PhD Study : Modelling heat and mass transfer during liquid hydrogen refuelling

Summary

Liquified hydrogen (LH2) is considered as the most practical storage method onboard heavy duty vehicles (HDV), trains, ships and planes in case of long distances. Currently there are no fuelling protocols for hydrogen inventory in excess of 10 kg when refuelling gaseous hydrogen. Modelling of fuelling of cryogenic hydrogen and LH2 transfer will pose even more challenges due to significantly lower temperatures and presence of two-phase flows with evaporation and condensation.

LH2 refuelling will require development of innovative safety strategies and engineering solutions for storage and transfer infrastructure, understanding of underlying physical phenomena, development and validation of contemporary Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and reduced engineering models and tools for safety design. The developed and validated LH2 transfer model will allow to run “numerical experiments” to get insight into underlying physical phenomena avoiding high costs, hazards and associated risks typical for large-scale experimental studies, and, on practical side, develop LH2 refuelling protocols.

The successful candidate will:

- critically review the state-of-the-art in safety of LH2 with focus on fuelling/refuelling,

- develop a CFD model to simulate LH2 refuelling for the entire hydrogen refuelling station (HRS) or bunkering station (from storage tank to onboard tank),

- validate the developed CFD model against experimental data available in literature or from partners in ongoing projects,

- use the validated model to support development of inherently safer fuelling/bunkering protocols,

- explore potential for development of reduced models to support further advancement of the e-Laboratory of Hydrogen Safety (https://fch2edu.eu/home/e-laboratory).

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• Clearly defined research proposal detailing background, research questions, aims and methodology

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

• Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
• Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
• Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
• Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living