Process modelling and techno-economic assessment of novel thermal energy systems for decarbonising heating and cooling

Heating and cooling accounts for over a third of CO2 emissions in the UK. Under the UK Government’s new 2050 Net Zero carbon emission targets, the Committee of Climate Change (CCC) claims that the heating must shift from gas towards low-carbon alternatives. One of the key research areas of the Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage at the University of Birmingham is to develop new alternative technologies for the decarbonation of heating and cooling.

This project will focus on the process modelling and techno-economic assessment of novel renewable-driven, storage-integrated heating/cooling technologies. The student will develop numerical models to simulate the dynamic performance of the integrated systems (in particular for the part-load operations) and to carry out the related techno-economic assessment. The student will be working closely with other projects (EP/T022701/1, EP/V041665/1, EP/V042033/1) members from both the Birmingham team and other collaborative universities. The candidate will also have opportunities to visit oversea collaborators (secondment) and the travel expense will be fully covered by a H2020 RISE project CO-COOL: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101007976

For informal enquires please contact Dr Yongliang Li at [Email Address Removed]. Please include a CV and transcripts in your email.

Degree Requirements:

The candidate must have a master degree in one of the following areas: thermal/process/ chemical engineering or other energy-related area. Candidates with experiences in process modelling are preferred. Furthermore, the candidate should be ready to meet new challenges and like team working. Fluent English speaking and writing are required.