at low cost (eg using ‘off peak’ electricity tariff, typically at night time). The components of the advanced hot water heat storage cylinder (HWHSC) are shown in Table 1. Component Function Component needs designing? Main cylinder Stores the hot water No, it can be bought in from a supplier made to our specification Heat exchange Transfers heat from a separate water system No, it can be bought in coil typically circulating to boiler or solar panels from a supplier made to our specification Electric Heats water in the cylinder using electricity from No, it can be bought in immersion the mains supply from a supplier ‘off the heater shelf’ standard part Outer plastic Reduces heat loss from the hot water stored in Yes, it needs to be designed 1 foam insulation the cylinder and developed by Phase Heat Ltd Phase change Contains the phase change material (paraffin) Yes, it needs to be designed material tubes allowing heat to be transferred to the water in and developed by Phase the cylinder whilst separating the paraffin from Heat Ltd the water (avoiding contamination) Phase change Paraffin is a hydrocarbon with a high latent heat Yes, it needs to be designed paraffin of fusion. This physical property is used to store and developed by Phase heat at a constant temperature in the cylinder. Heat Ltd Temperature Temperature sensors at selected locations within No, these can be bought in sensors, valves, the cylinder will send signals to the from a supplier as ‘off the pumps, programmable electronic controller. The shelf’ standard parts Programmable controller will open and close appropriate valves, electronic operate pumps and switch on the immersion controller heater. Controller The software will control the functions of the Yes, it needs to be designed software cylinder using appropriate sensor inputs to and developed by Phase control pumps, valves and the immersion heater. Heat Ltd Table 1 Main components of the advanced hot water heat storage cylinder (HWHSC) 2. Instructions: Assignment aim and content The Technical Director of Phase Heat Ltd has asked you to produce a report for the company to explain the proposed innovation development project comprising activities including design, development and testing of the test rigs and prototypes that will be needed to take the innovation from the current concept through to fully tested prototypes. Phase Heat Ltd would like to start the project on 1 July 2017 and conclude all prototype testing on 1 November 2017.