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Annual Review

2012
Annual Review
2012

Science Economic impact Quality of life


06-13 14-17 18-19

264
NPL published papers
£634m
of financial benefits NPL delivered
145
UK cancer patients survive
in peer‑reviewed scientific through measurement innovation each year due to NPL’s impact
journals in 2012 on the accuracy of the radiation
dose they receive

Working in partnership Our people Contact


20-21 22-25 26

2,500
companies worldwide are
1,000
individuals from 80 different
8 million
tonnes of carbon saved by
working with NPL organisations received NPL NPL’s low carbon projects
Training in 2012
Managing Director

Guide to symbols
An introduction from Brian Bowsher
It is my pleasure to introduce this annual review. Despite the continuing
Find out more online difficult economic climate, 2012 was a very successful year for NPL – the UK’s
home of measurement and a world-leading centre of excellence in developing
and applying the most accurate measurement standards. We continued to
enhance our science and engineering outputs and the economic and societal
Watch online video benefits of our work. Partnership is critical for us to deliver impact and we
interact with 75 universities and 2,500 companies; we were delighted to grow
our commercial revenue by 14% in 2012, with over half of our orders placed
by international customers.
View online gallery
World-class science will always be at the core of NPL and we hit yet another
record of peer-reviewed publications (264), approximately three-quarters of
which were produced in conjunction with our partners. I was particularly pleased
to see our ground-breaking work on the room temperature MASER recognised
by Physics World as one of the ‘Top 10 breakthroughs for 2012’ – the only research
based in the UK to make this list.

Our staff sit on over 800 national and international committees helping to
deliver benefits to the UK. NPL has played an instrumental role in the European
Metrology Research Programme (EMRP), with involvement in 71 projects worth
€53 million to NPL, and we are positioning for a future EU Programme valued at
over €500 million. We recently issued ‘Metrology for the 2020s’ to national and
international acclaim; this document set out our strategic science ambitions and
opportunities for partnership with academia and industry over the next decade.

In 2012 we undertook a survey involving over 500 customers that demonstrated


financial benefits to organisations of £634 million – these are detailed in a
separate publication which I hope you will enjoy reading. We also launched
the Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL to bring together our work in
supporting carbon trading and understanding climate change and low carbon
technologies. Independent assessments have shown that our work has achieved
8 million tonnes of carbon savings with £500 million economic benefit. This
amounts to 2% of the UK’s annual carbon dioxide emissions and an economic
return on investment of 35:1. We also hosted the world’s first conference on
the measurement challenges of developing commercial applications based
on graphene. More broadly, NPL interacted with over 20,000 schoolchildren
to share the fun of science and engineering, with our stand on Bubbles at the
Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition being a highlight of the year.

Of course these successes are built on our people and I would like to thank
all our staff for their dedication and commitment. One particularly noteworthy
achievement was the recognition for Dr Martin Milton, after a 30 year career
at NPL, in joining the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures in Paris as
its Director.

In November 2012 the Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts,
announced that he wanted to adopt a different model for NPL once the

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2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

current government-owned contractor-operated (GOCO)


arrangement with Serco comes to an end in April 2014. The
Minister envisages a strategic partnership with one or
more universities and/or international applied science
organisations that would further strengthen NPL’s science
(including establishing a postgraduate institute), build on
our interactions with academia and industry, and optimise
the use of the Teddington site.

We are proud of the benefits to the UK achieved under


Serco’s stewardship of NPL, and are committed to working
with our colleagues in government to secure the best
long-term future for NPL as the UK’s National Measurement
Institute. To this end, we were delighted by the Minister’s
announcement in January 2013 of additional funding
of £25 million to build a state-of-the-art laboratory for
cutting-edge measurement research in key nano and
quantum metrology programmes. Whilst there may be
some uncertainty on the precise future operational
model, NPL remains fully committed to providing
its customers and stakeholders with world-leading
science and engineering solutions.

I hope that you enjoy reading this review of


last year’s achievements; we would value your
feedback. You can find out how to contact us
on page 26.

Dr Brian R Bowsher
Managing Director

05
Science

Electricity from tiny pieces


A research team from NPL and the University of Cambridge has developed an
electron pump that picks electrons up one at a time and moves them across a
barrier to create a very well‑defined electrical current. The team used a nano‑scale
semiconductor device called a ‘quantum dot’, which is 0.0001 mm wide, to
pump electrons one at a time through a circuit at a rate of almost one billion per
second. The 150 picoampere current produced is 300 times larger than previously
achieved at a confirmed pumping accuracy of one part per million, thereby
taking an important step towards the redefinition of the ampere, the SI unit
for electrical current. This quantum current standard will make the ampere
 Electricity fron tiny pieces easier to realise in practice and the precise control of electrons in semiconductor
An artist’s impression of the electron pump: the devices demonstrated by this research will help develop smaller high-precision
white walls represent electrostatic potential of electronic devices.
the pump, the liquid surface is the Fermi sea of
electrons and the ‘flying’ spheres are individual
electrons.
MASER power comes out of the cold
Scientists from NPL and Imperial College London have demonstrated the world’s
first solid‑state ‘MASER’ capable of operating at room temperature in air with no
applied magnetic field. The breakthrough, published in the journal Nature, means
that the cost to manufacture and operate MASERs could be dramatically reduced,
“For half a century the MASER has paving the way for their wider adoption.

