Impact of the project:
Your
work will allow plant-derived fuels to be used to power heavy motor vehicles
that cannot easily be run on electricity, massively reducing their CO2
emissions.
Background:
The impact of carbon-based deposits on climate change and human health
is the driver for legislation, fuel technology change and engineering
improvements. The carbon species produced by the internal combustion engine
have various impacts on emissions and despite many years of research are still
not fully understood. Recent work at Nottingham has shown a paradigm shift in
the understanding of injector deposits:
“Spatially Resolved Molecular Compositions of Insoluble Multilayer
Deposits Responsible for Increased Pollution from Internal Combustion
Engines”
Max K Edney, Joseph S Lamb, Matteo Spanu, Emily F Smith, Elisabeth Steer,
Edward Wilmot, Jacqueline Reid, Jim Barker, Morgan R Alexander, Colin E
Snape, David J Scurr. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 12 (45),
51026-51035, 2020.
“Internal Diesel Injector Deposit Chemical Speciation and
Quantification Using 3D OrbiSIMS and XPS Depth Profiling” Joseph S Lamb, Jim Barker, Edward Wilmot,
David J Scurr, Colin E Snape, Emily F Smith, Morgan R Alexander,
Jacqueline Reid. SAE
International Journal of Advances and Current Practices in Mobility, 2020,
349 364.
This work has informed industry mitigator chemistries and thus reduced
emissions. This project is a unique opportunity to use very sophisticated
surface science techniques such as Orbitrap 3D SIMS and XPS. Your study will
involve carbon material from across the powertrain vista, road, rail, off road,
marine, and standing. The material will be associated with injector deposits and filter deposits to enable emission reduction and soot, especially those
associated with respiratory inflammation, cardiovascular health problems, and
premature mortality. The information regarding the structure of these species
will be used to invent mitigation strategies for the benefit of all.
We would like you to start in October 2022. Applications are welcome from graduates
with a relevant STEM or engineering background. You will work closely with your industry sponsor
giving you plenty of opportunity to gain more industry experience.
Please apply to the
University of Nottingham.
Informal enquiries may be sent to Dr David Scurr (david.scurr@nottingham.ac.uk). Please note that applications
sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.
Impact of the project:
You will help to make CO2 capture both
cheaper and more compact, meaning that it can be fitted on equipment which
cannot be decarbonised by other means.
Background:
Carbon capture is considered the only technology able to
decarbonise the hard-to-abate industries. Many of these industries utilise
legacy sites with little space for large new unit operations required in
conventional carbon capture. Rotating packed beds (RPB) look to solve this
problem by intensifying carbon capture and reducing the footprint required by
up to ten times, while also significantly decreasing the capital cost of these
units. When combined with proprietary solvents, it is believed the cost of
capture can be reduced to $30/tonne CO2 in some cases, helping to
enable the rapid uptake of carbon capture and progression towards net zero.
RPB are a novel technology that utilise the principles of
process intensification to enhance the performance of mass transfer processes
between fluids. Given the application of RPB to the field of CO2
capture is relatively new, there is uncertainty regarding the impact of
different process variables on the performance of the RPB that would otherwise
require a significant amount of practical experimentation to investigate.
Computational fluid dynamics can enable the process to be accurately modelled,
allowing for quick and inexpensive prediction of performance under various
conditions.
In this project a rotating packed bed absorber will be
modelled in Ansys FLUENT, with validation of the model’s outputs through use of
the 1 tonnes of CO2 per day (TPD) pilot-scale rotating packed bed
absorber at the University of Sheffield’s Translational Energy Research Centre.
Initial research will involve investigating the impact of operational
conditions and physical properties of the solvent on capture performance. As
the project continues, the scope will widen to include sensitivity analysis of
design parameters and the impact of scaling the RPB absorber on the existing project
outputs and learnings. Additionally, further rotating unit operations could
also be investigated.
This project will utilise and develop your knowledge
surrounding CFD modelling, mass and heat transfer, reaction kinetics and
chemical equilibria. You will work closely with Carbon Clean, a global leader
in the development of carbon capture technology and pioneers in the use of RPB
for industrial decarbonisation. Your findings could directly impact the design
and operation of commercial working carbon capture facilities, supporting the
pathway to net zero.
Funding
The studentship will cover full university fees and a
tax-free, enhanced annual stipend of
£20,352, including £16,062 (2022/2023) a year for four years and a
stipend enhancement of £3,750 per annum.
We are seeking applicants to start in September 2022. Applications are welcome from graduates with a
relevant STEM or engineering background. The studentship is open to UK candidates, but exceptional and highly
qualified international applicants are also welcome to apply.
The project will be part of the EPSRC-supported Centre for
Doctoral Training in Resilient Decarbonised Fuel Energy Systems. The student
who undertakes it will be one of a cohort of over 50 students in a broad range
of disciplines across the Universities of Sheffield, Nottingham and Cardiff.
The research work will be based in the Energy Research
Group within the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Translational
Energy Research Centre (TERC) at Sheffield which is a brand new, high profile,
innovation focused national research facility. You will be working within an
exciting and dynamic group with approximately over 60 researchers undertaking a
broad area of energy research with approximately three years' extensive
research time in industry, preparing for high-level careers in the energy
sector.
Please apply to the
University of Sheffield.
Informal
enquiries may be sent to Prof Derek Ingham (d.ingham@sheffield.ac.uk). Please note that applications sent
directly to this email address will not be accepted.
