Dr X Fan, Dr C Pereira da Fonte
Applications accepted all year round
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Cellular materials (e.g. macroscopic open-cell foams) have been stimulating novel ideas of designing multi-scale porous structured reactors for intensified catalytic/chemical applications, e.g. methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, due to their interesting combinations of mechanical and physical properties (such as enhanced transport phenomena and superior chemical resistance). To facilitate the design of catalytic processes based on cellular materials, foam structures in terms of pore shape and size, packing patterns of pores and interconnections of pores need to be properly designed to suit the requirement of a potential application.
In this project, pore-scale Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of heat transfer and reacting flows will be carried out for different designs of open-cell cellular foams for the application scenarios of distillation, adsorption or catalysis. This work will advance on the current research and it is particular beneficial for facilitating the reactor/process development and design based on rationally designed foams.
If you wish to apply for this project, please choose ’PhD Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science’ from the list of available programmes.
Funding Notes
Self-funded/externally funded students are welcome to apply. Additional funding is potentially available for self-funded candidates with strong research background.
Candidates are expected to have strong numerical skills (e.g. Mathematics and Matlab). Candidates with previous CFD experience are highly desirable.
UK/EU applicants should have/expect a first class degree in Chemical Engineering or Chemistry.
Overseas applicants should be graduates (Chemical or Mechanical Engineering) from top national ranked universities with excellent GPA and strong publications at masters level.
If you wish to apply for this project, please choose 'PhD Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science' from the list of available programmes.