Individual Project List-Energy Programme 15-16

School of Energy, Environment and Agrifood
Energy Programme
Individual Project List
2015-2016
1. Experimental assessment of the wave field perturbation in the case of a

foil operating near a water surface in calm waters, regular and irregular
waves; Application to tidal energy and novel marine vehicles
Supervisor: Dr Florent Trarieux
Co-Supervisor: Dr Maurizio Collu
As in project title
2. Experimental investigation of the performance of foils near the water

surface; Application to tidal energy and novel marine vehicles
Co-Supervisor: Dr Maurizio Collu
As in project title
3. Experimental survey, analysis and calibration of the regular and irregular

wave field of the newly commissioned Cranfield wave tank; Application
to the Protean Wave Energy Platform (PWP). Part 1: Reference case
without model
Co-Supervisor: Dr Joao Amaral-Teixeira
Company Name: Protean Wave Technology Ltd
As in project title
4. Experimental survey, analysis and calibration of the regular and irregular

wave field of the newly commissioned Cranfield wave tank; Application
to the Protean Wave Energy Platform (PWP). Part 2: with fixed Suezmax
tanker
Company Name: Protean Wave Technology Ltd
As in project title
5. Comparison of full scale performance data (Cp, Ct) of the DeltaStream

seabed mounted tidal energy demonstrator with tank tests data.
Company Name: Tidal Energy Ltd
As in project title
6. Analysis of tank test data of yaw moments of the DeltaStream 15

diameter "MC" turbine
Company Name: Tidal Energy Ltd
As in project title
7. Prediction of Corrosion Fatigue Crack growth Behaviour in Structural

Steels using Finite Element Simulations
Supervisor: Dr Ali Mehmanparast
An important issue to be considered in the remaining life assessment of offshore
foundations is the characterisation of fatigue crack growth behaviour in these structures.
The aim of this project is to develop a novel finite element technique (e.g. XFEM, Adaptive
Remeshing, K/J Domain Integral) to predict fatigue crack gorwth behaviour of structural
steels in both air and seawater
8. JIC Fracture Toughness Finite Element Modelling for a Range of Metallic

Materials
Co-Supervisor: Dr Mehdi Yasaee
JIC Fracture toughness tests are often performed on C(T) and SEN(B) fracture mechanics
specimen geometries. The aim of this project is to investigate the dependency of JIC fracture
toughness value on the specimen geometry and dimensions (e.g. crack length and thickness)
by performing finite element analyses. The FEA model will be validated through comparison
with the experimental data available on parent material.
9. Feasibility Study of the Use of Renewable Energy for Water Treatment

Co-Supervisor: Dr Irene Carra
There is an increasing need to improve drinking water quality worldwide, so it is vital to find
cost-effective sources of energy to reduce OPEX in different treatment steps. With the rapid
increase in the number of offshore and onshore wind farms around the world, renewable
energy resources can potentially provide the energy required for drinking water
applications. The aim of this project is to investigate the feasibility of using wind energy to
reduce water treatment electricity costs. The student is expected to analyse the energy
absorbed from an onshore and an offshore wind farm, and perform a financial analysis of
the effectiveness of these resources to provide electricity for a water treatment works.
10. A Numerical Study of Crack Paths using Finite Element Granular Mesh
Structures
Finite element techniques have been widely used to predict the crack initiation and growth
behaviour of materials under different loading conditions. An important issue which has not
been considered in the majority of these models is the influence of grain structure on the
crack propagation behaviour of polycrystalline materials. The aim of this project is to
investigate the sensitivity of intergranular creep crack growth behaviour to the material
microstructure
11. Techno-Economic Feasibility Analysis of Renewable Wind Energy

Resources and Technologies in a Practical Case
Co-Supervisor: Dr Mahmood Shafiee
With growing interest in the development of new onshore and offshore wind farms in many
parts of the world it is crucial to ensure the feasibility of projects either in terms of
technological acquisition and physical installation or return of economic investment. Many
of the feasibility analysis approaches used in the renewable energy industry sector are
restricted only to either technical or economic considerations, which may lead to
inaccurate conclusions. This project aims to establish a techno-economic framework to
identify the most appropriate renewable wind energy solutions (including type of
installations--onshore or offshore, geographical locations for installation, size and capacity,
configuration--horizontal or vertical axis, condition monitoring systems, etc.). The proposed
framework will be tested on a practical case and the results will be compared with those
obtained from available tools in the wind energy industry.
12. Prediction of Shape Function and Fatigue Crack Initiation in SLIC Project
Specimens using Finite Element Simulations
SLIC project aims to redefine international standards by suggesting a new fatigue design
curve for offshore wind monopile structures. The aim of this project is to characterise the
crack growth behaviour in large scale S-N specimens employed in the SLIC project test
programme, using finite elemtn simulations.
13. CFD study on a dense periodic array of vertical-axis wind turbines

Supervisor: Dr Takafumi Nishino
Co-Supervisor: Dr Pierre-Luc Delafin
One of the challenges in wind farm design is how to improve the overall performance of
multiple wind turbines. Recent studies have suggested that a dense array of Vertical-Axis
Wind Turbines (VAWTs) has a potential to achieve a much higher power density (i.e. power
per unit land area) compared to typical (existing) wind farms using Horizontal-Axis Wind
Turbines. In this study you will perform 3D Unsteady RANS CFD of one or two VAWTs
placed near the bottom of a tall but horizontally small computational domain, with doubly
periodic boundary conditions for the horizontal ends of the domain, to investigate the
performance of a dense periodic array of VAWTs.
14. CFD study on the aerodynamic interaction of simplified horizontal-axis

wind turbines
Supervisor: Dr Takafumi Nishino
Company Name: Uniper (formerly E.ON Technologies)
A key problem in many wind farm optimisation tools currently used in the industry is that
the aerodynamic interaction of turbines cannot be predicted accurately. This is essentially
because these optimisation tools do not solve the full Navier-Stokes equations (in order to
keep the computational time short enough to examine hundreds of possible turbine array
configurations). In this study you will perform 3D RANS CFD of two or three simplified wind
turbines (porous discs) placed near the bottom of a tall and wide computational domain.
The objective is to investigate the interaction of two or three turbines with various relative
positions and, hopefully, develop an analytical or empirical model of this interaction effect
that can be applied to industrial wind farm optimisation tools. You may also have a chance
to work on real wind farm data provided by Uniper.
15. CFD study on the influence of turbine near-wake mixing on wind farm
efficiency
Supervisor: Dr Taka Nishino
Company Name: Uniper (formerly E.ON Technologies)
One of the uncertainties in the prediction of wind farm efficiency comes from how the
complex turbulent wake behind each turbine is modelled. In this study you will perform 3D
RANS CFD of one or two actuator discs placed near the bottom of a tall but horizontally
small computational domain, with doubly periodic boundary conditions for the horizontal
ends of the domain, to predict the efficiency of aligned and staggered arrays of wind
turbines. A novel near-wake turbulence model recently developed by Nishino and Willden
(2014) will be used to arbitrarily change the characteristics of turbine near-wake mixing and
thereby assess their influence on the farm efficiency. You may also have a chance to work
on real wind farm data provided by Uniper.
16. CFD study on a vertical-axis turbine with active pitch control

The efficiency of vertical-axis turbines is usually limited due to the inherent variation of the
blades angle of attack, i.e. the blades cannot always work at their optimal angle of attack.
Previous studies have shown that reducing the angle of attack in the upstream half of the
turbine by active pitch control leads to an increase in the turbine power. In this study you
will examine the coupling of pitching laws in the upstream and downstream halves of the
turbine to further increase its efficiency, using 2D Unsteady RANS CFD. Since this is a 2D
study, the results of this study will be relevant to both wind and tidal turbines.
17. CFD study of aircraft aerodynamics: Wing-body junction flow