been the forgotten, inconvenient MASER is an acronym for Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
cousin of the LASER. Our design Radiation. Instead of creating intense beams of light, as LASERs do, MASERs deliver
a concentrated beam of microwaves. However, conventional MASER technology
breakthrough will enable MASERs has had little impact compared with the LASER because getting it to work has
always required extreme conditions such as low pressures and temperatures that
to be used by industry and
are difficult, and expensive, to produce.
consumers.”
A room‑temperature MASER opens up new possibilities; it could potentially be
used to make more sensitive medical instruments for scanning patients, improved
Mark Oxborrow, co-author of the chemical sensors for remotely detecting explosives, lower‑noise read‑out
study at NPL mechanisms for quantum computers and better radio telescopes for potentially
detecting life on other planets.

This research was chosen as one of the top 10 breakthroughs for 2012 by
Physics World, the membership magazine of the Institute of Physics.

www.npl.co.uk/maser

 MASER power comes out of the cold


August 2012 edition of Nature journal featuring
NPL’s MASER.

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2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

07
Science

08
2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

The tick‑tock of the optical clock


NPL scientists have made an accurate measurement of the highly forbidden
octupole transition frequency in an ytterbium ion, which could be used as
the basis for the next generation of optical atomic clocks. The measurement
is important because the frequency determines the rate at which the clock
‘ticks’. The faster the rate of ticking, the more precisely time intervals can
be measured. During one second, the ytterbium ion clock underwent
642,121,496,772,646.22 oscillations, nearly five orders of magnitude higher than
in caesium. With further upgrades to the equipment, the ytterbium ion standard
could become a candidate for a future redefinition of the second, improving
the time signals upon which satellite navigation, telecommunications and  A new generation of acoustic measurements
fundamental physics experiments rely. Intersecting laser beams.

www.npl.co.uk/time

Trapping ions on a chip


A ground‑breaking device, demonstrated for the first time at NPL, could help
usher in the long‑awaited era of quantum computing. Quantum algorithms
can perform certain calculations exponentially faster than classical systems and
quantum cryptography could theoretically improve data security to an almost “We managed to produce an
unbeatable level. This information technology is based on the use of entangled essential device or tool, which
particles known as quantum bits, or ‘qubits’, to perform calculations. NPL’s novel
device is a 3D ion microtrap array made from a silica‑on‑silicon wafer using a is critical for state-of-the-art
scalable microfabrication process. During the research, NPL scientists were able to research and development in
confine individual ions, as well as strings of up to 14 ions, in a single segment of
the microtrap array. The microfabrication process will enable the creation of more quantum technologies.”
complex devices which could handle even larger numbers of ions, while retaining
the ability to control particles at the individual level.
Alastair Sinclair, co-author of the
‘trapping ions on a chip’ study at NPL

A new generation of acoustic measurements


NPL scientists have made the first measurements of airborne acoustic free‑field
pressures using a laser technique based on photon correlation spectroscopy.
Two laser beams are set up so that they intersect and produce an interference
fringe pattern. When sound is produced by a source (such as a loudspeaker),
the intensity of light scattered by particles in the air as they pass through the
fringe pattern changes. This intensity change can be detected, and the acoustic
free‑field pressure directly calculated. The use of optical techniques like these can
not only potentially provide new calibration capabilities applicable to existing  Trapping ions on a chip
commercially available microphones, but also help accelerate the development of The ground‑breaking NPL
new microphone technologies and other acoustic devices. microtrap chip.

09
Science

Dead stars ‑ the future of spacecraft navigation


The European Space Agency (ESA) has commissioned NPL and the University of
Leicester to investigate the feasibility of using X‑rays emitted from dead stars,
called ‘pulsars’, to allow spacecraft to navigate autonomously in deep space.
Pulsars are highly compact and rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit
electromagnetic radiation observed as pulses, similar to the rotating beam of light
seen from a lighthouse. These pulses can be highly regular, making them suitable
sources for navigation using a technique similar to GPS. If successful, pulsar
(Image courtesy of Victor Habbick, Visions/Science Photo Library)

navigation could, in the long‑term, reduce costs and limitations associated with
ground‑based technology, potentially enabling humanity to navigate far beyond
the outer reaches of our Solar System.

