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Oxsensis

4th December 2009

Oxsensis names Martin Jay CBE as Chairman

Oxsensis Ltd, the UK pioneer of high temperature instrumentation for efficiency improvement in gas turbines in power generation and aero engines has named Martin Jay CBE as its new Chairman.

Martin Jay CBE served as the Chairman of Invensys PLC from July 2003 to July 2009 and was Chairman of EADS U.K. until October 2006. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of VT Group PLC (Formerly Vosper Thornycroft Holdings PLC) for thirteen years from 1989 to 2002 and as Chairman of VT Group PLC from January 2003 to July 5, 2005. Mr. Jay served as Group Managing Director of GEC Electronic Components and held a range of leadership positions at GEC.

Oxsensis is working with the majority of worldwide producers of gas turbines for electricity generation and aero engines and is developing the Wave-Phire™ series of sensors and i-Phire™ systems to improve efficiency and lower emissions. The company was recently recognized as one of the leading European CleanTech companies in the GP Bullhound top 30 and was the 2009 winner of the Carbon Trust Innovation Award in the Industry sector. The extreme environment sensors also have applicability to energy intensive industries and to car engines. The sensors themselves must operate at temperatures up to 1000°C (while glowing yellow-hot) and have shown measurement capability, repeatability and survivability in major power station equipment, while the systems are capable of miniaturisation for an aircraft environment.

David Gahan, the CEO of Oxsensis declared, “We are delighted to welcome an industry leader of the calibre of Martin Jay to help guide us at this phase in our strategic development. Our position as a leader in new instrumentation capability for the power industry has led to an opportunity to take the technology into the Aerospace and Defense sectors. Martin’s strategic insight will be invaluable to guide us into this area.”

Martin Jay said, “I am very excited about the prospects of Oxsensis. There is a unique offering here in high temperature sensing capability which is attracting attention from the major worldwide energy players, and also a unique optical systems capability which could usher in a new era in avionics instrumentation and controls.”

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30th November 2009

Oxsensis wins major 2009 Carbon Trust Award. Second time winner in Carbon Trust Innovation Awards

Oxsensis, the UK Pioneer in high temperature instrumentation has scooped a major award at this year’s national Carbon Trust Innovation Awards.

Oxsensis, which has developed the world’s highest temperature sensors, won the award for innovative new technologies which will cut carbon emissions in power generation, industry and later in air transport. Its sapphire based sensors can be used in gas turbines, for example in power stations or planes, and are capable of measuring pressure and temperature in the harshest conditions – hundreds of degrees hotter than traditional sensors can stand. The sensors can survive temperature up to 1000°C in customer trials and the company is now developing products for even more challenging conditions – up to 1500°C. With more accurate readings comes the possibility of running turbines at higher combustion temperatures, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

David Gahan, CEO Oxsensis said:
"Oxsensis is delighted at winning the 2009 Carbon Trust Innovation Award. The citation given at the Awards event mentioned the strong progress the WavePhire 1000°C pressure sensor has made moving from prototype to fully engineered product with the world's biggest manufacturers of gas turbines and the first trial of our instrumentation in a public grid power station at RWE NPower's Didcot facility."

Martin Jay CBE, Chairman of Oxsensis said: “Oxsensis has been recognised for the second time by the Carbon Trust following its win in the 2007 Awards. The judges concentrated on evidence of the company’s commercial progress and continued innovation which could take combustion efficiency improvements to a new level.”

Commenting on this year’s Awards, Tom Delay, Chief Executive, the Carbon Trust said: “As the UK looks to develop and deploy new low carbon solutions to tackle climate change, the breadth and depth of innovation here is deeply encouraging. Whilst many of the organisations that we looked displayed innovative approaches to cutting carbon emissions, the winning entries stood out for their industry leadership and potential to be replicated more widely. This shows the fantastic opportunity for organisations to thrive as Britain moves to a low carbon economy.”

