Project Overview
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The fracking industry is growing exponentially and is rapidly becoming a vital source of world energy. Although huge reserves of shale gas exist, during drilling, up to 85% of gas may not be extracted due to challenges with current fracking technology. This project will help overcome these problems, thus potentially saving the fracking industry billions of pounds every year. Therefore, this project provides the opportunity to become a world leader in fracking geomechanics, and to perform unique and ground-breaking research that will have a long-term impact on the oil/gas industry.
Funding notes:
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1. Fully funded (stipend and tuition fees, with additional funds for travel and training).
2. Funding duration: 48 Months (4 years) funding
3. Eligibility: International/All
4. Deadline: 31st January 2015
5. Degree type: Any
6. Apply: https://myhwu.hw.ac.uk/
Technical Description
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Although hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) has the potential to solve many of the world’s energy problems, the extraction process is inefficient and often results in only 15% of the available gas being recovered. During the fracking process, rock is fractured and gas is released from the cracks before being captured. A key cause of this large inefficiency is that the cracks induced during the fracking process are not optimised to maximise gas extraction for different rock types.
Therefore this project will use a highly unique combination of physical experiments and computer models to optimise the fracking process and increase extraction efficiency. First, physical experiments will be undertaken using new large scale fracking test apparatus (one of the largest and most specialised in Europe) to examine the fracturing potential of different rock types and fracking processes. Next, the results will be analysed using cutting edge computer models and new tools will be developed to better predict gas extraction potential. Both the physical and numerical research will be tailored to the candidate’s strengths, and the candidate will also have scope to pursue their own research ideas.
The highly unique nature of this project means that there is potential to publish ground-breaking international research papers and become a world leader in the fracking field. Furthermore, the research findings will be highly attractive to oil and gas companies and other research institutions. Therefore this project provides an excellent opportunity to secure an exciting position within either an oil/gas company or academia upon graduation.
Supervisors
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Dr. David Connolly
Dr. Elma Charalampidou
Dr. Jingsheng Ma
Additional information
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1. Applications are welcomed from all degree subject disciples, however a background in a numerical or related subject would be advantageous.
2. Candidates must have a 2.1 degree (or non-UK equivalent) or higher. 2.2 degrees will also be considered if the candidate has a relevant masters qualification.
3. Applications will be ranked and the PhD scholarship awarded by competitive merit, assuming the candidate’s research interests are aligned with the Institute’s. Therefore it is vital that in your application/CV, you CLEARLY state all potential indicators of esteem (e.g. academic qualifications, prizes, awards, scholarships, publications, English ability…etc). Also, your references may be ranked, so where possible, please obtain references from persons of maximum seniority (e.g. Full Professor). References must also be electronically/physically signed.
4. Online application form: Choose ‘Research, PG’, and ‘Petroleum Engineering, PhD’
We seek an outstanding graduate to work on sustainable simulation and optimization algorithms for Computerized Numerical Controlled (CNC) machining technologies, to support smart factory applications. Essential tasks for the research include modeling and experimental test for machining processes, theoretical analysis, and system programming for the sustainable machining algorithm implementation. The candidate is expected to have a good technical background in 3-dimensional Mechanical Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems, and programming skills using C++ and Java to interact with the 3D CAD/CAM systems for algorithm implementation.
You will have:
• A minimum of a 2:1 first degree and a Master degree with overall marks at merit level 60% in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Computer Engineering and/or Industrial Engineering with a minimum 60% mark in the Project element.
• Possess a good knowledge of 3-dimensional Mechanical Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems, and programming skills using C++ and Java to interact with the 3D CAD/CAM systems for algorithm implementation.
• Experience to model manufacturing systems and applications, and design related experimental tests and conduct theoretical analysis. Have a willingness to quickly learn new skills and knowledge in relevant research areas and would take research challenges.
• The potential to engage in innovative research and complete the PhD within a three year period.
Application Procedure:
For an application form please click here.
Complete the application form and return with a covering letter to:
Research Recruitment and Admissions team
RAO
Student Centre
Coventry University
Priory Street
COVENTRY
CV1 5FB
United Kingdom
Email: research-apps.pg@coventry.ac.uk
Informal enquiries may be addressed to Prof Weidong Li.
Precise positioning is a key enabling technology in many technological systems such as disc drives, nanopositioning systems for atomic force microscopes, medical robotics etc. The positioning performance of most positioning systems is marred by two main limitations:
i. Resonance-induced vibrations causing mechanical fatigue as well as unwanted distortions in positioning.
ii. Nonlinear effects in actuators causing errors in positioning.
