About the Project
Start Date: 29th September 2017
Sponsored by BF2RA in partnership with Cranfield Industrial PhD studentship programme, this studentship will provide a bursary of up to £16,800. (tax free) plus fees* for three years
An exciting research opportunity has arisen for a motivated graduate to join our Power Engineering Centre (PEC). The Centre has a strong record in applied research in the academic and industrial sectors. Our research areas include renewable energy systems, advanced carbon capture systems for conventional fossil fuel and biomass/waste fired technologies, heating and cooling and next generation technologies by reduction in energy demand.
PEC staff has over 30 years research experience in this particular field.
Increasing the share of variable renewable energy resources requires the need for cost-effective and reliable energy storage to balance the production and demand for electricity to stabilise the grid, to help reduce the need for, and to help optimise the supply and improve the reliability of other forms of flexible, dispatchable power.
Integrated energy storage options can also be used to improve energy efficiency and enhance distributed electricity generation where grid connections are inadequate. Currently, the deployment of large-scale storage concepts is focussed on pumped hydro, compressed air, liquid air, and similar concepts limited to lower temperatures. High-temperature energy sources in power cycles are capable of achieving temperatures > 900oC, whereas thermal storage fluids are limited to temperatures of 500-600oC. An operating limit of approximately 620oC for super-critical steam, combined with the conventional steam Rankine cycle, limits thermal-to-electrical conversion efficiency to approximately 45% Increasing the efficiency of distributed power plants within the inclusion of a supplementary cycle (potentially combined with heat storage); such as has been applied in naval and the oil & gas industries offers significant benefits; in near term, this approach could also replace the steam section of existing CCGT power plants to effectively improve their load-flexibility and efficiency, while ensuring a low carbon footprint.
This specific project will evaluate opportunity for new advanced power generation concepts and performance improvements using alternative fluid cycles (supercritical CO2 (S-CO2), molten salts, etc.) for applications in combination with heat storage. The development of these new cycles requires solutions to the coupled challenges of fundamental technology development and systems engineering. The student project will address the application and integration of these cycles for a variety of high-temperature heat sources to increase efficiency and the reduction of plant cycling, thus improving the life and reliability of existing power generation assets.
The researcher will be responsible for modelling studies (thermodynamic based) to achieve these benefits applied to centralised or distributed power and heat application, as well as attractive for new-build power plants. This will involve:
• Investigating the inherent efficiencies of S-CO2 power cycles and associated heat storage options, and to define the operational and engineering constraints, to help identify cost-effective options
• Designing integrated solutions with heat storage/S-CO2 turbine generation with existing sub-critical coal/CCGT - to even out operating cycles, thus extending life, and increase overall efficiency to provide an economic basis for their continued operation;
• Developing thermodynamic process models to allow the analysis of the selected cycles and their integration into existing plant designs and to provide the basis for a technology readiness assessment of the concepts and their ease of deployment and operability in service.
• Improving scientific understanding the inherent thermodynamic advantages of S-CO2 power generation cycles
This project will involve collaboration with BF2RA Industrial partners relevant to power generation cycles. The student will work closely with these industrial collaborators. During this PhD programme, the successful student will be expected to present the research outcomes at review meetings, disseminate the results at international conferences and publish peer-reviewed journal papers.
Entry requirements:
Applicants should have a first or upper second class UK Honours degree or equivalent in a related discipline, such as Chemical/Process Engineering or Renewable/Industrial Engineering. The ideal candidate should have some understanding in steam turbine/power plant thermodynamics. The candidate should be self-motivated, have good communication skills for regular interaction with academic community and other stakeholders and have and strong interest for industrial research.
How to apply:
For further information please contact: Dr. Kumar Patchigolla, E: [Email Address Removed] T: (0) 1234 750111
If you are eligible to apply for this research studentship, please complete the online application form
School of Water, Energy and Environment
T: 44 (0)1234 758008
E: [Email Address Removed]