Research Associate - Lancaster, United Kingdom - Lancaster University

Lancaster University

Verified Company

Lancaster, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

A Research Associate post is now available at the School of Engineering of Lancaster University to carry out an exciting R&D project in the area of Renewable Energy in partnership with a dynamic SME in the Northwest of England.

The main objective of the project is to optimise the hydrodynamic efficiency of the Compact Hydro Energy Device (CHED), a novel impulse micro-hydraulic turbine for harvesting hydropower for initial use in the agricultural, farming and dairy sectors.

Part of the design is inspired by previous joint research of the inventor and Lancaster University. The project will last 1 year.

In the first 6 months, performance sensitivity and optimisation studies of the device will be carried out by means of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

One or more new variants of the device will be manufactured and hydraulically tested in the second half of the project to verify the achieved performance improvements.

In the first part of the project, the Project Associate will be based at Lancaster University, and in the second half they will be expected to spend the majority of their time at the SME headquarters to assist with the CHED physical testing.

Simulation codes used in the project include ANSYS FLUENT or CFX, and their mesh generation and postprocessing and flow visualisation utilities.

Use of CAD systems such as SolidWorks will also be made.

You will have a PhD in Mechanical or Hydraulic Engineering or a related discipline, be proficient in written and spoken English, and have experience with writing reports and papers, and preparing technical presentations.

You will be expected to have a background in turbomachinery analysis and design, preferably hydraulic turbomachinery, with emphasis on fluid dynamics aspects, and to have extended experience with using CFD and exploiting its potential for studying flow physics and/or improve design.

Some experience with experimental testing is desirable. You will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and be willing to effectively undertake independent work.

This is a full time post, funded for one year. The start date can be from 2nd October 2023 but must commence by 1st January 2024.

The project is an exciting opportunity for Postdoctoral researchers wishing to gain experience in cutting-edge research in fluid dynamics and renewable energy, and gain experience of working with industry.