Fully Funded PhD Projects in Floating Wind working with ORE Catapult and National Decommissioning Centre

The National Decommissioning Centre (NDC) has teamed up with the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult in a research partnership aimed at developing new offshore wind technologies.

The partnership initially consists of three PhD projects, each focusing on a different aspect of offshore wind development, including the simulation of floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) systems, design optimisation of these systems, and environmental concerns.

The three projects include:

Simulations of Floating Offshore Wind Marine Operations – the National Decommissioning Centre’s £1.6 million immersive simulation suite will be used to trial virtual marine operations related to the installation and maintenance of FOWT systems in a risk-free environment.

Study of Environmental Interactions of FOW Technology – this will investigate how key environmental stakeholders, advisory bodies and research organisations can work together to identify gaps in their knowledge of how offshore wind farms interact with the marine environment, and better identify solutions.

Multi-objective Design Optimisation of Floating Offshore Wind Systems – this will develop a numerical tool to improve the design of combined floating platforms and mooring and dynamic cable systems, allowing users to quickly identify the best solutions based on project circumstance and cost.

Each project will utilise the walk-in 300 degree visual immersive environment simulator at the National Decommissioning Centre at the University of Aberdeen, which is a UK unique, state-of-the-art facility allowing for real-time, real-physics simulations of offshore structures. The NDC’s simulator, will allow the conducting of virtual field trials of new technologies that in turn will deliver innovation, particularly in the field of optimisation, de-risking and development of floating wind.

The PhD student will be part of a multidisciplinary team based in the NDC’s Centre for Doctoral Training in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, working alongside a group of PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, senior academics and industry colleagues. The students will also have an opportunity to spend time in the ORE Catapult's National Floating Offshore Wind Innovation Centre in Aberdeen working alongside industry experts.