Universal access to sustainable and affordable energy is one of the main challenges society is facing today, nationally and globally. Electrolyzers, which convert renewable electricity into hydrogen, will be instrumental for the production of hydrogen at scale, but will require a substantial improvement in their efficiency which, with today’s technology, is only at 80%.
The production of hydrogen in an electrolyzer is a multiphysics process. Hydrogen and oxygen gas bubbles are generated at the surface of porous electrodes by electrocatalysis. As gas bubbles grow, they stick to the reaction sites and decreases the reactive surface area. However, the bubbles continue growing due to the supersaturation in the liquid and as they reach a critical size, they detach from their nucleation site. The efficiency of electrolyzers therefore strongly depends on the time it takes for bubbles to detach. Numerical modelling can be potentially used to investigate and optimise this process, but will require a significant improvement in simulation technology.
The overarching goal of the project is to develop a novel numerical model capable of simulating bubble dynamics at the surface of an electrode at the pore-scale. The numerical model will then be used to perform sensitivity analysis with respect to a wide range of model parameters, such as current density, alkalinity, and pore-sizes. Machine-Learning (ML) upscaling will be used to derive improved correlations for electrochemical reactions that will be used in numerical simulations of electrolyzers at the cell level that will lead to energy conversion optimisation. The numerical model will be developed within GeoChemFoam, IGE’s open-source pore-scale reactive transport solver (www.github.com/GeoChemFoam). GeoChemFoam is built on OpenFOAM, the most popular Computational Fluid Dynamic toolbox, and includes eleven additional packages that solve a variety of flow problems from multicomponent multiphase transport to reactive transport with mineral dissolution. GeoChemFoam has been recently employed to model the dissolution of gas bubbles in water directly from first principle (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2019.109024). Coupling this novel model with charge balance and nucleation at reaction sites will enable simulation of the nucleation, growth and detachment of gas bubbles at the surface of an electrode.
Eligibility
This scholarship is available to Home students only unless co-funding can be demonstrated (as detailed under funding notes).
To be eligible, applicants should have a first-class honours degree in a relevant subject or a 2.1 honours degree plus Masters (or equivalent experience). Individual projects may include additional eligibility criteria, in which case, this will be stated under the project description.
We recognise that not every talented researcher will have had the same opportunities to advance their careers. We therefore will account for any particular circumstances that applicants disclose (e.g. parental leave, caring duties, part-time jobs to support studies, disabilities etc.) to ensure an inclusive and fair recruitment process.
How to apply
To apply you must complete our online application form.
Please select the relevant PhD GeoEnergy Engineering and include the full project title, reference number and supervisor name on your application form. You will also need to provide a CV, a supporting statement (1-2 A4 pages) outlining your suitability and how you would approach the project, a copy of your degree certificate and relevant transcripts and an academic reference.
Please contact Dr Julien Maes ([Email Address Removed]) for informal information.
If you have any general queries about the applications process, please contact [Email Address Removed]
Timeline
The closing date for applications is 10 April 2023 and applicants must be available to start in September 2023.
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