Scientific first in air quality data


Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic compounds, some of which
 Dead stars ‑ the future of spacecraft navigation are toxic and carcinogenic. They are produced from the incomplete burning of
A pulsar is the collapsed super‑dense core of a carbon‑containing fuels and their measurement is important for public health
massive star that has blown off its outer layers in and environmental protection. NPL scientists have conducted the first ever
a supernova. experimental assessment of the effect of atmospheric degradation on the annual
average concentration of a PAH called benzo[a]pyrene, in air. This scientific first
adds value to data obtained by the UK PAH Monitoring and Analysis Network,
which NPL operates on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra), and will help position the UK to meet future requirements of EU air
quality directives and improve respiratory health.

New insight into HIV


Joint research from NPL, the University of Edinburgh, IBM’s Thomas J. Watson
Research Center and Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron facility,
has provided new insight into a fusion protein that enables HIV to infect host
cells. The research team probed the structural changes that occur in two peptide
fragments of a fusion protein in HIV‑1, known as gp41. The protein helps the virus
to gain entry into a host cell and infect it. Armed with a better understanding of
the fusion protein’s mechanisms, drug developers can begin to target weaknesses
within it; designing drugs that prevent HIV from infecting healthy cells.

264
NPL published papers in
peer‑reviewed scientific
journals in 2012

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2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

Collaborative European measurement research


The European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) funds collaborative
research projects to meet grand challenges and to progress fundamental
measurement science throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Following the
results of the 2012 EMRP Call, NPL will lead eight new projects and take part in a
further 14 within the themes of SI Units, Open Excellence and Industry. This brings
the total number of EMRP projects in which NPL is involved to 71.

The projects that NPL is leading are:


➜➜ Metrology for new electrical measurement qualities in high
frequency circuits
➜➜ International timescales with optical clocks
➜➜ Metrology for thermal protection materials
➜➜ Chemical metrology tools to support manufacture of advanced biomaterials
 Shock Physics
➜➜ Large volume metrology in industry
The image shows an aluminium diaphragm
➜➜ Metrology for optical and RF communications which is burst by gas pressure to generate a
shock wave in the NPL 1.4 MPa shock tube.
➜➜ Metrology to enable high temperature erosion testing
➜➜ Novel electronic devices based on the control of strain at the nanoscale

www.npl.co.uk/emrp

Shock Physics
NPL and Imperial College London’s Institute of Shock Physics are working on a
project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
to produce pressure pulses suitable for the calibration of high speed pressure
sensors found in turbines and internal combustion engines. The information
provided by these sensors can aid the development of increasingly efficient
engines, but calibration is required to ensure they are giving true real‑time
pressure values. The pressure pulses used for calibration can be produced
using a shock tube where the rapid bursting of a metal diaphragm, exposed to
high pressure on one side, generates a shock wave. This shock wave provides a
well‑defined pressure step whose height can be calculated from measurements
readily traceable to the SI.

7,036
calibrations performed for
1,349 customers in 2012

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Science

Publications highlights
The following NPL publications have been highlighted for their scientific
contributions in 2012:
➜➜ Towards the redefinition of the kilogram: a measurement of the Planck
constant using the NPL Mark II watt balance. Metrologia – Ian Robinson.
➜➜ Mobility particle size spectrometers: harmonization of technical standards and
data structure to facilitate high quality long-term observations of atmospheric
particle number size distributions. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques – Paul
Quincey (with partners representing 21 organisations).

 Publication highlights ➜➜ Towards a quantum representation of the ampere using single electron
pumps. Nature Communications – Stephen Giblin, Masaya Kataoka,
Towards the redefinition of the kilogram: a
Jonathan Fletcher, Patrick See and JT Janssen (with Cavendish Laboratory,
measurement of the Planck constant using the
University of Cambridge).
NPL Mark II watt balance.
➜➜ Investigation of the Equivalence of National Dew-Point Temperature
Realizations in the -50 °C to +20 °C Range. International Journal of
Thermophysics – Stephanie Bell and Mark Stevens (with partners
representing 23 organisations).
➜➜ Room-temperature solid-state maser. Nature – Mark Oxborrow (with Imperial
College London).
➜➜ Membrane mediated regulation in free peptides of HIV-1 gp41: minimal
modulation of the hemifusion phase. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
– Eleonora Cerasoli, Jascindra Ravi, Jason Crain and Maxim Ryadnov (with
University of Edinburgh, Diamond Light Source and IBM Thomas J. Watson
Research Center, USA).
➜➜ On charged particle equilibrium violation in external photon fields.
Medical Physics – Hugo Palmans (with Centre hospitalier de l’Université
de Montréal, Canada).
➜➜ Sputtering Yields of Gold Nanoparticles by C-60 Ions. Journal of Physical
Chemistry – Li Yang, Martin Seah, Emily Anstis, Ian Gilmore and Joanna Lee.
➜➜ Airborne and satellite remote sensing of the mid-infrared water vapour
continuum. Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society A – Tom Gardiner
and Marc Coleman (with Met Office, Imperial College London, University
of Reading, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and V.E. Zuev Institute of
Atmospheric Optics, Russia).
➜➜ A Polar Corundum Oxide Displaying Weak Ferromagnetism at Room
Temperature. Journal of the American Chemical Society – Tim Burnett and
Markys Cain (with University of Liverpool, University College London and
EMAT University of Antwerp, Belgium).