The current configuration of commercial aircraft (Airbus, Boeing, etc.) employs a central
cylindrical body on which wings are fixed. This configuration leads to the development of a
horseshoe vortex at the junction between the body and a wing. This vortex affects both
lift and drag of the aircraft and also modifies the wings stall characteristics. This type of
flow can also be seen in many other applications, such as wind turbines, submarines and
aerofoils in a wind tunnel. In this study you will use 3D RANS CFD to analyse such a wingbody junction flow and then modify the junction shape to reduce the effects of junction
vortices on the aerodynamic characteristics of the wing. The CFD simulations will use the
geometry of the NASA Common Research Model (CRM) aircraft.
18. Advanced slug control with large time delay in valve manipulation
Supervisor: Dr Yi Cao
Multiphase slug is a challenge faced by oil and gas industry. Slug control is an efficient
approach to deal with this challenge. Based on our field trial experience, chock valves used
for slug control normally is of large size and associated with large time contants and delays
in thei manipulation. This causes some difficulty to slug control. In the project, traditional
Smith predictor will be adopted to deal with this problem. The solution will be
demonstrated through OLGA simulation.
19. Injectable Venturi for slug control

Injectable Venturi is a new invention by Cranfield. This project sees to apply this device to
slug mitigation. The concept will be demonstrated through experiment using the multiphase
facility in the PSE Lab.
20. Pseudo Spiral Tube on topside platform for slug mitigation

Pseudo Spiral Tube (PST) was an invention by Cranfield for pasive slug mitigation. Originally,
it was installed at the riser base. However, this limited its application due to the difficulty of
subsea installation involved. This project investigates the slug mitigation capability of a PST
by installing it on topside of a platform through experiment using the multiphase facility in
the PSE Lab.
21. Inferential slug control using new flow measurement

Inferential Slug Control (ISE) is a new invention by Cranfield. It uses multiple measurement
available on the platform for slug control. In this project, various measurements potentially
suitable for ISC will be reviewed and a particular measurement available in the PSE LAb will
be adopted and tested through experiment using the multiphase facility in the PSE LAb.
22. Self-optimizing control of wind turbine generators

Co-Supervisor: Maurizio Collu
Wind turbine generator operation has to be adjusted based on current wind speed. This
project will review current practice and its optimality under various conditions. Then, a selfoptimizing control strategy will be proposed based on the review and tested through
simulation.
23. Condition monitoring for PSE Multiphase Flow Facility

Recently, the PSE Multiphase Flow facility suffered from some oil spilt due to fault operating
conditions. Efficient condition monitoring tool is urgently required to be installed on the
system so that similar incident can be prevented in future. This project is going to apply
process condition monitoring techniques we developed recently to this facility to test the
applicability and effectiveness of these techniques.
24. Experimental investigation of the response of metal foam sandwich

panels in fatigue
Supervisor: Dr S Yiatros
Co-Supervisor: Dr Ali Mehmanparast
Company Name: EU Project INSIST
This project entails the experimental investigation of different metal foam sandwich panels
in fatigue testing. The student will have the opportunity to research the literature, work
with a novel material component, investigate its durability experimentally and propose
applications for this material in the offshore sector
25. Experimental investigation of the response of metal foam sandwich

panels in fatigue, subjected to a corrosive environment
This project entails the experimental investigation of different metal foam sandwich panels
that have been subjected to corrosive conditions in fatigue testing. The student will have
the opportunity to research the literature, work with a novel material component, design an
experiment for subjecting the panels in a corrosive environment and investigate their
durability experimentally.
26. Modelling of metal foam sandwich structures for offshore wind using FE
This project entails the use of experimental data and literature to create a model in ABAQUS
and simulate the response of metal foam sandwich structures. The student will then apply
this model for special components in an offshore wind or oil and gas structure.
27. Investigation of SHM strategies for metal foam sandwich panels in

offshore applications
Co-Supervisor: Dr A Kolios
This project entails the study of the literature and analysis of experimental data to propose
suitable SHM techniques for offshore applications of metal foam sandwich panels.
28. Conceptual and preliminary design of a SPAR floating support structure

for a 10MW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
Supervisor: Dr M Collu
Co-Supervisor: Dr T Nishino
Company Name: VertAx
The main aim of this project is the conceptual and preliminary design of a floating support
structure for a given 10 MW offshore Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. Starting from the rotor
geometry and the inertial characteristics of a given 10MW VAWT, and the characteristics of
a given offshore site (Buchan Deep, approx. 25-30 km off the coast of Peterhead in
Aberdeenshire), the students will need to perform a conceptual design first and then a
preliminary sizing of a SPAR floating support platform. The final output should comprise but
not limited to: definition of geometrical, inertial, aerodynamic, and hydrodynamic
characteristics of the proposed FOWT, estimation of the capital cost (only for the floating
support structure), and a comparison against the HAWT FOWT proposed for the same site
by Statoil.
29. Further development and analysis of the mooring dynamics modelling

approach for the aero-hydro-mooring coupled model of dynamics for
VAWT
Company Name: University of Maine (USA)
Since 2011, the OREE centre has been developing a coupled model of dynamics for floating
vertical axis wind turbines called FloVAWT. The code has been validated at module level
against experimental data and verified against code-to-code comparisone exercises, has
been utilising a in house code for the mooring system dynamics.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in USA (NREL) has recently issued the new
version of FAST, a coupled model of dynamics for offshore floating HAWT, and thanks to its
modular structure it is possibe to adopt the FAST mooring dynamics module (MoorDyn) and
integrate it with FloVAWT. The main aim of this projec is therefore the integration of the
MoorDyn module of FAST into FloVAWT, followed by its verification and, if possible, its
validation. The candidate will gain an in depth knowledge of the state-of-the-art coupled
model of dynamics tools (HAWT and VAWT) as well as in depth knowledge of the mooring
system dynamics.
30. A systematic comparison of floating support structures for offshore wind

turbines
A number of concepts proposed have been proposed as floating support structures for
offshore wind turbines. Some overview documents have been issued presenting their main
characteristics, but at present there are no documents systematically classifying these
structures,
comparing
and
contrasting
their
characteristics.
The main aim of this thesis will be to conduct a review of the main important floating
support structures proposed, and to analyse them in order to be able to propose a set of
evaluation criteria against which the platforms can be marked and ranked. The student will
gain an in depth overview of the state of the art of floating support structure for wind
turbines technology, as well as developing an understanding of their main characteristics.
31. Investigation of simple, low aspect ratio 3D planforms in ground effect

using vortex-lattice methods
Company Name: Collaboration with Cranfield Centre for Aeronautics/SATM
This project will utilise open source VLM codes to analyse and compare low Mach, high
Reynolds number turbulent flows over a range of angles of attack and height above ground
for various simplified geometrical planforms. The aim is to assess the performance of the
various shapes in close proximity to a ground plane. Once a brief review of the suitablity of
software alternatives has been completed, test cases covering quasi-static conditions likely
to be experienced in ground effect flight and transient phases will be modelled. The project
deliverables will include assessment of the relevant aerodynamic coefficients for the tested
configurations.
32. A review and comparison of contol-oriented, simplified coupled model of

dynamics for offshore floating wind turbines
Company Name: University of Stuttgart
In the recent years a number of high-fidelity, advanced coupled model of dynamics for
offshore floating wind turbines have been developed, focusing on being able to estimate the
dynamic response and loads acting on the floating wind turbine systems for certification
purposes.
Nonetheless, often these are used as "black-box", i.e. it is not easy to gain an understanding
of the dynamics of these systems: a simplified model, less accurate but more robust and
allowing a better understanding of the dynamics would be an ideal design tool for the
conceptual and preliminary phases of the design, since they are much quicker.
The aim of this project is to perform a literature review on simplified model fo dynamics for
FOWT, comparing and contrasting their characteristics, in order to propose a reference
simplified coupled model of dynamics.
33. Integration of an unsteady 2D vorticity aerodynamics code in the

