About the Project
A quick global transition to a full energy generation from renewable sources is
essential to mitigate the impact of climate change and ensure the long-term
sustainability of our society. UK’s decarbonisation target is to achieve net-
zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and, to this end, Offshore Renewable
Energy (ORE) is key to achieve this ambitious but necessary goal. The UK is
world leader in ORE with the world’s largest offshore wind energy capacity
installed and a projected five-fold increase by 2050. As turbines to be
installed in forthcoming Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) will have diameters larger
than 220m with hub heights of 150-200m and thus top tip heights exceeding 300m,
there will be new challenges that need to be analysed in order to understand the
environmental implications of large-scale OWFs, such as changes in the local
meteorology, or quantify the interaction between distant OWFs.
This PhD project aims at building a state-of-the-art Computational Fluid
Dynamics (CFD) model that is capable of representing with high spatial and
temporal precision future operating OWFs. This novel computational framework
will enable the analysis of the induced impacts of OWFs in the local and
regional meteorology.
The student will be responsible for the coupling between a mesoscale atmospheric
model (WRF – Weather Research Forecasting) and a microscale model (DOFAS –
Digital Offshore FArms Simulator) in which the wind farms will be embedded. This
high-fidelity model will resolve the relevant turbulent flow scales involved and
thus provide accurate results to assess industry and policymakers about the
future environmental changes OWFs might generate.
During the PhD, the student is expected to interact with academics across
different departments from the University of Manchester, e.g. offshore renewable
energy, atmospheric sciences, aerodynamics, or modelling and simulation, as well
as external institutions and organisations, such as the Offshore Renewable
Energy Catapult or Met Office.
Candidates must have a 1st or high 2i in a degree, ideally at Masters level, in
an Engineering subject, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or Atmospheric
Sciences. Knowledge in fluid mechanics, numerical methods and computational
modelling would be advantageous. The ideal candidate is expected to have a
strong interest in renewable energy, be enthusiastic about computational
modelling, be able to have a proactive attitude towards problem solving
independently, and ability to work in multidisciplinary teams. The student is
expected that she/he has prior experience writing code on Fortran, C/C++, or
similar, and on Linux systems.
For further information about the project or any informal enquiries, please
contact Dr Pablo Ouro, pablo.ouro@manchester.ac.uk.
Interested applicants should send to Dr Pablo Ouro:
• Up to date CV,
• One or two letters of recommendation,
• 1-page personal statement including prior experience, motivation to learn and
future research goals.
• 2-page research proposal.
Suitable candidates will be asked to complete the electronic application form at
The University of Manchester.
As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome applications from all suitably
qualified persons. As the School is committed to the principles of the Race
Equality Charter Mark and Athena SWAN, we would particularly welcome
applications from women and the black and minority ethnic (BME) community, who
are both currently under-represented at this grade. All appointments will be
made on merit.
Funding Notes
Funding will cover UK tuition fees/stipend only. The University of Manchester
aims to support the most outstanding applicants from outside the UK, and it may
be possible to consider international applicants who can source additional
funding to cover the balance of their tuition fees.
Information on standard fees is available at View Website with information on
typical stipends available at View Website. Please contact pgr-
mace@manchester.ac.uk with any queries you may have regarding the application
process
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