The offshore wind and Oil & Gas sectors are historically largely separate. This project seeks to exploit synergies between the two in order to reduce the costs associated with O&G abandonment. Specific objectives are to:
• Identify hotspots where the two sectors, have the strongest synergies, e.g. hub locations
• Assess the potential to exploit existing O&G infrastructure, e.g. for O&M, CCS, geothermal energy and/or hydrogen
• Analyze how the planned, staged abandonment could optimally be aligned with offshore wind developments
• Assess the potential for cost reductions achievable through the above insights
The project will explore specific scenarios, for example:
a) Offshore hydrogen production (at O&G facility) + O&G as electricity hub for offshore wind - conversion of pipeline to hydrogen to send hydrogen to shore.
b) Offshore CCS + O&G as electricity hub for offshore wind - conversion of pipeline for CO2 transport + transmission line in parallel - hydrogen onshore with district heating.
c) Offshore hydrogen production/storage/fuel cell + O&G as electricity hub for offshore wind/transmission line to shore
The method is energy systems analysis, which takes real-world data on the offshore energy system to create an accurate model. Building on existing work in this area (e.g. offshore wind), existing datasets and models should be extended to include offshore O&G assets and abandonment schedules.
Candidates should have (or expect to achieve) the UK honours degree at 2.1 or above (or equivalent) in Engineering, Mathematics, Energy Engineering, Industrial Engineering (and Management). It is essential that the applicant has a background in Energy Systems Modelling, Programming, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Optimization, Simulation along with knowledge of MATLAB, GAMS, ArcGIS, R, Python, Java
APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
• Apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
• State name of the lead supervisor as the Name of Proposed Supervisor
• State ‘Self-funded’ as Intended Source of Funding
• State the exact project title on the application form
When applying please ensure all required documents are attached:
• All degree certificates and transcripts (Undergraduate AND Postgraduate MSc-officially translated into English where necessary)
• Detailed CV
Informal inquiries can be made to Professor R McKenna (
russell.mckenna@abdn.ac.uk), with a copy of your curriculum vitae and cover letter. All general enquiries should be directed to the Postgraduate Research School (
pgrsadmissions@abdn.ac.uk)
It is possible to undertake this project by distance learning. Interested parties should contact Professor McKenna to discuss this. Distance Learning applicants should have access to a good quality computer
