About the Project
The University of Liverpool (UoL) and Titan Electricity Limited are seeking to appoint a suitable experienced and qualified individual to undertake a three year doctoral research programme.
Titan Electricity Limited are commercialising an energy recovery system with the ambition to create a blue hydrogen economy that is truly net zero at source by powering the sequestration of CO2 released during the on-site processing of natural gas and eliminating elements of grid or generator power. Coming out of five years of public and privately funded research, a design was finalised that uses commercially available components at a high technology readiness level. Importantly, initial modelling demonstrated that increased pressure (and temperature) of the gas flow within the energy recovery system resulted in a significant increase in recoverable energy. Unfortunately, the main energy recovery element of the energy recovery system, specifically the turboexpander, is not commercially available at such a higher pressure rating. Hence, the overarching aim is to investigate how best to harvest this additional energy through increased inlet pressure. As part of the design activities for the next level turboexpander, there will be a core need, addressed in this project, to examine in detail the fluid flow using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in understanding the parameters of laboratory testing and how this can be scaled up significantly above the current pressure limit that ’off the shelf’ turboexpanders already offer. We anticipate that this research will lead to a more effective energy recovery system, with immediate impact on the CO2 balance, and consequently to a new UK manufacturing capacity.
Essential Criteria:
Masters degree in a quantitative science subject (engineering, applied maths, physics etc)
Experience with computational fluid dynamics and scientific computing
Desirable Criteria:
Experience with turbomachinery, energy conversion, thermo-fluids
Experience with ANSYS CFD Software
Personal Attributes:
Demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team
Demonstrated ability to organise own workload
Clear report writing and communication
Demonstrated ability to take ownership and responsibility for projects
The Manufacturing Technology Centre and its partner universities are investing three-quarters of a million pounds a year to develop the brightest engineering brains in the country.
The MTC, along with several UK universities, will be funding and supporting 40 PhD students next year, with the aim is to attract the best engineering research students and ensure that their PhD work is valuable to the MTC, its members and the universities, as well as the wider manufacturing industry.
As well as the funding, the MTC provides co-supervision of the students along with their academic supervisor, to enable them to gain a real-world industrial perspective on their work. In many cases the students will spend time on site at the MTC, gaining exposure to advanced manufacturing processes, industrial applications and the MTC’s collaborative culture as well as the latest equipment and facilities.
The MTC was founded by the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and TWI Ltd. The MTC’s industrial members include some of the UK’s major global manufacturers.
The MTC aims to provide a competitive environment to bridge the gap between university-based research and the development of innovative manufacturing solutions, in line with the Government’s manufacturing strategy.
About the MTC
The MTC (Manufacturing Technology Centre) is established to prove innovative manufacturing processes and technologies in an agile environment in partnership with industry, academia and other institutions. The MTC houses some of the most advanced manufacturing equipment in the world, creating a high quality environment for the development and demonstration of new technologies on an industrial scale. This provides a unique opportunity for manufacturers to develop new and innovative processes and technologies.
Key points to note are the attractions of MTC:
- Opportunity to do research in the context of real-world industrial challenges
- Potential access to world-class large-scale manufacturing facilities and specialist expert teams
- Opportunities to work on site at MTC
- Excellent opportunities for dissemination of research, including exposure to a wide range of industrial partners
- Fantastic career opportunities, either to continue in academic research with a strong industry network, or to take academic research experience into industry
- Part of HVMC, supported by UK Government to strengthen our national manufacturing capability
Funding Notes
By joining the centre you will receive a £16,000 tax free stipend per year, with your post-graduate tuition fees paid (at UK/EU rate). For clarity full-time international PhD fees for the School of Engineering are £23,650, LCEI will contribute £4,500 towards this leaving £19,150 which will need to be self-funded. The Centre is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund. Please visit www.liverpool.ac.uk/environmental-sciences/working-with-business for more information on the centre.
Application details:
To apply for this opportunity please email [Email Address Removed] quoting UoL-LCEI-268 in the email subject with:
• 2 page CV
• 2 page expression of interest
References
Titan Electricity Limited are commercialising the ground breaking net zero Geo-Engine that has been in development since 2015. The successful applicant will help take a theoretically proven increase in power for the energy generation device, as modelled by Lloyds Register and LJMU, into reality and feed into the creation of the UK’s first turboexpander factory, while helping break the operating pressure ceiling for these devices. Two other PhD’s will be working on related research with the University of Liverpool and a collegiate atmosphere will be encouraged between researchers and the staff of all the companies in the joint venture and other collaborators such as the MTC. These 3 positions as well as improving performance of the Geo-engine and eliminating importation of turbo-expander will eventually enable a ground breaking development that is set to transform carbon neutral energy generation, this can be discussed further under NDA. For more information on Titan please see www.titanelectricity.com
University of Liverpool School of Engineering is built on a strong research environment, the School offers taught degree programmes at both BEng and MEng levels in aerospace, civil and mechanical engineering and industrial design. From 2005-2008 the School infrastructure underwent a £36 million refurbishment, creating outstanding facilities for teaching and research. The School currently has over 70 academic staff, around 1250 undergraduate students, 100 PGT students and 180 PGR students. The research in the School spans many engineering disciplines and specialises in fields such as: aerodynamics and aeroelasticity, flight dynamics and simulation, experimental and computational fluid dynamics including complex fluids (rheology) and turbulence, experimental mechanics, structural and functional materials, laser and additive manufacturing, biomaterials and biomechanics, risk and uncertainty, structural dynamics, robotics and nuclear engineering. Please visit www.liverpool.ac.uk/engineering for more information.
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