www.npl.co.uk/publications

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2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

Top cited science papers in 2012


Citations demonstrate that a paper is being referenced by the scientific
community and that the ideas expressed within that paper are contributing to the
development of knowledge. The most cited NPL papers from 2012 were:
➜➜ Disordered Fermi Liquid in Epitaxial Graphene from Quantum Transport
Measurements. Physical Review Letters – Alexander Tzalenchuk and JT Janssen
(with Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden; Linköping University,
Sweden; SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden; and Lancaster
University, UK).
➜➜ Towards the redefinition of the kilogram: a measurement of the Planck
constant using the NPL Mark II watt balance. Metrologia – Ian Robinson.
➜➜ Improved accuracy of the NPL‑CsF2 primary frequency standard: evaluation  The water vapour continuum
of distributed cavity phase and microwave lensing frequency shifts. Metrologia
The solar tracker, which directs the sunlight into
– Krzysztof Szymaniec (with the Pennsylvania State University, USA).
NPL’s measuring equipment.

The water vapour continuum


Water vapour is a greenhouse gas that plays a major role in the Earth’s energy
balance, as it is responsible for around 55% of the absorption of solar radiation
in the atmosphere. NPL’s work on atmospheric water vapour measurement was
published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A – a high profile
journal that features papers from the internationally-acclaimed Royal Society
Discussion Meetings. The research provided a unique insight into the ‘water
vapour continuum’, a variation in the amount of energy absorbed by water
vapour molecules as they interact with one another, which has a dramatic impact
on the energy balance of the climate system but is poorly understood. The
knowledge gained through this work will help improve the accuracy of weather
and climate models.

121
press stories featured
NPL in 2012

13
Economic impact

“The Centre for Carbon Launch of the Centre for Carbon Measurement
Measurement at NPL brings
On 26 March 2012, NPL launched the Centre for Carbon Measurement to help
together academic and business ensure the UK leads the world in climate modelling, global carbon markets and
partners with government green technology. Government and industry welcomed the launch of the centre,
highlighting its potential to reduce emissions and stimulate the economy.
and is designed to ensure that
NPL is currently involved in £7.7 million of low carbon projects in 2012, which have
we can have confidence in the
a track record of delivering a 1:35 return to the UK economy. The Centre for Carbon
measurements we need to improve Measurement aims to triple this volume over three years, and will also focus on
up‑skilling the workforce and attracting business to the UK.
our understanding of the global
climate, deliver policies for Since its launch, the Centre for Carbon Measurement has been active in a variety
of exciting projects:
mitigating climate change, and
➜➜ leading a project funded by the UK Space Agency seeking to launch a satellite
accelerate the development of low to provide more accurate climate data, improving our understanding of the
impact of climate change
carbon technologies.”
➜➜ developing a way to measure more precisely the amount of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere in a project led by EADS Astrium
David Willetts, Minister of State for ➜➜ supporting the launch of the Nesta Carbon Data Challenge Prize that seeks to
Universities and Science encourage progress towards CO2 reduction by finding the best advances in
carbon measurement

www.npl.co.uk/carbon

Quantifying impact
NPL has been looking back to quantify the impact of projects carried out over
recent years. These studies demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits
of measurement research, which often rely upon companies making changes to
behaviours and processes over a period of time.

Work with NGF EUROPE, the largest manufacturer of glass cord for automobile
cam belts, led to increased acceptance and reliability of cam belts and
underpinned improvements to their strength and durability. The adoption of cam
belt technology brought about by the project enabled fuel savings by car owners
of some 450 million litres in one year and savings of 750,000 tonnes of carbon.

8 million
Work with power station operators E.ON and RWE npower to understand the
effects of switching to biomass fuel in coal power stations led to potential carbon
savings of 2.75 million tonnes at a plant in Tilbury, Essex, which came online
in January 2012. Total cost savings of £1.38 million could be achieved if the
tonnes of carbon saved by knowledge from this project was rolled out to an additional 20 plants operated by
NPL’s low carbon projects the companies.