Cranfield University aero-hydro coupled model of dynamics for VAWT
Co-Supervisor: Dr M Borg (DTU Wind, Denmark)
Company Name: DTU Wind Energy
vertical axis wind turbines called FLoVAWT. The code, validated at module level against
experimental data and verified against code-to-code comparisone exercises, has been
utilising a double multiple streamtube approach to model the aerodynamics of the vertical
axis rotor. There have been some studies showing that, even if this approach is reliable for
conventional configuration, can be limited and should be sobstituted by other approaches.
This thesis will focus on the integration of a vortex aerodynamic model developed for VAWT
into FLoVAWT, with comparison of the performance of the two codes.
34. Effect of second-order hydrodynamics on floating vertical axis wind

turbines
Co-Supervisor: Dr M Borg (DTU Wind, Denmark)
Company Name: DTU Wind Energy
vertical axis wind turbines called FLoVAWT. This project will involve the development of
numerical models in the MATLAB/Simulink environment to implement sum- and differencefrequency second order hydrodynamic wave forces within the FloVAWT integrated
dynamics design tool. A semi-submersible case study shall be considered, with particular
attention paid to low-frequency global platform excitation and potential interaction
between aerodynamic forces and high-frequency wave forces. This project includes the
following topics: Global motion performance analysis of floating wind turbines, Potential
flow theory and second order hydrodynamics
35. A review and comparison of mooring systems for offshore floating SPAR
wind turbines - application to large scale models for open sea tests
Co-Supervisor: Prof Felice Arena (NOEL), Italy
Company Name: Mediterranera University of Reggio Calabria NOEL (Natural Ocean
Engineering Lab)
Cranfield University has started a collaboration with the NOEL (Natural Ocean Engineering
Lab) of the University for Reggio Calabria for the design, manufacturing and experimental
testing of a floating offshore wind turbine (HAWT - SPAR) at a relatively large scale.
The main aim of this thesis will be a literature review of the mooring systems for offshore
floating wind turbines, focusing on SPAR configurations, in order to deliver a review report,
where also the main advantages and disadvantages of each mooring system will be
discussed. This will be followed by the proposal of an optimum mooring system for the
already built SPAR scale model that i currently being tested in NOEL. The student will be cosupervised by academics and PhD students of the Italian university.
36. Microwave-assisted hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae

Supervisor: Dr B Fidalgo
Microalgae have gained increasing interest as feedstock for biorefinery due to the high
growth rate and composition (high content in lipids and other valuable chemicals).
Microalgae feedstock also contents high moisture in composition. For that reason,
hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is considered a suitable conversion technology for this
biomass since the energy required for drying the sample is reduced significantly. HTL is a
thermal decomposition process which converts wet biomass into a liquid fuel, usually
referred as biocrude. The process runs under subcritical water at moderate temperature
and pressure. On the other hand, microwave heating has been shown to improve product
quality and quantity, reduce processing time, and ultimately increase the overall efficiency
of different processes (from chemical synthesis to drying). In the case of HTL, microwave
heating has been used as pretreatment method to aid cell disruption of the microalgae and
enhance the overall performance during the conversion stage. However, microwaveassisted HTL has been barely investigated. In this project the feasibility of microwaveassisted HTL of microalgae will be investigated. The effects of various reaction conditions
(temperature, time, addition of catalysts) will be investigated and compared to data
obtained from conventionally-heated HTL.
37. Co-pyrolysis of biomass and oil sand

Co-Supervisor: Z Li (Advisor)
Oil sand, also known as tar sand or bituminous sand, is a complex mixture of quartz sand,
clay, water, and heavy bitumen, with small content in metals. Although oil sand deposits can
be found throughout the world, the largest reservoirs are in the Athabasca area in northern
Alberta, Canada. On the other hand, biomass is recognized as a renewable resource for
energy production and is abundantly available around the world. Biomass can be converted
into biofuels via different thermal, biological and physical processes. Among the
thermochemical conversion processes, fast pyrolysis has recently attracted interest in order
to produce liquid fuel. Pyrolysis of carbon-based materials such as coal, biomass, and oil
shale to yield char, oil, and gas products has been extensively studied. The aim of this
project is to study the co-pyrolysis of biomass and the oil sand, and recommend optima
technology and set of operating conditions. Current processes and potential process flow
diagram will be assessed by literature review. The proposed process will be then simulated
using Aspen plus. A general techno-economic analysis may be included.
38. Hydrothermal gasification of sewage sludge

Sewage sludge is a by-product generated from the process of sewage treatment in
wastewater treatment plants. The rapidly increasing amount of produced sewage sludge has
raised growing concern recently. Sewage sludge is a waste with risks to human health and
environment, and it requires proper management in compliance with the law. Hydrothermal
treatment consists of the conversion of biomass in water at high temperatures and
pressures. Depending on the operating conditions (temperature, pressure, reaction time),
different primary and secondary reactions take place giving rise to a set of different
products. The aim of this project is to study the hydrothermal gasification of sewage sludge,
and recommend the technology and operating conditions for an optimum process. The
potential process flow diagram will be established after detailed literature review and the
process model will be developed using Aspen plus. A general techno-economic analysis will
be included.
39. Production of H2-rich gas from steam gasification of biomass with in situ
CO2 removal
The Absorption enhanced gasification (AEG) has been proposed by various authors for the
production of H2-rich gas product from biomass. Steam gasification of biomass uses steam
as gasifying agent and yields a medium caloric product gas mainly consisting of H2, CO, CO2,
CH4 and H2O. The removal of CO2 at high temperatures and/or pressures is mainly aimed to
generate hydrogen rich gas from solid and gas fuels. AEG process consists of a dual fluidized
bed system which involves two fluidized bed chambers. In the first chamber, gasification
occurs while a sorbent for in-situ removal of CO2 at high temperature and/or pressure is
added. The spent absorbent is then regenerated in a subsequent stage. Given its high
content in H2, the product gas can be used for a wide range of applications which covers the
conventional combined heat and power production, operation of fuel cells, conversion into
liquid fuels or generation of synthetic natural gas and hydrogen. The aim of this project is to
develop a model of an absorption enhanced gasification process using Aspen plus. The
potential process flow diagram will be established after detailed literature review and a
general techno-economic analysis will be obtained.
40. CFD modelling of hydrothermal gasification of sewage sludge in a

fluidized bed reactor
Sewage sludge is a by-product generated from the process of sewage treatment in
wastewater treatment plants. The rapidly increasing amount of produced sewage sludge has
raised growing concern recently. Hydrothermal treatment consists of the conversion of
biomass in water at high temperatures and pressures. Due to the high moisture content of
the sewage sludge, hydrothermal liquefaction may be an option for converting this waste
into high-value gas. The aim of this project is to develop a CFD model to describe the fluid
dynamics and reactions occurring during hydrothermal gasification of sewage sludge in a
fluidized bed reactor using Ansys Fluent.
41. Finite element and stress analysis of Rotary valve