Traditionally, these effects are minimized using a dual-controller or dual-loop control strategy where the inner loop employs a damping controller that reduced the resonance-induced vibration artefacts and the outer loop employs a tracking controller that reduces the positioning errors due to actuator nonlinearities. In this implementation, a damping controller is designed first and then a suitable tracking controller is formulated.
Though this technique is prevalent and works well, recent investigations by our group have shown that substantially better performance (in terms of positioning bandwidth as well as positioning accuracy) can be extracted if the two control loops are designed and optimized simultaneously.
This project aims at furthering this research agenda and formulating novel control algorithms that deliver simultaneously optimized damping and tracking performance, resulting in improved positioning. The main target will be nanopositioning systems used in atomic force microscopes, high-density data storage systems etc. Such control algorithms can also be applicable to structural damping problems and this project will also investigate the feasibility of the formulated control techniques to structural damping of civil structures such as pedestrian foot-bridges etc.
The successful candidate should have, or expect to have an Honours Degree at 2.1 or above (or equivalent) in Electrical Engineering. Knowledge of Linear control systems, MATLAB and SIMULINK. Funding Notes:
This project is advertised in relation to the research areas of the discipline of Engineering. The project is eligible for Elphinstone Funding which will pay Tuition Fees (only). To be considered you MUST have a First Class Degree or equivalent, 2.1 Honours Degree or Equivalent, plus MSc at Merit/Distinction level in a relevant subject. Please ensure you note Elphinstone funding on the application form and project title/supervisor. Applications should be received and complete by 31 March 2015. Applications received after this date will be considered for the project but no funding will be attached to any offer made.
References:
Application Process:
Formal applications can be completed online: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply. You should apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering, to ensure that your application is passed to the correct College for processing. Please ensure that you quote the project title and supervisor on the application form.
Informal inquiries can be made to Dr S Aphale, (s.aphale@abdn.ac.uk) with a copy of your curriculum vitae and cover letter.
As oil and gas (O&G) production moves towards developing more challenging fields, including high pressure/high temperature wells, selection of corrosion resistant alloys (CRAs), such as stainless steels and nickel alloys as solid products, linings or cladding on to substrate steel is becoming more common.
While CRAs usually possess a passive oxide layer that imparts good resistance to general (uniform) corrosion, these alloys can suffer from localised forms of corrosion, such as pitting, through breakdown of the passive film.
Pitting of CRAs initiates at local heterogeneities, such as inclusions, second/third phases, flaws or sites of mechanical damage on the passive surface. After initiation, pits can either repassivate and cease growing (i.e. metastable pits) or grow to stable pits, depending on many factors, including the alloy condition and the environment. Defining the aggressivity of an environment is difficult and establishing causal relationships is challenging. It follows that there is a fundamental requirement to identify what types of heterogeneities, for a given set of field situations, lead to the establishment of localised extreme environmental conditions and electrochemical activity that results in stable pitting.
The end goal of this PhD project is to use electrochemical corrosion techniques to identify material ‘flaws’ (physical, compositional, metallurgical or chemical non-uniformities that exist naturally on component surfaces) and environmental preconditions (at the macroscale and microscale) that lead to nucleation and propagation of stable pits.
A number of fully-funded PhD scholarships are available for suitable candidates with a strong interest in fundamental and applied research in the area of structural integrity. Scholarships cover an amount to £16,000 per annum for 3 years, Home/EU tuition fees and support for research. Overseas applicants are welcomed, with total funding capped at £20k/year.
Candidates should have a relevant degree at 2.1 minimum, or an equivalent overseas degree in mechanical, Electrical/Electronics or Civil/Structural Engineering, Material Science, Metallurgy or Physics. Candidates with suitable work experience and strong capacity in numerical modelling and experimental skills are particularly welcome to apply. Overseas applicants should also submit IELTS results (minimum 6.5) if applicable.
To apply, please send your CV and transcript of university study, with a cover letter specifying your interest and research topic to the following email address: hayley.hodge@nsirc.co.uk
Please direct general enquiries to: enquiries@nsirc.co.uk
nspection of austenitic welds in stainless steels and nickel alloys is a critical area of activity for both the nuclear and oil & gas industries, and also the aerospace industry in niche areas.