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2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

15
Economic impact

 Recyclable electronics: just add hot water Recyclable electronics: just add hot water
A YouTube video describing this project has
received over 45,000 views. Over 100 million electronic units are discarded annually in the UK at great
economic and environmental cost. In a project funded by the Technology Strategy
Board, NPL and partners In2tec Ltd and Gwent Electronic Materials Ltd developed
a printed circuit board from a series of unzippable polymeric layers. These can
withstand prolonged thermal cycling and damp heat stressing, but allow for the
easy separation of the assemblies into their constituent parts by immersion in hot
water. This enables 90% of the original structure to be re‑used at the end of its
life; a massive improvement on the 2% of material from traditional printed circuit
boards that can be re‑used.

www.npl.co.uk/reuse

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2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

Validating LED performance


The Carbon Trust estimates that the implementation of energy‑efficient lighting
products such as LEDs could save UK businesses around £700 million each year
in energy costs, but to succeed in the marketplace these products must meet,

(image courtesy of MHA Lighting)


or preferably exceed, lighting performance expectations. MHA Lighting is a UK
LED manufacturer whose products shine light sideways into an encapsulation
to avoid direct contact with the eye, providing a safe and efficient light output.
NPL provided the company with accurate and traceable measurements of the
optical, electrical and thermal properties of a range of their lighting solutions, and
independently validated claims of efficiency and quality.  Validating LED performance
MHA Lighting’s TiLite LED lamp, which was
tested by NPL.
Shake, rattle and hum
NPL is lending its measurement expertise to a project that aims to design and
build experimental energy harvesting devices for use in real world applications
within the oil and gas, transport and power generation industries. By making use of
new materials called ‘bistable composites’ that snap between two different shape
configurations when a force is applied, the devices will be able to harvest energy “We are extremely proud that
from unwanted vibrations over a much wider range of frequencies than is currently
our photometric data has
possible. This means they will capture more energy, which can then be used to
power small electronic systems, like wireless sensor networks, at no extra cost. been produced by NPL. Their
independent data not only
Helping graphene live up to expectations provides us with the credibility we
In October 2012, NPL hosted a conference to explore how the knowledge gained
need with potential customers, but
in science laboratories could be used more effectively to accelerate the use reassures us that the data we have
of graphene in electronic devices. NPL highlighted some of its own graphene
research, for example the development of a possible quality assurance technique for our products is correct.”
that uses microwave resonance to probe the conductivity of graphene and
identify where water is trapped between individual layers. This type of innovation
will be vital for the commercial success of graphene technology. The conference Tom Harrison, Managing Director of
also featured a keynote speech from Nobel prize winning physicist Prof Dr Klaus MHA Lighting
von Klitzing and presentations from key players in academia and industry.

The customer’s always right

£634m
A wide variety of customers use NPL’s products and services. A survey involving
534 of these customers demonstrated that NPL has helped organisations achieve
financial benefits of £634 million per annum through measurement innovation
activity. The survey also explored the profile of the users, their use of products,
actions they undertook and the impact gained. of financial benefits
NPL delivered
through measurement
www.npl.co.uk/customer-survey innovation in 2011

17
Quality of life

Trapping bubbles in light and sound


Microbubbles are bubbles less than one millimetre in size that are part of everyday
life in ways we do not often realise. These very small bubbles are key to the
performance of inkjet printers; the taste and texture of foods; and the creation of
lightweight materials. Hospitals currently use coated microbubbles to enhance
contrast during ultrasound imaging, in the early diagnosis of heart diseases
and cancers. In their efforts to transform bubbles into direct sensors at the
microscale, researchers at NPL, University College London and the University of
Oxford have trapped microbubbles within structures of light or sound, measuring
forces as small as a few piconewton (trillionth of a newton) in the process. These
 Trapping bubbles in light and sound two trapping techniques will soon be combined in a versatile and powerful
Acoustically trapped microbubbles. This work manipulation tool, known as ‘sono‑optical tweezers’, allowing the characterisation
was showcased at the 2012 Royal Society of engineered microbubbles and their environment to an extent never previously
Summer Science Exhibition on 5‑8 July 2012. achieved. The project team will then work to characterise the physics of drug
delivery using microbubbles and the manufacture of innovative materials.

www.npl.co.uk/bubbles

“Whilst it’s early days, we’re very


excited about its potential and
Radiotherapy doses to be more accurate
we may well have something
Cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy treatments in future will be safer
here which could have a huge
thanks to collaborative research by NPL and the University of Montreal and
and positive impact on cancer McGill University, Canada, which will result in improved measurement consistency.
The scientists discovered a misconception on how charged particles (ionising
diagnosis and many thousands of electrons) are distributed locally while delivering a uniform dose to a tumour using
women’s lives.” a special form of radiotherapy called ‘intensity modulated radiotherapy’ (IMRT).
This work will impact a range of radiotherapy treatments – as the distribution of
complex fields of charged particles is now better understood. Medical physicists
Bajram Zeqiri, who led the ‘ultrasound can now calculate improved values of correction factors for their IMRT detectors,
screening for breast cancer’ study at NPL improving their safety and effectiveness.