The awards were judged by a panel of experts including David MacKay, Chief Scientific Advisor of the Department of Energy and Climate Change; Tim Smit, co-founder and Chief Executive of the Eden Project; Damian Carrington, Head of Environment at the Guardian; Chris Mottershead, Vice Principal of Research and Innovations at Kings College London; Dick Strawbridge, ‘eco king’; Jeremy Webb, Editor of The New Scientist; and Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust.

Dick Strawbridge, Eco-King commented, “Engineering and innovation are passions of mine, but reading through the submissions was a humbling experience. One of the special things about these awards is that you get to see how British companies, institutions and individuals are pushing technology to its limits to try and reduce our impact on the planet whilst allowing us to maintain our privileged lifestyle. The entries were extremely high quality, and inspiring, so it would be great to see them all succeeding in the global market place.”

Chris Mottershead, Vice Principal Research and Innovation, King’s College London commented, “Innovation is a wonderfully complex and intriguing process, but at its core is an individual or small group of individuals, who bring the energy, insight and commitment to make something different happen. They stand in the future, reaching back into the present, to show what can be achieved. It is important that we celebrate these people and their ideas as they start to illuminate a lower carbon future.”

Jeremy Webb, Editor of New Scientist, “If we are going to seriously curtail carbon emissions, we need to rethink the way we carry out pretty much everything we do in our private and professional lives. If we are going to succeed, we need some amazing ideas. The diversity of ideas proposed by the entrants of this year's innovation awards shows there's real hope that we can succeed, and the winners display superb creative thinking.”

This year’s nationwide hunt attracted submissions from around 250 of the UK’s most inspiring innovators in the development, deployment and use of low carbon technology solutions, across a range of areas from power generation to buildings to transport. The judges rigorously assessed each application against a range of strict criteria including genuine innovation, carbon saving potential, novel application and commercial potential.

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19th November 2009

Oxsensis among Europe’s top 30 Cleantech Companies, features in National Laboratory showcase

Oxsensis Ltd, pioneer of high temperature instrumentation for energy efficiency was featured among the top 30 European Cleantech companies in the annual GP Bullhound Cleantech Awards. The company was also featured in a video released by the Science and Technologies Facilities Council STFC as an example of technology emerging from the UK’s national laboratories in the CleanTech sector.

Oxsensis a global pioneer in harsh environment sensors, has been recognised as one of the top 30 fastest-growing cleantech businesses in Europe at the inaugural GP Bullhound event. Oxsensis was placed fifth among the 30 fastest-growing businesses, recognising the company’s innovative technology and strong market position. A pdf listing the top 30 is available for download at http://www.cleantech-connect.com/winners-2009/

Oxsensis is developing the Wave-Phire™ series of sensors to enable the development of combustion systems with much more precise control, offering significant fuel and energy savings for future gas turbine products. The extreme environment sensors also have applicability to energy intensive industries and to car engines. The sensors themselves must operate at temperatures up to 1000°C (while glowing yellow-hot) and have shown measurement capability, repeatability and survivability in major power station equipment.

Separately, a short film has just been released by the Science and Technologies Facilities Council showcasing STFC’s key role in driving innovation and Economic Impact for the UK. The film titled ‘Fit for Tomorrow’ features three successful companies including Oxsensis which are benefiting from close collaboration with STFC’s world class facilities and expertise, and its impressive track record of research excellence. The film shows how STFC engages with business to drive innovation.

David Gahan, the CEO of Oxsensis said, “it is a considerable honour to be placed among Europe’s most prominent CleanTech companies for growth by GP Bullhound and for our technology to be showcased by such a nationally important organisation as STFC.”

To watch an 8 min clip from the video, please click on the following link: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/KE/DrivingInnovation.aspx

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October 2006

Oxsensis Launches i-Phire™ Dynamic Pressure Sensor Interrogation System

Oxford, UK, July 2008. Oxsensis Ltd has launched, i-Phire™, an “at a distance” interrogation system for its 1000°C (1800°F) dynamic pressure sensor range.