Supervisor: Dr M Gourma
The rotary valves are used to regulate the flow of material from one chamber to another.
They are used under severe conditions of pressure and temperature in various fields (such
as: mining, oil& gas, Chemical). The object of this project is the analysis of various
geometries in terms of stress distributions, modal analysis at given rotating speed.
42. CFD: Thermo-fluid modelling of CO2 mixture, transport and

depressurisation
The transport of CO2 between the point of capture and the point of storage take place at
high pressures. The CO2 is then in a supercritical (Liquid-like) state. During planned
maintenance or failure, the pipe can be depressurized. The change in pressure leads to
phase change in CO2 resulting in severe cooling of the pipe (since the supercritical CO2 has
high cooling potential). If the temperature becomes low enough, the pipe material may
become brittle, causing rupture and damage. The objective here is to is to model the
mixture flows with various volume fractions and equation of states to see their influence on
the pipe cooling
43. Anaerobic digester: CFD modelling of gas and Non-Newtonian fluid in

digester
Anaerobic digestion converts the energy stored in organic materials into biogas. Adequate
mixing of the liquid inside an anaerobic digester provide uniform environment for maximum
digestion. The objective is the simulation of flowing non-Newtonian liquid in vertical column
is injected with gas bubbles. The gas injection is needed to ensure maximum mixing.
44. Sand Erosion: CFD Modelling of erosion in hot gas pipes due to sand
presence
Estimation of sand erosion in gas lines is necessary for protecting and designing pipelines. In
order to predict erosion caused by sand particles in hot gas lines, simulations with various
particle sizes and turbulent gas temperature will be carried out in 90 Degre elbow. Two
existing erosion models (OKA and E/CRC) will be tested and compared with data.
45. Sand Transport in single phase system: Modelling Sand transport in liquid
During oil and gas production, accumulation of sand particles in pipelines poses operational
challenges to facilities and leads to downtime losses. The objective of this project is model
sand and water flows in V shaped line, in order to predict minimum continuous transport
conditions, the study of the effect of viscosity of the phase carrier on these conditions as
well as the distribution of sand particles.
46. CFD modelling of the combustion in the burner/rig

Co-Supervisor: Dr J Sumner
The rotary valves are used to regulate the flow of material from one chamber to another.
They are used under severe conditions of pressure and temperature in various fields (such
as: mining, oil& gas, Chemical). The object of this project is the analysis of various
geometries in terms of stress distributions, modal analysis at given rotating speed.
47. The experimental study of physical properties of liquid/liquid mixtures

involving non-Newtonian crude
Supervisor: Dr L Lao
Non-Newtonian crude, a fluid with properties that differ from those of Newtonian fluids,
extensively exists in oil and gas industry. The multiphase flows involving non-Newtonian
have posed a challenge to the industrial, however they have not been well studied. The
objective of this project is to experimentally study the fundamental physical properties of
the non-Newtonian crude/water mixture. The tasks include the bench tests with regard to
the sheer stress-sheer rate characteristics of the mixture, at different temperatures and
water cut values. The results from this experimental investigation is expected to be used for
the further study on the flow behaviours of liquid/liquid flows involving non-Newtonian
fluids.
48. Behaviours of Two Phase Flows in Up and Down Vertical Pipes

Gas liquid annular flows in vertical pipes are very common in power and chemical plants.
Previous research has been mostly limited to upward flows in small diameter pipes (i.d.<=
50mm). Work on downward flows with pipe diameter >100 mm are rare. The objective of
the research is to investigate the behavior of gas liquid flows in downward and upward
pipes. The student will initially carry out literature survey on the annular flows in different
conditions. The analysis on the available experimental data such as pressure, film thickness
and phase distribution in a vertical upward and downward gas/liquid flow, will then be
conducted. It is expected a better understanding about the flow behavior in vertical large
scale pipes, and improved correlations for predicting the flow behaviours can be developed.
49. Assessments of Minimum Sand Transportation Conditions in Multiphase

Pipeline
Co-Supervisor: Wei Yan (Petrofac Engineering and Production Service)
Sand management in multiphase oil and gas pipelines is vital to prevent production
curtailing and maintain mechanical integrity of pipeline and surface treatment facilities.
Three main aspects involved are: (1) Sand Erosion Control (2) Assurance of Sand
Transportation and (3) Sand Monitoring. This research project focuses on the assessments
of sand minimum transport conditions in a typical subsea oil and gas pipeline. It consists of
two stages: (1) Conduct a literature review of the current available methods for predicting
sand transportation conditions in pipeline (in particular for multiphase flow systems) and (2)
Perform comparisons of those prediction methods against the available experimental/field
data. As a engineering design practice, those comparisons will be done in an excel
workbook, interacting with standard Flow Assurance design tools (i.e. Pipesim or OLGA).
50. Data Mining to Extract Multiphase Flow Parameters

Co-Supervisor: Prafull Sharma
The design of oil production pipelines involves evaluation of flow lines subject to multiphase
flow of oil, water, and gas, where oscillations in pressure, temperature, and phase
concentration typically occur. The identification of flow patterns along with estimation of
parameters such as slip velocity, gas fraction, friction factors etc is essential for design of
production equipment and flow assurance. The objective of this project is to use data
mining methods on an existing database of mutliphase flow measurements to extract flow
parameters.
51. Wetgas Measurement using Clamp-On Sensors

Co-Supervisor: Prafull Sharma
In recent years, wet gas flow measurement is becoming increasingly important in gas/oil
fields, offshore process and petrolchemical industries. Clamp-On measurement technologies
have been gaining importance due to ease of installation and logistics. This project will
investigate measurement of liquid film thickness variation on the pipe wall under wetgas
conditions using clamp-on sensors as gamma densitometer and microwave sensor
52. Ultrasonic Flow Measurement for Boiler Tubes

Co-Supervisor: Dr Jeff Evemy, Mr Stan Collins
Company Name: Jeff Evemy Bouquesque Designs Ltd
Based on initial research by Prof. M L Sanderson [1] a prototype flow measurement system
was developed and has been tested in the Process Systems Engineering laboratory at
Cranfield (PSE). An identical system is installed at the Brunner Island power station and has
provided useful data. It is necessary to develop the software systematically on the
prototype installed at Cranfield and evaluate its performance. Whilst the system at Brunner
is at several hundred bar and several hundred Kelvin the indications are that it appears to
run in an identical way. There are no indications that results obtained from the system at
Cranfield cannot be applied directly to Brunner. It is hoped that the results gained from this
project at Cranfield will help to redesign the system being tested at Brunner. The Objectives
and
scope
of
the
MSc
project
are
therefore:
1. Confirm reliability and repeatability of hardware installation at Cranfield.
2.
Develop
a
methodology
for
testing
and
calibration
of
results.
3. Investigate relationship between set-up parameters and performance.
4.
Investigate
impact
of
hardware
improvements
on
performance.
5.
Analyse
and
compare
with
simulated
scenarios.
6.
Determine
changes
in
software
necessary
to
compensate.
7.
Evaluate
algorithm
improvements
and
document
software.
53. A review on a type of instability in gas-liquid systems

From the industries to the nature mother, there is a type of instability widely exists in
gas/liquid systems. Roughly speaking this type of instability is featured as periodic pressure
build-up phase and blowout phase. For example, severe slugging in low rate oil/gas flows in
pipeline-riser system, where due to the liquid blockage in the lower part of the system (e.g.
riser base), the pressure is building up due to the gas production from the reservoir and
liquid column increased. This process will continue until the gas penetrates into the liquid
column leading to the liquid blockage being pushed out in a accelerated manner, and finally
the gas (indeed with mixed liquid) blow out. Similarly a geophysical phenomenon, namely
subglacial
eruption
in
the
situation
of
the
ice
capped
volcano.
The objective of this study, is to carry out an extensive literature review on this type of
phenomenon, and identify the key factors which linked to the characteristics of the
instability. The key variables are to identify which would be recommended to describe the
process of the phenomenon.
54. Optimum design of crack arrestors in structural members