The solidification of the weld leaves an inhomogeneous anisotropic weld which adversely affects inspection performance – primarily in characterisation of the flaw type, its positioning within the weld and sizing. Work done to date has made significant advances in detection performance through the use of twin-crystal phased array probes in transmit-receive longitudinal (TRL) configuration. However, sizing and characterisation of the detected flaws is key to decision making in nuclear power plants and oil & gas components.
TWI has made advances in addressing this issue and this PhD will take forward those concepts to aid in developing a viable inspection system for austenitic welds.
A number of fully-funded PhD scholarships are available for suitable candidates with a strong interest in fundamental and applied research in the area of structural integrity. Scholarships cover an amount to £16,000 per annum for 3 years, Home/EU tuition fees and support for research. Overseas applicants are welcomed, with total funding capped at £20k/year.
Candidates should have a relevant degree at 2.1 minimum, or an equivalent overseas degree in mechanical, Electrical/Electronics or Civil/Structural Engineering, Material Science, Metallurgy or Physics. Candidates with suitable work experience and strong capacity in numerical modelling and experimental skills are particularly welcome to apply. Overseas applicants should also submit IELTS results (minimum 6.5) if applicable.
To apply, please send your CV and transcript of university study, with a cover letter specifying your interest and research topic to the following email address: hayley.hodge@nsirc.co.uk
Please direct general enquiries to: enquiries@nsirc.co.uk
Maximising the availability and productivity of an FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading system), whilst operating safely and with minimal impact on the environment, is a major concern of operators. FPSOs have certain constraints, loading characteristics and damage consequences that make them different to other offshore installations and conventional ships, and often more challenging to maintain and operate.
This PhD project will develop real-time SHM systems linked with RBI decision making process. There is currently a gap in this area where the inspection/ monitoring data is available offline and then fed into a risk based assessment procedure.
Risk-based approaches offer a more holistic approach in that in the assessment, apart from the likelihood of failure, the context in which failure occurs and the consequences are also taken into consideration. Although there will remain a need for time-based prescriptive approaches, risk-based approaches offer more flexibility and provide efficient and rational ways to asset life management. This is particularly true for structures such as FPSOs that often involve novel applications for which experience-based data are not forthcoming.
In the risk based approach envisaged here, the likelihood of failure will be based mainly on an assessment of fatigue damage and inputs from SHM systems. For fatigue damage, a generic model will be used if a specific model is not available. The consequences of failure will be assessed using a combination of historical operational data, expert judgement and literature review.
The candidate will develop expertise in SHM that can be applied in a risk based framework as described above. An understanding of risk based approaches and fatigue assessments will also be required in the process of successfully identifying and developing appropriate SHM systems.
A number of fully-funded PhD scholarships are available for suitable candidates with a strong interest in fundamental and applied research in the area of structural integrity. Scholarships cover an amount to £16,000 per annum for 3 years, Home/EU tuition fees and support for research. Overseas applicants are welcomed, with total funding capped at £20k/year.
Candidates should have a relevant degree at 2.1 minimum, or an equivalent overseas degree in mechanical, Electrical/Electronics or Civil/Structural Engineering, Material Science, Metallurgy or Physics. Candidates with suitable work experience and strong capacity in numerical modelling and experimental skills are particularly welcome to apply. Overseas applicants should also submit IELTS results (minimum 6.5) if applicable.
To apply, please send your CV and transcript of university study, with a cover letter specifying your interest and research topic to the following email address: hayley.hodge@nsirc.co.uk
Please direct general enquiries to: enquiries@nsirc.co.uk
The concept of the Condition Monitoring is based on merging capabilities and components. During this activity the development will produce an advanced system for condition monitoring of machinery components and structure health monitoring utilising Operational Model Analysis (OMA) technique. OMA will be used to monitor the condition of generator, gearbox, rotary components and structure. Hardware will be tied together through a supervisory control, data logging & analysis.
The use of modal analysis in large structures and machines under operating conditions was previously performed and thus the name “Operational” is used. In this case the machine or structure is excited by its normal vibration while operating; in terms of large structures that would be wind or waves etc.
Modal analysis is an advanced method for structural Eigen-frequency extraction and dynamic characteristics estimation, commonly used in the aerospace, automotive and defence industries. The modal analysis technique uses an exciter to vibrate the structure over a frequency range and monitors the resulting vibrations on specific points. The input and output signals are needed to calculate the transfer function and extract the structures Eigen-frequencies and its modal parameters.