Ultrasound screening for breast cancer

145
A team of scientists from NPL and the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation
Trust have successfully completed an initial trial of a new, potentially more reliable,
technique for screening breast cancer using ultrasound, and are now looking to
develop the technique into a clinical device. Having received positive results for
UK cancer patients survive phantom imaging, NPL is now seeking funding to develop the work further.
each year due to NPL’s
impact on the accuracy
of the radiation dose
they receive

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2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

Traceability established for new cancer therapy  Traceability established for new cancer therapy
NPL’s secondary standard ionisation chamber
Work from NPL scientists has established traceability for a molecular radiotherapy was used to establish traceable 177Lu
treatment for neuroendocrine tumours, usually found in the intestine or lungs and measurements at hospitals.
arising from hormone‑producing cells. The treatment involves the administration
of a peptide radiolabelled with Lutetium‑177 (177Lu), which irradiates the
widespread tumour cells without causing excessive damage to surrounding
healthy tissue. After first establishing a link to the International Reference System
by standardising 177Lu as part of an international comparison exercise, NPL
invited UK and European hospitals to participate in a blind exercise to measure
radioactivity in samples of the radionuclide. This enabled the hospitals to
demonstrate traceability, ensuring regulatory compliance and patient safety.

Improving wound care


NPL is leading a £1.2 million project to improve the management of non‑healing
wounds in the NHS by translating novel technology from the laboratory into
clinical practice. Non‑healing wounds not only cause pain, loss of sleep, reduced
mobility and social isolation to patients, but also carry a significant financial
burden. An estimated 340,000 people in the UK suffer from these wounds at a cost
of £4,750 per patient, which is roughly 3% of national healthcare expenditure.
The new wound management and diagnostic technology (RegeniTherix™) has
the potential to improve healing times and cut costs. NPL’s role is to develop
and validate ‘multiplex’ biomarker assays that allow the status of wounds to be
monitored and so guide treatment. The project is funded by the National Institute
for Health Research’s ‘Invention for Innovation’ Programme and is a partnership
with three companies (Neotherix, SensaPharm and Complement Genomics) and
the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.

19
Working in partnership

Observing the Earth from Space


NPL and the University of Surrey have signed a strategic agreement to work
together in the area of Earth Observation, where there is great potential for novel
applications in sectors such as finance, agriculture, health and transport. Vital
to the increasing use of Earth Observation technologies are the availability of
low‑cost, high‑performance satellites, a long‑standing strength of the University
of Surrey, and accurate, thoroughly‑referenced measurement techniques, which
are a speciality of NPL. The partnership will bring these strengths together,
reinforcing the UK’s position as a leader in space technology and underpinning
economic growth.

The partnership’s science priorities will include developing: ‘low cost’ space and
 Observing the Earth from space terrestrial deployable technologies and strategies to enable guaranteed delivery of
There is increasing demand for Quality Assured data; techniques to fuse multiple data sources for greater impact;
improved accuracy and reliability of and methods for assigning robust and understandable quality metrics to derived
Earth Observation data. information. This work continues a fruitful relationship between two leading
scientific establishments, facilitated by their close proximity, extensive facilities,
complementary research and shared goals.

“This partnership will seek to make


closer connections between the Healthcare collaboration for NPL and ISIS
two laboratories, to enhance the
NPL and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, at the STFC Rutherford Appleton
application of neutron scattering Laboratory, have agreed to develop closer business and research links to
research by industry and to solve collaborate on commercial offerings for the healthcare industry. NPL’s healthcare
research covers diagnostics, medical physics and general health and wellbeing,
end-user problems in real-world where measurements are required for detection, diagnosis and treatment
environments.” of disease. ISIS produces beams of neutrons, allowing scientists to study
materials at the atomic and molecular level. This technique has proved
particularly useful for the healthcare sector, providing pioneering insight into
drug research, cell and membrane interactions and surgical implants. The
Andrew Taylor, Executive Director for
National Laboratories at STFC (Science partnership will forge closer connections between the two laboratories,
and Technology Facilities Council) to enhance the application of neutron scattering research by industry and to
provide new insight into medical technologies.

Measurement know‑how for small businesses

75
In partnership with the University of Bath’s Laboratory for Innovative Metrology in
Manufacturing (LIMA), NPL staff gave direct technical and management support
to the formation of the high‑profile Business Technology Centre. This Centre
was created to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) gain a better
universities worldwide understanding of measurement and to implement this in their manufacturing
collaborated with processes. To date over 150 companies from the South West of England have
NPL in 2012 benefited, and the partnership is building the foundation of a new national
network for product verification.