Supervisor: Amir Chahardehi
Co-Supervisor: Dr A Mehmanparast
The aim of the project is to design the optimum size and shape for crack stopper holes for
stylised geometries including cylindrical braces with and without welds. The analysis entails
application of handbook solutions, finite element analysis and optimisation of the shape for
dominant loading modes. A further fatigue assessment on the design should also be
performed, using industrially accepted design codes, to demonstrate the fitness of the
solution. The analytical design should then be ratified by practical consideration of the
limitation of cutting and grinding methods. The outcome of the project will benefit
industrial applications, by providing stylised solutions with little need for modification in real
situations. Applications range from offshore oil and gas installations and wind through to
bridges and infrastructure.
55. Analysis of the local stress concentrations and their effect on integrity of
welded components
The stress concentration factor (SCF) in structural details has a profound impact on the life
of structures and its knowledge enables accurate estimation of the stresses and therefore
remaining life of the structure. This also guides the physical extent of inspections that may
be required, periodically, to ensure fitness of the component. Standard solutions currently
exist, to determine these SCFs at the weld toe and are routinely used in design and analysis.
However, the current parametric equations for SCFs at welds consider only the highest SCF
that occurs in the weld, ignoring the secondary SCFs that might occur and ignoring which
could lead to inaccuracy in design and inadequate structural capacity. The aim of this
project is to quantify these concentration factors, using FE and analytical methods in
parametric form, and to demonstrate their effect in longevity of welds through stylised
examples. Immediate applications include offshore renewable and oil&gas structures, ship
hulls, and the outcome of the work may be used in updating current national and
international standard codes.
56. Towards a rapid quantification of likelihood of failure in load-carrying

components
Assessment of fracture in structural compoents has traditionally been performed using
deterministic methods, where the inputs to the analysis are expressed as single value
parameters. In reality, inherent variability in the material properties, loading conditions,
and failure criterion, all contribute to add uncertainties to the assessment. Therefore the
approach in most industries has been to opt for conservative inputs, leading to results
whose degree of conservatism might be difficult to quantify. It is however usually required
that a certain target probability of failure is demonstrated. The other end of the analysis
spectrum is the fully-fledged proabibilistic (or more appropriately, statistical) analysis where
all the possible varibilities are included in the assessment, leading to cumbersome and
expensive calculations. An optimum solutions in some cases may be to adopt a semiproababilistic approach, by use of partial safety factors (PSFs), calibrated based on the
expected probability of failure and other considerations such as type of flaw. The aim of
this project is to provide an update to the currently exisitng PSFs which are used in standard
codes, to include the loading mode and flaw type for stylised cases. The results have
widespread application in relevant industries, and could be used to update currently
published values in national and internation standard codes.
57. Accurate integrity assessment of welded components containing

embedded defects
Embedded flaws are a possible occurrence in welds, and are currently assessed using
bounding, and at times overly conservative methods. This could have a real cost implication
in integrity management of sturcutures with thick welded sections. The aim of this project
is to provide a baseline for the caluclation of crack driving force (stress intensity factor - SIF)
in embedded defects, bringing together existing literature content and additional numerical
modelling. Typical stress gradients encountered in welded structures should be used as
default, and the SIF solutions for these and likely additional loading modes should ideally be
presented in the form of parametric equations, and possibly a generic 'weight function'.
Immediate application of the developed solutions would be in welded thick sections such as
offshore monopiles and other components where current standard methods of assessment
lack resolution. The result of the work could also help the update and development of
national and international structural integirty standard codes.
58. Risk-based insoection of offshore welded components

Co-Supervisor: Dr A Kolios
The aim of the project is to assess the application and suitability of current best practice in
risk-based setting of inspection intervals in offshore monopiles and jacket structures. This is
an ambitious undertaking and currently there is a degree of pragmatism practiced among
relevant industries, with rigorous analytical solutions proving highly expensive and complex.
The objective of the work is to establish the sensitivity of the outcome to variation in initial
assumptions.
59. Hybrid power cycles to utilise low-grade heat

Supervisor: Dr I Sher
Low grade heat is hard to utilise for power generation, even as a complementary energy
source. Hybrid power cycles are a promising method of exploiting a low temperature heat
source along with a high temperature one. The method has many advantages, however
faces some challenges in its flexibility between the low and high grade sources, and its
overall
efficiency.
The objective of the project is to explore that method. At first, a literature survey of
available designs should be conducted, followed by thermodynamic modelling and
conceptual design of a hybrid thermodynamic cycle, which will be analysed for
performance, improvement directions, and feasibility. Analysis for a specific low grade heat
source, e.g. solar, waste, etc. could be conducted.
60. Drag reduction by soluble polymeric additives

The phenomenon of turbulent drag reduction by diluted soluble polymers (Toms
Phenomenon) has been known for over 60 years now. It is applied in many closed-loop
systems, to cut pumping power. However, as a result, convective heat-transfer coefficient is
also
reduced
(if
applicable
to
the
system).
There has been an extensive research effort to model this phenomenon, however, a definite
explanation is yet to be offered. The objective of this project is to examine different fluid
models (rheological) for possible modelling in a commercial CFD software. A thorough
literature survey of the phenomenon and its applications should be conducted, followed by
CFD implementation of selected models, comparison to published results, and depends on
progress, a possible example-system case-study.
61. Enhancing heating-systems performance using drag reducing additives

Polymeric additives (to flowing liquids) are well known to reduce drag in turbulent flow
(Toms Phenomenon). However, as a result, convective heat-transfer coefficient is also
reduced. Polymeric additives have nevertheless been used in many heating systems (like the
municipal heating grid in Prague, for example) to reduce pumping costs.
The objective of the project is to study the overall merit of those polymeric additives in
enhancing performance of heating systems (by means of a modelling and analysis), and to
estimate its feasibility in some heating systems case-studies (to be chosen/defined by
student).
62. Electro-chemical coolers for small-scale refrigeration

Electro-chemical cooling is produced by applying electrical current to certain electrochemical cells. The technology has a high potential in small-scale applications, for example
in cooling of electronic devices, or mobile mini-refrigerators (in some medical equipment),
mostly because of its possible miniature size, simplicity, and fast response capability.
The objective of the project is to explore that technology. Following a previous preliminary
study, a literature survey on available technologies and their background will be followed by
modelling of the process (thermodynamics of chemical equilibrium, heat transfer) and
investigating the controlling parameters for a recommended conceptual design, which can
be specified for application/s of choice.
63. Absorption refrigeration cycles for special applications

Absorption cycles are an alternative to compression cycles in refrigeration. They consume
less power, but require a heat source. That makes them useful in applications where heat is
readily available, and/or power consumption is to be minimised. For example, absorption
refrigeration cycles are very useful in areas without a reliable electrical-grid. Another
possible application is in motor-vehicles, where air-conditioning is required, and waste heat
is largely available. This solution can cut overall fuel consumption in cars, by utilising the
engines waste heat for refrigeration, reducing direct power consumption by that system.
The objective of the project is to explore that option. A literature survey of available
technologies will be followed by an analysis of the different variations of absorption
refrigeration cycles. Modelling of the different technological variations would provide
insight into the important parameters in conceptual designs, and should result in
conclusions regarding its feasibility.
64. Bio-Diesel Internal Combustion Engines

The use of bio-diesel as fuel for internal combustion engines is a prominent venue in a
balanced energy mix, however, some special issues with these fuels arise in the processes of
an ICE, such as fuel injection and combustion. Some of these issues are due to bio-diesel's
higher sensitivity to temperature variation, larger variation in properties, and degradation.
The study will include a literature review of state-of-the-art research in this area, to identify
the key issues, and to analyse and/or model some of these parametric effects, possibly
amounting to construction of a tool for bio-diesel selection and performance prediction.
65. Study of a power generation scheme for a specific geographical region