Having developed the Wave-Phire™ series of sensors, part of a unique range of sensor systems, Oxsensis announced today the launch of i-Phire™ to further augment the system. The Wave-Phire™ sensor head is interrogated by the i-Phire™ system, using an optical technique to extract the data from the sensor response and this is then fed directly into a dedicated data-monitoring system. The fibre optics at the core of this system also gives it immunity to the effects of EMI and allow interrogation hundreds of metres away from the sensor head itself. The sensor system can then be coupled with Oxsensis’ in house monitoring software suite. The data can then be trended and alarm levels for multiple frequency bands to be defined by the user. The operator will then receive an early warning of imminent pulsations and this allows a preventative and pro-active stance to be taken on engine operation and maintenance.

David Gahan, the CEO of Oxsensis said, “The i-Phire™ interrogation system allows us to supply a complete sensor system giving access, readings and interpretation from the most inaccessible and highest-temperature parts of the engine.”

The system has been used in several full scale gas turbine trials as well as in combustion rigs up to 1000°C and has shown measurement capability, repeatability and long fibre cable lengths between the sensor head and interrogator without incurring electrical interference penalties. Future versions of the i-Phire™ interrogation system will enable the same single sensor head to measure both dynamic and static pressure simultaneously and also allow self-temperature measurement, thus reducing the total number of sensors by combining functions, and further enhancing the data available for improving the operating efficiencies and for monitoring the engine’s health.

Andrew Elder of Oxsensis backer Close Ventures said,

“The i-Phire™ interrogator, together with the Wave-Phire™ sensors, offers a complete and easy-touse system for Gas Turbine manufacturers and operators to gain unprecedented access to hitherto unavailable combustion and machine data.”

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Oxsensis Launches 1000°C (1800°F) Wave-Phire™ Dynamic Pressure Sensor

Oxford, UK, July 2008. Oxsensis Ltd has launched, Wave-Phire™, the world’s first commercially available 1000°C (1800°F) dynamic pressure sensor and the first of a range of sensor products designed for use at extreme temperatures which are immune to EMI effects.

Oxsensis is developing the Wave-Phire™ series of sensors, which are dynamic pressure sensors capable of operating up to 1000°C (1800°F). The system has been used in several full scale gas turbine trials as well as in combustion rigs up to 1000°C and has shown measurement capability, repeatability and equally importantly good survivability. Further development of the range will extend the measurement capability to allow dynamic and static pressure, and temperature from a single sensor head, at far hotter locations then has previously been possible with conventional sensors.

David Gahan, the CEO of Oxsensis declared, “Oxsensis is proud to introduce the world’s first commercially available sensor for temperatures up to 1000°C (1800°F), the first product in our range of sensors designed to allow unprecedented direct access to the hottest parts of the engine”.

As a result of stricter market and regulatory targets on low emissions levels, gas turbine manufacturers are being driven to further improve their lean-burn or dry-low NOx combustion systems. In particular, this drive has pushed the fuel-to-air ratios in these combustion systems to ever lower levels, consequently bringing the flame very close to its stability limit. Under these operating conditions, the system is more vulnerable to large pressure pulsations and may experience problems such as acoustic resonances, flaming-out or flashback, which can seriously damage components both in the combustion system itself and also further downstream. As the drive to higher efficiencies continues, designers wish to increase firing temperatures further which will push stability issues even closer to the edge.

Andrew Elder of Oxsensis backer Close Ventures said,

“It is exciting to see the first of the Wave-Phire™ products emerging with such a temperature advantage over currently available sensors. This promises to be of significant help in increasing energy efficiencies in several important world industries.”

The technology is based on micro-machined sapphire, which gives the sensing element the ability to withstand and successfully operate under high temperatures and pressures in combination with the harsh chemical and mechanical environment of the combustion system. With the temperature capability of the sensor head eventually being extended up to the Firing Temperature (Turbine Entry Temperature), this will open up applications for the sensor further downstream in the turbine.

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