studentprofiles

Multiphase Flow and Thermal Systems: Research Student Profiles and Projects

Examples of possible PhD project titles

Here are some suggested PhD projects which you may wish to consider when applying to join the School as a postgraduate research student. Please note that this list is not exhaustive and other projects may be available.

Examples of current and recent research student projects

Andy Bragg

email: andrew.bragg@ncl.ac.uk

I first came to Newcastle University in 2004, and studied mechanical engineering with mathematical modelling.  I began studying for my PhD in 2008, and my research is all about using mathematical models to describe the dispersion of particles suspended in turbulent boundary layers.  I really enjoy it; it's a brain stretching field to work in, very challenging, with lots of maths involved; just what I like! The practical relevance of the research keeps it from seeming abstract and irrelevant to the real world; having many industrial and environmental applications. My particular research is funded by the oil industry who wants models to describe how hydrate particles flow in oil pipe lines, in order to make predictions about particle segregation, and be able to predict the effect of particle accumulation at the walls on the pressure of the oil flowing in pipes.

Outside of University I really enjoy going mountain biking; I often go to the Lake District, or the 7stanes bike trails in Scotland. Nothing I enjoy much more that riding down the side of a mountain over steep, rocky descents on my bike!  I'm also a lead guitarist, and love playing anything from good heavy rock music to slick, cool jazz tunes.  I have a pretty varied music taste.  Oh, and I'm a very keen reader on physics!

Salah MasheitiSalah A A Masheiti

email: s.a.a.masheiti@ncl.ac.uk

Nationality: Libyan
Project Title: Modelling simulation of LiBr absorption chillers and Organic Rankin Cycles powered by low-heat geothermal source at arid-zones
Supervisors: Prof Brian Agnew and Prof Mike Reeks
Funding source: Scholarship from Libyan Government

Project Description: Remote communities, in arid zones, could greatly benefit from their readily available high potential low-grade temperature geothermal resources. One of these resources is an artesian hot water well (1600 m deep) at constant flow rate of 114 kg/s and temperature of 73 ºC. This resource has been simulated using IPSEpro®-PSE, Refrigeration and PSE-Economy modelling packages. Six schematic models were simulated and thermodynamically validated to provide cooling, heating and electricity. They are namely:

  1. Water-cooled single effect LiBr-H2O chiller.
  2. Air-cooled single effect LiBr-H2O chiller.
  3. Water-cooled half effect LiBr-H2O chiller.
  4. Water-cooled half effect cascaded with conventional R-245fa, R-134a and CO2 chillers.
  5. Direct electrical power generation using R-245fa, R-134a and CO2 Organic Rankin Cycle (ORC).
  6. Water-cooled half effect chiller cascaded with combined Gas-Turbine and R-245fa Organic Rankin Cycle for electrical power generation.

An economical study will be carried out to find the most suitable model for the community to choose.

Elena Meneguz

email: elena.meneguz@ncl.ac.uk

I am currently a second year research student. I first came to Newcastle upon Tyne towards the end of my master degree in Industrial Engineering, thanks to a European exchange programme between my university in Italy, and Newcastle University. I was extraordinary impressed by the friendly and full-of-opportunities environment here and decided to come back and start a PhD.

The title of my project is “Droplet clouds in a box of turbulence”, and it is about gaining a better understanding of how turbulent structures can enhance particles/droplets agglomeration in gas flows, which is particular relevant in cloud physics. My activity is focused on mathematical modelling and computational simulations but the study also involves, as part of an ongoing collaboration, an experimental part which is taking place at Imperial College, London.

"From Disorder to Order" - click on the icon to see a movie clip showing the segregation of a fully mixed volume of particles in a turbulent flow (Elena Meneguz, April 2008).

Doing research means developing creative thinking and problem solving skills. It provides the opportunity to work independently but also to collaborate with other groups all over the world; I have had the opportunity to travel widely, and to visit other universities. It is also very challenging and stimulating. The only risk is that I might end up with my head in the clouds!

Fred Zhang

email: fan.zhang4@ncl.ac.uk

I am currently doing a PhD in particle resuspension modelling in turbulent flows, with particular emphasis on small size particles (radius smaller than 10 micron). The research is funded by the nuclear safety institution IRSN (France) and the nuclear industrial company PBMR (South Africa). In the event of severe accident affecting a light-water-cooled reactor technology, it is expected that the mechanical resuspension of deposited particles/dust by aerodynamic forces would be a primary safety concern. The overall objective of the work here is to develop, validate and apply a mechanistic model for the aerodynamic resuspension of particles from multi-layer deposits that can account for the resuspension of clusters of particles from a bed of particles of variable size and shape.

Chunyu Jin

email: chunyu.jin@ncl.ac.uk

I joined the Thermo-Fluids group in 2008, and am working with Dr Ian Potts and Professor Mike Reeks. My project is concerned with Numerical Simulation and Experiment Investigation of Particle Transport and Deposition in Turbulent Boundary Layers, and this is sponsored by British Energy (Part of EDF). Applications of this type of flow, involving the mixture of two or more phases, are common in everyday life and in engineering systems, ranging from nuclear reactors to internal combustion engines, from oil and gas pipelines to droplet formation and rain processes in clouds. My work is an fascinating combination computational and experimental studies using state-of-the-art software and instrumentation. The experiments make use of modern Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), a measurement technique which consists of illuminating, with a laser light sheet, a flow field seeded with microscopic particles, and then recording pair of images of particles, separated by short time intervals.  In this way we can investigate the flow dynamics at a very detailed level. When not absorbed in my research I like swimming, running, music, and films.

Examples of recently completed research student projects:

  • "Biodiesel Production and Analysis: Non Food Source"
    Bashir Aliyu, awarded PhD March 2009, supervisor Dr B Agnew
  • "Performance Enhancement of the Single Shaft Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Plant by Intake Air Cooling Using an Absorption Chiller"
    Mohamed Bughazem, awarded PhD November 2010, supervisor Prof MW Reeks
  • "Paramagnetic Microparticle Manipulation for Rapid and Sensitive Nucleic Acid Sequence Identification"
    Amol Jadhav, awarded PhD August 2010, supervisor Dr DC Swailes
  • "Two-Dimensional Models of Particle Motion in Superfluid Turbulence"
    Sui Wang, awarded PhD August 2009, supervisor Prof YA Sergeev