A techno-economical feasibility study will be carried on a possible, student-suggested,
energy generation/use scheme (solar, waste, biomass, etc.) in a specific region, chosen by
the student. A literature review on relevant technologies for that scheme will be conducted,
relevant data for the chosen region will be collated and analysed, followed by a technical
analysis (can possibly involve modelling, if needed) and an economical evaluation to reach a
conclusion on feasibility (can also include a prototype design if appropriate).
66. Energy markets analysis and forecasting

This study will look into the energy markets, e.g. energy related stock prices, energy
commodities prices etc., and any occuring relevant correlations between them. The study
will try to discover whether any such useful correlations, or any other intrinsic correlations,
can serve to facilitate forecasting of energy sector markets behaviour in the near or mid
timescale.
67. Parametric Modelling and Fatigue Damage Assessment of Offshore Wind

Turbine Support Structures
Supervisor: Dr A Kolios
Co-Supervisor: Dr Lin Wang
Company Name: APL
This project aims to carry out parametric modelling and fatigue damage assessment of
offshore wind turbine support structures subjected to combined wave- and wind-induced
loadings. A parametric FEA (finite element analysis) model of offshore wind turbine support
structures will be developed using ANSYS software. The hotspots of the support structures
will be identified using the parametric FEA model. The rain-flow counting algorithm will be
used to reduce the complicated realistic loading history into a set of simple stress reversals
that can feed into the Palmgren-Miner rule in order to assess the fatigue damage of the
structures. Parametric study will be performed to study the effects of each design
parameter on the fatigue damage of the structures.
68. Structural Optimisation of Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structures

based on Finite Element Analysis and Genetic Algorithm
Co-Supervisor: Dr Lin Wang
Company Name: APL
This project aims to develop a structural optimisation model of offshore wind turbine
support structures based on FEA (finite element analysis) and GA (genetic algorithm). A FEA
model of offshore wind turbine support structures will be developed using ANSYS software,
and the results from the FEA model will be validated against either published experimental
data or available data in the literature. The FEA model will be then coupled with GA to
develop a structural optimisation model of offshore wind turbine support structures,
minimising the mass of the structures with multi-criteria constraints.
69. Normalisation Framework for Structural Health Monitoring Data

Co-Supervisor: Maria Martinez (advisor)
Company Name: RWE
This project relates to the Structural Health Monitoring Systems that are currently being
installed in Offshore Wind Turbines enhancing their availability and optimising revenues.
However, the necessary frameworks for processing and utilising in a profitable way the huge
amount of data that Structural Health Monitoring Systems collect from offshore locations
have not been developed yet and constitute one of Industrys biggest concerns at the
moment. Data normalization is a crucial process for these frameworks development, which
consists in separating changes in sensor readings caused by damage, from those caused by
varying operational and environmental conditions. This project aims to develop a
normalisation framework suitable to be applied to real Structural Health Monitoring data
obtained from offshore wind turbines.
70. Techno-economic assessment of the scaling of a waste treatment system

Co-Supervisor: Dr Dawid Hanak / Dr Tosin Onabanjo
Company Name: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
This project is part of the Nano-membrane toilet that currently runs at Cranfield funded by
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the aim to design a domestic scale sanitation
system for developing countries. This is a high impact endeavour and this MSc project will
build on work already taking place for the evaluation of the energy and mass balance on a
domestic system scaling it up to a community scale system, investigating the technical and
economic issues that the larger scale brings, performing a thorough techno economic
multidisciplinary assessment to explore the concepts potential viability.
71. RAM analysis for the certification of domestic scale sanitation systems
Co-Supervisor: Dr Dawid Hanak
Company Name: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
This project is part of the Nano-membrane toilet that currently runs at Cranfield funded by
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the aim to design a domestic scale sanitation
system for developing countries. The team at Cranfield is particularly interested to build a
framework towards certification of its unit according to international standards and
processes. For the purpose of this project, a thorough review of existing applicable
standards will take place, followed by a detailed system break down and qualitative
reliability assessment (FMEA, HAZOP analysis). Deliverable of the project after investigating
similar technologies will be a generic framework for effective implementation of RAM
analysis towards certification of similar systems.
72. A multi-disciplinary risk-based review of energy storage systems

Co-Supervisor: Dr Tosin Onabanjo / Dr Dawid Hanak
This project aims to perform a market analysis and technology classification on existing and
developing energy storage solution. After a comprehensive review of the existing literature,
technologies identified will be classified based on fundamental criteria (ie scale, application
etc), highlighting the maturity level and applicability potential of different available
concepts. Following, a PESTLE approach will be adopted to identify stakeholder across the
six core market sectors as well as related risks. A framework for prioritisation of risks will be
developed in the form of a generic tool, employing relevant decision support systems, such
as TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) or similar
suitable methods, with a relevant extension to account for uncertain inputs to the analysis
and account for various scenarios and degree of confidence in individual assessment.
73. Thermodynamic modelling of phase transformation of trace element in

biomass samples during thermochemical biomass to energy conversion
Supervisor: Dr Y Jiang
Co-Supervisor: Dr P Longhurst
Company Name: EPSRC
Thermochemical biomass to energy conversion technology plays an integral part of the UK
and the EU renewable energy development strategy. Previous studies carried out by
Cranfield researchers showed biomass of plant origin often contain heavy metal
contaminants which will subsequently cause hot-corrosion of facilities and toxic gaseous
emissions during thermochemical process. Using extensive biomass composition database
ECN Phyllis containing analytical results of samples collected across the world, one aim of
the project is to use statistical method to study the concentration distributions of high
profile metal contaminants (to be identified in the project) and identify the concentration
range of these metals most likely to be fund in typical biomass feedstocks. These results will
then inform thermodynamic modelling based on chemical equilibrium calculations to
suggest optimised thermochemical operational parameters to minimised gaseous elemental
emissions.
74. Cost-Effective Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of Deep-water

Offshore Wind farms
Supervisor: Dr M Shafiee
Company Name: Energy Industry
Many offshore wind farms are planned to be built in deep-sea locations (50+ meters) due to
high wind resources. In this line, reducing operation and maintenance (O&M) costs is
necessary to make deepsea offshore wind projects viable. This project aims to present a
framework for the development of cost-effective inspection, repair and maintenance (IMR)
strategies and policies for deepsea offshore wind turbines.
75. End-of-Life and Decommissioning of Offshore Energy (Oil and Gas / Wind)
Facilities
As the Offshore energy industry reaches maturity, the issues of end-of-life and
decommissioning management of offshore (oil and gas, wind energy) facilities and
structures are becoming more crucial. To date, there have been a very limited number of
decommissioning projects across the UK. Each of these projects has had different issues to
deal with and has undergone a learning process. This study aims to collect the experiences
gained by actual decommissioning projects, thus contributing to the transfer of
knowledge/experience within the subsea oil and gas and offshore wind energy industries. A
framework is proposed to identify and analyse the issues which need to be considered when
developing end-of-life strategies as part of offshore energy decommissioning programme.
76. Reliability/Risk-Centred Inspection (RCI) for Offshore Renewable Energy

Structures
Reliability/Risk-centered inspection (RCI) is an indispensable methodology used to identify
the inspection and maintenance intervals of offshore energy assets on the basis of "failure
criticality". Currently, a large number of researchers and practitioners have shown their
interests in applying the RCI analysis to marine renewable energy structures. These
structures are exposed to harsh weather, high wind loadings, corrosion effects and fatigue
hazards which may lead to structural failure. In this project, an RCI tool/techniquege is
presented for marine renewable energy structures taking into account various deterioration
and damage processes.
77. Collisions Damage Assessment in the Offshore Energy Industry

