Design and Optimization for the Noise Reduction Marine Ducted Thrusters

Qualification type: PhD
Location: Glasgow, UK
Funding for: UK/EU (UK preferred)
Funding amount: The funding covers UK/EU student tuition fees and stipend in line with University rates (£14,777.00 per year).
Hours: Full Time
Start Date and Duration: Preferably April/October 2019, for 3 years.
Application closing date: 15 September 2019. Prompt application is advised, as this position is only available until a suitable candidate is found.
Overview
This is project is to design and optimise the state-of-the-art marine duct thrusters in order to reduce the underwater radiated noise level and to control the turbulent wake structure with/without minimum compromise in the efficiency and the functionality. Marine ducted thruster is widely adopted in the propulsion system of marine vehicles. Its associated turbulence and noise are highly concerning to the acoustic environment of marine living creatures.

This project is going to combine the state-of-the-art experimental marine hydrodynamic test with high fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulation to evaluate and optimise the design of marine ducted thruster in order to control and mitigate its turbulent wake structure and its associated acoustic signature.

To fully evaluate the performance of the marine duct thrusters and to achieve a thorough understanding of the turbulent wake structure and associated acoustic signature, the proposed work is going to be conducted with comprehensive model tests and high fidelity numerical simulations.

The experimental investigation will be carried out to reproduce the real sea conditions under a controlled environment. With the lab-scale test, invaluable validation for the following numerical simulation can be provided as well as the detail understanding of the fundamental fluid dynamics can be achieved.

The numerical simulation using super computer (ARCHIE-WeST) will be conducted by the state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes with high fidelity turbulence models, Detached Eddy Simulation (DES), Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) as well as combining the acoustic modeller to predict the underwater radiated noise level.
Name of supervisor(s)
Dr Weichao Shi
Prof Mehmet Atlar
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants should have a distinction pass at Master’s level in naval architecture/mechanical engineering or a related subject, or first class BEng/BSc Honours degree, or equivalent, in naval architecture/mechanical engineering or in a related subject.

Some experience of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) (e.g. STAR-CCM+, OpenFOAM) / Experimental Fluid Dynamics / Acoustics would be an advantage but is not essential. The project requires a mixture of skills, including numerical and experimental fluid dynamics, ship hydrodynamics, turbulence and noise modelling, computer programing and basic statistics.

The funding covers UK/EU student tuition fees and stipend in line with University rates for 36 months. EU.
How to apply
Applicants should send their application directly to Dr Weichao Shi.
E-mail: [Email Address Removed]
Applications should include:
- Cover Letter
- CV with two references
- Degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualifications.
Contact
If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Weichao Shi, e-mail: [Email Address Removed]