Some of the parameters can be estimated using Finite Elements Analysis but modal is the only method to access the final parameters of a structure or machine and its damping. The drawback of this method is that it needs the structure to be controllably excited thus needing suitable shakers to achieve this test to calculate the transfer function, the input is considered to be stochastic which suits the case of large structure excitation like buildings and bridges. When trying to apply this to machines and their components one faces the serious issue of harmonic components present in the input from vibrations like the rotational frequency. Many methods have been proposed to fully tackle this issue like incorporation some of the know harmonics to the estimation of input and using several advanced signal processing methods, but a definite technique has not been yet defined.
A number of fully-funded PhD scholarships are available for suitable candidates with a strong interest in fundamental and applied research in the area of structural integrity. Scholarships cover an amount to £16,000 per annum for 3 years, Home/EU tuition fees and support for research. Overseas applicants are welcomed, with total funding capped at £20k/year.
Candidates should have a relevant degree at 2.1 minimum, or an equivalent overseas degree in mechanical, Electrical/Electronics or Civil/Structural Engineering, Material Science, Metallurgy or Physics. Candidates with suitable work experience and strong capacity in numerical modelling and experimental skills are particularly welcome to apply. Overseas applicants should also submit IELTS results (minimum 6.5) if applicable.
To apply, please send your CV and transcript of university study, with a cover letter specifying your interest and research topic to the following email address: hayley.hodge@nsirc.co.uk
Please direct general enquiries to: enquiries@nsirc.co.uk
About NSIRC
NSIRC will be a state-of-the-art postgraduate engineering facility established and managed by structural integrity specialist TWI, working closely with lead academic partner Brunel University, the universities of Cambridge, Manchester, Loughborough, Birmingham, Leicester and a number of leading industrial partners. NSIRC aims to deliver cutting edge research and highly qualified personnel to its key industrial partners.
For more information about The National Structural Integrity Research Centre, visit www.nsirc.co.uk
Ultrasonic Testing (UT) is a common method to evaluate the integrity of components without having an impact of their future usefulness. Commonly, components are inspected using manual encoded solutions (conventional UT or Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT)) and the data is then analysed by a skilled operator. As such is dependent on the operator’s testing experiences and as this could potentially lead to errors, there is an industry wish to develop a system employing Automatic Defect Recognition (ADR) algorithms to be integrated alongside inspection systems deployed.
The overall objective of this PhD is to develop data analysis algorithms for the interpretation of detected signals within welds or bonds and to enable these to be classified according to the relevant acceptance criteria. This will necessitate the development of software capable of picking up data from the resulting data file outputs of the phased array equipment in use, analysing this according to the ultrasonic data analysis algorithm principles, displaying the results and producing a simple “accept/reject” of the component.
The algorithms will be developed for a general selection of welds and bonds but specifically evaluated on selected material and joining techniques. Specifically, the plastic pipe welding sector has a demand for an ADR technology. Therefore the developed methods will foremost be evaluated on this type of joining.
The software developed will be validated on a library of typical flaws and integrated into existing inspection devices. Following the full system will undergo laboratory and field trials. The candidate selected will undertake training in phased array ultrasonic inspection as necessary.
A number of fully-funded PhD scholarships are available for suitable candidates with a strong interest in fundamental and applied research in the area of structural integrity. Scholarships cover an amount to £16,000 per annum for 3 years, Home/EU tuition fees and support for research. Overseas applicants are welcomed, with total funding capped at £20k/year.
Candidates should have a relevant degree at 2.1 minimum, or an equivalent overseas degree in mechanical, Electrical/Electronics or Civil/Structural Engineering, Material Science, Metallurgy or Physics. Candidates with suitable work experience and strong capacity in numerical modelling and experimental skills are particularly welcome to apply. Overseas applicants should also submit IELTS results (minimum 6.5) if applicable.
To apply, please send your CV and transcript of university study, with a cover letter specifying your interest and research topic to the following email address: hayley.hodge@nsirc.co.uk
Please direct general enquiries to: enquiries@nsirc.co.uk
About NSIRC
NSIRC will be a state-of-the-art postgraduate engineering facility established and managed by structural integrity specialist TWI, working closely with lead academic partner Brunel University, the universities of Cambridge, Manchester, Loughborough, Birmingham, Leicester and a number of leading industrial partners. NSIRC aims to deliver cutting edge research and highly qualified personnel to its key industrial partners.