Collisions between ships or between ships and offshore facilities are increasingly simulated
with numerical methods predicting the structural damage. This project presents an efficient
numberical model for damage analysis of collision incidents in the offshore oil fields and/or
offshore wind farms. In order to calculate the collision damage, several factors e.g. type of
material of structure, type of ship, ship speed, traffic, navigation routes, and layout of the
field will be taken into account.
78. Reliability Estimation of Offshore Energy (Oil and Gas / Wind) Facilities in
Arctic Environment
The offshore oil and gas industry is currently moving into the arctic region. In these
environments, the climate is harsh but the potential profits from future expansion are huge.
The harsh arctic conditions may have a negative impact on the reliability and avaiability of
the oil and gas facilities. This project focuses on reliability estimation of the oil and gas
facilities operating in arctic environments. It identifies important arctic factors influencing
the reliability performance and discusses how these may impact the reliability of the
facilities. Finally, a fault-tree analysis and a reliability-block diagram approach are used to
estimate the reliability of safety critical elements.
79. Assessing the CO2 Impact of new Steels in the UK Railway Network
Company Name: Network Rail / TATA Steel
Railway transport currently contributes around 1% of the UKs CO2 emissions. An effecient
way to reduce these emissions is to use new grades of steel for rail tracks. This project aims
to investigate the CO2 impact of new rail steels and develop a traffic-dependent numerical
model to estimate the material, process and transport emissions associated with
construction, inspection, repair and maintenance and end-of-life activities. Several grades of
steel are considered and some required data will be provided by industry.
80. CFD Model for Predicting the Conditions for Suspending and Transporting
Sand in Multiphase Pipelines
Supervisor: Dr P Verdin
Co-Supervisor: Dr N Heywood
Company Name: BHR
The ability to understanding sand behaviour in multiphase pipelines is crucial to predicting
how to avoid potential erosion or partial or complete blockage of the pipeline. The
threshold velocity, marking the point when sand transport begins and might accumulate as
a stationary dune, and the considerably higher flow velocity required for all the sand to be
carried in suspension are the typical extreme conditions to be understood in sand
management. The work will include developing a 2D CFD model and mechanistic modelling
technique to investigate the suspension and transport of sand through a liquid flowline and
may also possibly look at erosion around a pipe bend. The aim will be to use CFD to model
the suspension/transportation under different sand loading/fluid flow conditions and
compare this with data that is publically available or that has already been gathered by
Cranfield University.
81. CFD Study of Oil-Water Multiphase Flow Mixtures in a Blind-T

During multiphase fluid transport, oil and water mixtures can be poorly mixed, especially at
low Reynolds number. These poor mixtures can affect both the transmission efficiency of
the fluids and negatively affect the accuracy of watercut measurement. Experiments have
been conducted in Cranfield University to study the oil-water flow pattern in a blind-T. The
aim of the project is to build a 2D CFD model able to capture the flow bahaviour in the pipe
and in the T-junction under various flow conditions and validate the results with the
available experimental data. Time permitting, a 3D model will also be developed to obtain
more realistic results.
82. CFD Study of a Non-Newtonian Fluid

Co-Supervisor: Dr L Lao
This project is related to the one proposed and supervised by Dr Liyun Lao on experimental
work to be carried out on non-Newtonian fluids, however on the modelling side of the
research. CFD techniques will be used to study the physical properties of a non-Newtonian
and water mixture for different temperatures and water cuts. The geometry (yet to be
defined at this stage) and the mesh will be created with IcemCFD and the flow solution
obtained with the commercial CFD software FLUENT. If possible, numerical results will be
compared to experimental results obtained under the same conditions.
83. Study of Parameters Influencing Ice formation in Pipelines

Under cold conditions, any water present in a pipe can freeze and generate a blockage. This
can lead to a bust of the pipe and a leak. The objective of this research project is to evaluate
the influence of the water and ice properties (viscosity, density, specific heat...) during
freezing. A CFD model will be created (mesh generated with IcemCFD, flow solution with
FLUENT) to study the ice accretion in pipe of different sizes. The solidification model
embedded in FLUENT will be used for this study.
84. CFD Study of Oil-Water Separation

The liquid/liquid hydrocyclone is one of the most advanced oil/water separation devices
available. It is used in a large number of industries, wherever wastewater is generated with
an oil or fat content. The objective of this project is to perform a literature review on
existing devices and build an oil/water CFD separator model. The mesh will be created with
IcemCFD and the flow solution obtained with FLUENT. Simulated results will be compared to
available data from the literature.
85. CFD Study of a Multiphase Flow Through a Double Elbow and Contraction
Pipe System
Double elbow and contraction systems are widely used in industrial applications. The prime
objective of this CFD-based project is to study the behaviour of a liquid-gas flow under
different flow conditions in i.) a 2in, section consisting of two successive 90deg elbows, and
in ii) the double elbow system followed by a pipe restriction. The mesh will be generated
with the commercial IcemCFD mesh generator and the FLUENT flow solver. A 2D model will
be considered first. Time permitting, a full 3D model will be built and used in simulations.
86. Utilising Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) to improve Carbon Capture and
Sequestration (CCS) in Gas Turbines burning natural gas.
Supervisor: Dr H G. Darabkhani
To enhance the level of CO2 in the flow gases of a combustor for carbon capture purposes
one of the techniques is to recirculate a percentage of the exhaust gases to the main
combustion chamber called Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR). In oxy-firing or oxygen rich
combustion it also helps to control the high temperature of combustion process itself to
improve durability of maintenance of the boiler materials. On a test rig exhaust gas (i.e. not
separated CO2) will be re circulated, but there will be provision to inject O2 and restore the
O2 balance and hence enable the simulation of recirculating pure CO2. The inlet gas
composition will be measured using gas analysis to quantify the EGR ratio being evaluated.
The system needs to be designed to start on air and will be gradually transferred to exhaust
gas recirculation. As the exhaust gas is introduced into the inlet the thermodynamic
characteristics of the working fluid will change. The presence of CO2 will affect combustor
performance due to its different thermodynamic properties. Engine emissions will be
evaluated to characterise the effect on them of the EGR ratio; this can also be modelled
using chemical kinetics or process modelling software (e.g., Aspen Plus, gProms, Chemkin).
The project consist of process modelling using any of the above mentioned process
modelling software (preferably Aspen Plus) and also executing some experimental work in a
rig recently commissioned 100 kW gas fired membrane rig in SEEA, to validate the
simulation work. This research will help the power generation market to decide on CO2
capture strategy in gas fired power plants.
87. Integration of HAT system concepts with CO2 capture and sequestration
technology in combustion system of gas turbines
Wet gas turbine cycle technologies (including Humid Air Turbine (HAT) cycle) integrated
with CO2 capture and sequestration technology promises clean and efficient distributed
power generation. The range of configurations possible with these higher performance
technologies combined with CCS has not yet been fully explored and a detailed study is now
appropriate. Knowledge of the basic processes in the cycles, and the parameters needed for
designing the most crucial components of the wet cycle systems also needs to be more
completely investigated. The aim of this work project is to study the capability to assess the
performance of wet cycles. This approach enables a wider range of system configurations to
be explored than to date and improves the potential for finding efficient and optimised gas
CO2 capture systems. Initially, wet cycle layouts needs be defined and preliminary
performance analyses and thermodynamic investigations has to be carried out for a 100 kW
output size. Key issues such as water recovery and water quality requirements for different
cycles and natural gas composition need to be addressed from literature. The system
primary simulation/modeling investigation (e.g., e.g., Aspen Plus, gProms, Chemkin) can
generate preliminary system designs specifying configuration and cycle for a range of plant
sizes and applications. The investigation will establish specifications for key plant
components and provide initial off-design operation estimates aimed at an early
understanding of potential transient behaviour Wet gas turbine cycle integrated with CO2
capture and sequestration technology. A 100 kW gas-fired membrane rig in SEEA can
provide the validation experimental data for the simulation work.
88. Study of State of the Art in Micro Combined Heat and Power (mCHP)
Systems for Domestic Applications (in the UK and Worldwide)
Combined heat and power (CHP) is the simultaneous production of heat and electricity from
a single source, close to where they are to be used. This means that the heat and electricity
generated can be used in the building extremely efficiently because there is no energy
wastage or loss during transportation to another site. Although large scale CHP boilers have
been available for many years for commercial use, micro combined heat and power (also
known as Micro-CHP, mCHP or domestic CHP) is a relatively new technology - generating
low cost, low carbon electricity for use in the home while providing heating and hot water.
The Government's Micro-generation Strategy has identified Micro-CHP as one of the key
technologies to offer a realistic alternative to centrally generated electricity. The Feed-in
Tariff gives funding to organisations and households that use these technologies. Therefore
Micro-CHP systems are now emerging on the market worldwide and in the UK. This thesis is
looking thorough analysis of the operational micro-CHP systems for residential use (e.g.,
Micro-CHP boilers). Data analysis should cover a range of commercially available
technologies for Micro-CHP systems including Gas engines, Stirling engines, Fuel cells and
gas turbine technologies as well as renewable sources like solar and bio-fuel burnt systems.
A comprehensive literature review of the state of art in Micro-CHP generation systems
needs to be carried out including the technical challenges, risk assessment and cost analysis
of these systems which also includes installation and maintenance costs.
89. Study of the Feeding Systems for Pressurised Combustion/Gasification