20
2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

The building blocks of innovation


Nesta, the innovation foundation, produced a report outlining how infrastructure
technologies, or infratechnologies, are vital for a technology based industrial
strategy. Infratechnologies include measurement and test methods, data and
models, standards, certification and demonstrations of technical feasibility.
These technologies, and organisations such as NPL that support them, connect
scientific research to businesses, and businesses to each other. NPL’s services
ensure that innovative products are developed for the benefit of the UK economy.
This is particularly important for fast-moving sectors such as nanotechnologies,
telecommunications and low carbon technologies, which require a pool of
supporting technological knowledge to successfully develop and grow. The report
also highlights a need for closer work with SMEs to help mitigate the high costs
and risks that are often a barrier to innovation.

www.npl.co.uk/infratechnologies

 The building blocks of innovation

Creating an Ecoisland
The Nesta Infratechnologies report was
produced in collaboration with NPL,
the British Standards Institute and
The Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL is collaborating on a project led by the Technology Strategy Board.
ITM Power to make the Isle of Wight a test‑bed for hydrogen fuel. The project
partners include Toshiba, the University of Nottingham, IBM and others. The
‘Ecoisland’ project aims to create two grid‑connected hydrogen fuel stations
to provide for a fleet of hydrogen vehicles. NPL will be providing essential
information about the hydrogen’s purity. The project will have a wide impact with
the roll‑out of infrastructure under the UK H2Mobility plan, which aims to ensure
the UK is ready for commercial use of hydrogen fuel for vehicles by 2014/15.

NPL helps Naneum win Innovation Award


NPL’s facilities and expertise were critical to the success of a new device that
measures airborne nanoparticles. UK‑based instrument manufacturer Naneum
developed the Nanoparticle Size Spectrometer, a portable ‘scanning mobility
particle sizer’ that has great potential in markets such as industrial hygiene,
environmental monitoring and toxicology. However, the device needed to be
tested before it could be sold, to ensure it performed correctly. The company
used NPL’s Airborne Nanoparticle Laboratory to generate a range of aerosolised

2,500
nanoparticles for a measurement comparison exercise and NPL scientists
helped analyse the results. Since this work was carried out, Naneum has won an
Innovation Award from the Institute of Physics and sales for the product have been
forecast at £1.5 million over the next two years.
companies worldwide are
working with NPL

21
Our people

 NPL Open House Open House


The Energy Efficient Lighting Laboratory
was one of over 40 NPL laboratories open to On 14 March 2012, NPL opened its doors to the public for the Open House event.
the public. Over 40 of our science laboratories were available to explore and an educational
outreach area housed some of our most popular interactive exhibits. More than
2,500 people passed through the doors over the course of the day.

NPL scientists were on hand throughout to explain their work and its practical
applications, and to answer any questions in an informal environment. The range
“I always wondered what you did, of visitors, from young to old, and with varying levels of scientific knowledge,
gave our staff an opportunity to talk about their work to people with differing
and now I know!” perspectives, making the event an interesting and valuable experience for all.

NPL 2012 Open House visitor feedback www.npl.co.uk/openhouse

Health and Safety


NPL has won the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Occupational
Health and Safety Sector Award, following on from the ‘Highly Commended’ Sector
Award received in 2010 and 2011. This proves a consistent commitment to Health
and Safety over a prolonged period and provides recognition to all members of
NPL staff who have worked hard to improve Health and Safety.

22
2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

Professional Development
NPL has won the Institute of Physics Best Practice in Professional Development
Award for 2012‑2015, in the large organisation category. The award gives
public recognition to companies who demonstrate best practice in training and
professional development opportunities for their staff, and was previously won
by NPL in 2009.

 NPL Academy

NPL Academy
The students from the 2012 NPL Academy work
experience week.

40 young people from the UK and as far afield as Spain and the USA attended
the 2012 NPL Academy - a week’s worth of work experience for GCSE and A Level
students. The students were first introduced to NPL and then assigned a host
member of staff who gave them a specific project to work on. One project that
especially ignited the imagination this year was to investigate the resilience of
electronics by seeing which parts of a mobile phone would theoretically work on
Saturn, by immersing the components in liquid nitrogen.