Impact of the project:
This project will allow you to fully understand options for removing CO2
which is already in the atmosphere – making a direct contribution to the
prevention of global warming.
Background:
This
study aims to quantify the cost and energy reduction by carrying out a
comprehensive study of the direct air capture (DAC) process integrated with CO2
to methanol conversion process. Specific novelties of this work are: (1) Currently
there is no commercial large-scale DAC plant existing in the world. We
will develop models for large-scale DAC plant (driven by wind electricity and solar heat).
We will answer the question how to design and operate such a plant; (2) No
study on the integration of DAC based on electrodialysis regeneration with the
CO2 utilisation process; (3) No study on rigorous optimisation and
detailed techno-economic analysis of the DAC process integrated with CO2
conversion to methanol; (4) No study on life cycle analysis to determine the
sustainability of the DAC process integrated with CO2 conversion to
methanol.
The research on DAC will be performed through process
modelling. Techno-economic analysis and life cycle analysis will be carried out
at commercial scale. The research outcome will be published in journal
papers and conference papers, which will be vital for policy makers, academic
researchers and industrial practitioners.
Applications are welcome from graduates with a
relevant STEM or engineering background. Please apply to the
University of Sheffield.
Informal
enquiries may be sent to Prof Meihong Wang (meihong.wang@sheffield.ac.uk). Please note that applications sent
directly to this email address will not be accepted.
Impact of the project:
Hydrogen
has the potential of emerging as the leading energy carrier for the next
generation of zero-carbon combustion for propulsion systems. You will work to
understand how it can best be applied in real-world systems such as internal
combustion engines.
Background:
Currently
there is a growing demand to reduce carbon emissions from the power and
propulsion systems. Also, there is growing concern on the impact of fossil fuel
emissions on public health of urban populations. Hydrogen has the potential of
emerging as the leading energy carrier for the next generation of zero-carbon
combustion for propulsion systems. However, the utilisation of hydrogen for
combustion is hindered by considerable challenges, such as flame instability
and flashback.
This
project aims to set out new design and operational principles for hydrogen
combustors.
Greens Combustion are a combustion engineering company
based in Poole in Dorset, producing burners for fired heaters, reformers,
crackers, incinerators and boilers. The aim of this project is to look at the
development of a hydrogen burner for industrial applications. This research
will involve the study of the fundamentals of hydrogen combustion, heat release
and stability, culminating in a series of design guidance to deploy hydrogen
burners across heavy industries.
The
selected candidate will be embedded in the Cardiff University – Centre for
Research into Energy, Waste and Environment and closely work with Greens Combustion.
The PhD project is of
four years duration, starting October 2022, within the EPSRC Centre
for Doctor Training (CDT) “Resilient decarbonised Fuel Energy Systems”. The
studentship which will cover full university fees and a tax-free, enhanced
annual stipend. The student who undertakes it will be one of a cohort of over
50 students in a broad range of disciplines across the Universities of
Sheffield, Nottingham and Cardiff.
We would like you to start in October 2022.
Applications are welcome from graduates with a relevant STEM or engineering
background. Please apply to the
University of Cardiff.
Informal
enquiries may be sent to Prof Richard Marsh (marshr@cardiff.ac.uk). Please note that applications sent
directly to this email address will not be accepted.
Impact of the project:
Hydrogen
has the potential of emerging as the leading energy carrier for the next
generation of zero-carbon combustion for propulsion systems. You will work to
understand how it can best be applied in real-world freight systems.
Background:
Currently
there is a growing demand to reduce carbon emissions from the power and
propulsion systems. Also, there is growing concern on the impact of fossil fuel
emissions on public health of urban populations. Hydrogen has the potential of
emerging as the leading energy carrier for the next generation of zero-carbon
combustion for propulsion systems. However, the utilisation of hydrogen for
combustion is hindered by considerable challenges, such as flame instability
and flashback.
This
project aims to set out new design and operational principles for hydrogen
combustors.
Clean Air Power provide
automotive technology for low carbon freight. They offer decarbonisation
options through the supply of technology and components that enable the
transition to cleaner, low carbon fuels. The technology can replace diesel
through the fuelling of renewables such as hydrogen, biogas and biomethane to
the more traditional natural gas options such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG). This CDT studentship will study The design and
development of a hydrogen/ammonia fuel system for a reciprocating internal
combustion engine. This will involve some studies of the fundamentals of
hydrogen / ammonia combustion, followed by deeper research into the provision
of design rules for the next generation of carbon-free engines.
The
selected candidate will be embedded in the Cardiff University – Centre for
Research into Energy, Waste and Environment and closely work with Clean Air Power.
The PhD project is of
four years duration, starting October 2022, within the EPSRC Centre
for Doctor Training (CDT) “Resilient decarbonised Fuel Energy Systems”. The
studentship which will cover full university fees and a tax-free, enhanced
annual stipend. The student who undertakes it will be one of a cohort of over
50 students in a broad range of disciplines across the Universities of
Sheffield, Nottingham and Cardiff.
We would like you to start in October 2022.
Applications are welcome from graduates with a relevant STEM or engineering
background. Please apply to the
University of Cardiff.
Informal
enquiries may be sent to Prof Richard Marsh (marshr@cardiff.ac.uk). Please note that applications sent
directly to this email address will not be accepted.