Cost-effective simulation and prediction of explosions for military and public safety, and for improved oil extraction

An MoD-funded research programme based in Applied Mathematics at Leeds University has resulted in demonstrable long-term and ongoing benefits on diverse fronts for beneficiaries in a range of public and private sectors. First, by guaranteeing robustness and reliability of bespoke numerical methods for the MoD, the joint research led to substantial financial savings in ballistic-development programmes, thereby enabling the delivery of advanced research output cost-effectively under severe budgetary pressures. As a result, QinetiQ was placed as a world leader in the simulation of explosions, which supported the MoD to rapidly assess and develop countermeasures to the ever-changing threats faced by British Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to reduce casualties. It also enabled government agencies to assess threats to transport and public-building infrastructure. Second, the joint research underpinned substantial recurrent income for QinetiQ, who has additionally developed the codes with the oil industry to develop a new explosive perforator for oil extraction that has not only led to demonstrable improvements in both extraction efficiency and research-and-development costs, but has also yielded recurrent licensing royalties.