The NPL Academy gives students the opportunity to experience what it is really
like to work in science and can help them solidify their choices of degree or career.
One of the very first students to attend the NPL academy in 2008 recently returned
to NPL, after gaining a Physics degree from the University of Oxford, to work on
her PhD.

www.npl.co.uk/academy

34,000
people ‘met’ by NPL at 184
separate events

23
Our people

Jane Burston, the Head of the Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL, gained
recognition for her work throughout 2012. This included being named a ‘Young
Global Leader’ by the World Economic Forum and winning the Management
Today Sky Future Leaders Award, in the non‑profit and public sector category.
Jane also spoke about sustainable cities and represented the Centre for Carbon
Measurement at the UN Climate Summit in Doha, Qatar.

Olga Kazakova was elected as a member of the Administrative Committee of


the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Magnetics Society. Olga
becomes one of four members of the Conference Executive Committee which
supports, manages, reviews and approves all activities related to conferences
sponsored by the Magnetics Society across Europe.

Richard Brown has been awarded the Doctor of Science (DSc) Degree of Imperial
College London in ‘The Application of Measurement Science to Environmental
 Jane Burston Analytical Chemistry for Air Quality Studies’. This is the first Imperial College DSc to
Jane Burston was recognised for her work be awarded in the Natural Sciences and the first to be awarded to somebody other
promoting sustainability by the Management than an Imperial College academic.
Today Sky Future Leaders Awards.
Pierre Gélat has been awarded the Institute of Physics Bob Chivers award.
This biennial prize is given by the Physical Acoustics Group for the best paper
published by a PhD student on Physical Acoustics. Pierre won for his paper entitled
‘Modelling of the acoustic field of a multi‑element HIFU array scattered by human
ribs’, published in Physics in Medicine and Biology.

Martin Milton joined the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) in
Paris, France, to take over as Director in 2013, after 31 years of service at NPL. The
appointment will see Martin heading up the organisation tasked with ensuring
worldwide uniformity of measurements and their traceability to the International
System of Units (SI).

Michael Hall has been awarded the International Electrotechnical Commission


(IEC) 1906 Award for excellence in supporting standardisation, as well as for his
expertise in magnetic measurements and contributions to a wide range of IEC
projects. The 1906 Award commemorates the IEC’s year of foundation and honours
IEC experts around the world whose work is fundamental to the commission.

Bryan Roebuck has been awarded a Distinguished Service award by the EPMA
(European Powder Metallurgy Association) for his many contributions to the

800
association, including as Co-Chair and Emeritus Advisor of the Hard Materials
Group, leading the formulation of research reviews and contributing to
conferences, summer schools, science courses and technical meetings.

committees or professional
bodies NPL scientists
sit on - these shape the
future of research at the
highest levels

24
2012 National Physical Laboratory Annual Review

Alan Turnbull, Shengqi Zhou and Louise Crocker won the T P Hoar Prize from
the Institute of Corrosion for the best paper published in the journal Corrosion
Science. The research looked at the problem of crack formation in disc steel used
in steam turbines, which is vital to understand when assessing the lifetime of
components within steam turbines and that of power plants in general.

Brian Bowsher, NPL’s Managing Director, has been elected to the Comité
international des poids et mesures (CIPM). The CIPM is made up of 18 individuals,
each from a different Member State under the Metre Convention. Its principal task
is to promote worldwide uniformity in units of measurement.

Nick Ridler has been elected President of the Board of Directors of ARFTG - the
Automatic RF Techniques Group - and becomes the first European to hold this
post. Nick’s appointment puts NPL in a leading position within the organisation
and demonstrates its international reputation in traceable measurement of
electromagnetic parameters at RF and Microwave frequencies.  Graham Machin
Graham Machin (right) accepting the Callendar
Graham Machin, an NPL Fellow in Temperature Measurement, delivered the Medal.
Institute of Measurement and Control annual lecture. Following the lecture,
Graham was awarded the Callendar Medal in recognition of his significant
contributions to the field of temperature measurement.

Michael de Podesta and Jonathan Pearce have delivered a two‑day training


course on temperature measurement to 25 scientists and engineers at the
European Space Agency (ESA) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The NPL duo shared
experiences of the measurement problems they, and their colleagues at NPL, have
faced and how these might relate to similar challenges faced by ESA personnel
across materials processing, aerospace and space applications.

Best Training Scheme Award


NPL won the award for Best Training Scheme at the 2012 MTA Manufacturing
Industry Awards, which highlight key successes in the engineering‑based
manufacturing sector and celebrate achievement and innovation. NPL’s Training
programme addresses a fundamental skills gap in the market, addressing topics
such as measurement principles, measurement methods, geometric product
specification, process control, geometric tolerancing and portable co‑ordinate
measurement systems.

1,000
individuals from
80 different organisations
received NPL Training
in 2012

25
Contact

National Physical Laboratory


The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is the UK’s National Measurement Institute.
At the heart of our mission is delivering impact by disseminating research and
measurement best practice and traceability for the economic and social benefit
of the nation.

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26
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Switchboard 020 8977 3222
www.npl.co.uk/contact

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