For more information about The National Structural Integrity Research Centre, visit www.nsirc.co.uk
Hydrogen in its atomic form is the most abundant element in the universe. It is also the smallest atom and as such can penetrate the lattice of a wide range of materials including steels. It is often a product of cathodically protected components such as offshore structures and subsea pipelines, and this process can lead to a gradual increase in the hydrogen concentrations. This is of great significance because hydrogen has a deleterious effect upon material toughness and this loss of toughness has been the primary cause of costly in-service failures. Despite the obvious interest in hydrogen, the fundamental reasons for hydrogen cracking are still not well understood. TWI has amassed a considerable amount of empirical data and wish to convert this into a robust understanding. It is therefore important that a more detailed understanding is generated, using atomistic modelling techniques.
Loughborough University’s (LU) department of Mathematical Sciences has recently advanced atomistic modelling methods so that they can be extended to the prediction of physical behaviour over longer periods of time than previously possible. Classical molecular dynamics (MD) is combined with a long time scale dynamics (LTSD) technique in order to model physical behaviour over time scales of seconds, minutes and perhaps even hours, rather than the typical 10-6 seconds previously attainable using MD alone. It is proposed that these modelling techniques be applied to the problem described above of hydrogen cracking. Studies of hydrogen in pure iron and iron with the addition of other chemical elements will be undertaken, which will involve the development of complicated interatomic potentials to describe all atomic interactions. The output from the modelling will provide a greater understanding of the behaviour of hydrogen within iron based microstructures where cracks, dislocations and defects are present. Skills in computer programming are an advantage, particularly knowledge of Python.
A number of fully-funded PhD scholarships are available for suitable candidates with a strong interest in fundamental and applied research in the area of structural integrity. Scholarships cover an amount to £16,000 per annum for 3 years, Home/EU tuition fees and support for research. Overseas applicants are welcomed, with total funding capped at £20k/year.
Candidates should have a relevant degree at 2.1 minimum, or an equivalent overseas degree in mechanical, Electrical/Electronics or Civil/Structural Engineering, Material Science, Metallurgy or Physics. Candidates with suitable work experience and strong capacity in numerical modelling and experimental skills are particularly welcome to apply. Overseas applicants should also submit IELTS results (minimum 6.5) if applicable.
To apply, please send your CV and transcript of university study, with a cover letter specifying your interest and research topic to the following email address: hayley.hodge@nsirc.co.uk
Please direct general enquiries to: enquiries@nsirc.co.uk
Fracture mechanics based Fitness-For-Service (FFS) assessment of engineering structures is normally based upon the failure criterion which is the initiation of crack extension by brittle fracture or ductile tearing at specified temperatures. The philosophy behind crack arrest is that if a crack initiates in a region of high stress or local embrittlement, it will be arrested in the surrounding material to prevent failure of the entire structure. The basic, simple idea for ensuring crack arrest is that the materials must have sufficient crack arrest toughness to ensure that fast propagating cracks, initiated in regions of low toughness and/or high stress, are arrested after they emerge from the critical zone. Obviously, during the design stage of ships, pipelines and some specific pressure vessels, analysis of crack arrest is of vital importance. The effect of temperature is another factor that needs to be taken into account in the course of the assessment of crack arrest or during design against crack arrest.
The aim of the PhD project is to derive empirical models which can be used to define crack arrest toughness from small test specimens (i.e. Charpy tests). It is also proposed to investigate and quantify the differences between the crack initiation and arrest toughness of two types of steels to be selected and link these differences with the microstructure. If required, numerical modelling techniques will be incorporated to understand crack arrest behaviour by analysing crack tip conditions in relation to a particular microstructure under specified loading.
A number of fully-funded PhD scholarships are available for suitable candidates with a strong interest in fundamental and applied research in the area of structural integrity. Scholarships cover an amount to £16,000 per annum for 3 years, Home/EU tuition fees and support for research. Overseas applicants are welcomed, with total funding capped at £20k/year.
Candidates should have a relevant degree at 2.1 minimum, or an equivalent overseas degree in mechanical, Electrical/Electronics or Civil/Structural Engineering, Material Science, Metallurgy or Physics. Candidates with suitable work experience and strong capacity in numerical modelling and experimental skills are particularly welcome to apply. Overseas applicants should also submit IELTS results (minimum 6.5) if applicable.
To apply, please send your CV and transcript of university study, with a cover letter specifying your interest and research topic to the following email address: hayley.hodge@nsirc.co.uk
Please direct general enquiries to: enquiries@nsirc.co.uk
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