Processes
The overall objective of this project is to review available, reliable and efficient systems for
continuous feeding of solid fuels (e.g. biomass, coal and/or waste) to high-pressure
environments. Many practical combustion devices operate at high pressures to increase
thermodynamic efficiency and decrease their physical size. In particular in the solid fuel
combined heat and power (CHP) system with a gas turbine core it is important to have a
high pressure fuel feeding system in place. This type of feeding system will enhance the
commercial viability of high-pressure gasifiers and combustors operating on solid fuels by

increasing the efficiency of the plant as a whole. Finally a feeding system should be
identified to demonstrate reliable feeding of commercially available coal/biomass fuels (e.g.,
wood pellets, cereal co products, torrefied spruce pellets, coal grains) in a high pressure
combustor up to 10 bar. This system will give us an insight into solid fuel CHP system that
can burn directly a specific type of solid fuels in a high pressure combustor before feeding
the high pressure combustion gases directly to a turbine system for electricity generation in
domestic applications.
90. An investigation into a biofuel micro combined heat and power (m-CHP)
system for domestic applications.
Biomass would sustainably contribute between a quarter and a third of the future global
energy mix (IEA Bioenergy 2009). The project proposes the feasibility study and design and
performance evaluation of a biomass version of a micro CHP boiler to be utilised in
factories, small industries, farms and off-grid homes. Utilising biomass fuels is one of the
most readily available solutions to reduce the carbon footprint as biomass fuels are
considered a renewable source of energy and close-to-zero-emission fuel sources. The aim
of this project is to investigate the state of art in development of the mCHP systems with
<50 kWe electrical power and perform a simulation and design of a 5 kWe m-CHP system
operating on a suitable biofuel. Market demand for the carbon neutral energy systems are
growing and this project can help the energy society to complete the roadmap towards the
low carbon future technologies for domestic applications.
91. AD of piggery effluents

Supervisor: Dr A Williams
Co-Supervisor: Fred C or Raffi V, with inputs from Daniel Sandars
Company Name: Travel from a UK Innovate project
A pig unit is trying to enhance its environmental performance and sustainability. One aspect
is using a new AD plant to produce biogas. There are different possible mixtures of
feedstocks and operating the plant. The student will use the ADSim process model, to
compare current performance with modelled expectations and explore the potential for
other approaches to operation. The outputs will be coupled with the Cranfield agricultural
systems LCA model to evaluate overall environmental impacts on pig production.
92. Life Cycle Assessment of Cranfields energy policies

Co-Supervisor: Dr S Wagland
The university wishes to reduce its environmental impact, which is mainly focussed on direct
greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). The student will investigate these, particularly the use of
biomass fuels and combined heat and power and consider approaches to reducing energy
demand. The study will take a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) view and include impacts beyond
GHGE alone. The study will include a comparison of GHG accounting by standard company
approaches with the fuller LCA approach.
93. Petrol or diesel: which is better?

Co-Supervisor: Pietro Goglio
Policies based on reducing GHG emissions have supported diesel engines, but other
emissions (e.g. NOx, particles) and higher than from petrol engines. NOx and particles are
notably damaging to health, especially in urban areas, but so is global warming. Life cycle
assessment will be used to compare a wide range of impacts and thus to provide a more
informed comparison than has done before.
94. Whats the cost of a Tweet?

Co-Supervisor: Dr N Ozkan
Tweeting, texting and emails all require infrastructure and electricity to make them work.
This generates greenhouse gases and uses non-renewable resources. The increasing
expectation of people to have access to the internet everywhere means that wireless
networks are very common. Messages are stored on servers, sometimes for years.
Infrastructure and electricity both cost someone money, but who pays? The student will
investigate the energy use and associated environmental (and or economic) impacts of
sending messages. The initial focus will be on emails and the energy use of transmission and
storage. This will require investigating electricity use and traffic, using the university system
as a data source. Approaches to reducing costs and impacts will be investigated.
95. Eat up and stop food waste: right or wrong?

Co-Supervisor: Dr D Parsons
About 30% of food gets wasted in the UK. We make better efforts to eat it and avoid waste,
shouldnt we? Maybe, if we do, we may get more obese and impose more on health
services. If we have more enlightened food waste management, we can recover energy
through anaerobic digestion. Which is the better approach or is there another?The student
will investigate the alternatives from at least an environmental perspective, but economic
factors could also be considered.
96. Lifecycle assessment (LCA) of pizza production and consumption

Co-Supervisor: Dr T Hess
The study will deliver a generic cradle to grave LCA of pizza production and consumption.
The consumption phase, in particular, will be explored in detail and comparisons will be
made. The quantified environmental impacts will include a minimum of GHGE, energy use,
stress weighted water use and water quality impacts. The report will also indicate areas
where more primary data are needed to evaluate the subject more fully in subsequent
studies.
97. Solar panels, grass and sheep

Co-Supervisor: Dr P Burgess
Solar farms are proliferating. Solar panel arrays let some light through and hence support
reduced grass growth and limited sheep production. Reduced grass productivity mean that
less organic C enters the soil so that the soil C equilibrium will shift and tend to cause
emission of CO2 and other GHG, e.g. nitrous oxide. If we assume that existing sheep
production is displaced and there is continuing demand, it would be replaced elsewhere,
with associated impacts. The study will thus quantify the effects of soil C loss and sheep
displacement on the net balance of GHG benefits from using this source of renewable
electricity.
98. Modelling scenarios for the best use of renewable energy in a domestic
setting
Supervisor: Dr G Drew
This project will look into optimising usage of electricity generated by solar PV in a domestic
setting. The student will have access to a house with a 3.9 kWh solar PV system installed
and will determine if it is better to export the electricity generated to the grid or use it. If
the householders should use the electricity, recommendations on best uses should be
provided. The second part of the project will use the initial recommendations to model
different socio-economic groups (e.g. 2x adults, 3x children; 2x adults working full time; 1x
adult, 1x child) to expand the recommendations
99. Business development strategies for AD

Supervisor: Dr P Longhurst
Co-Supervisor: Dr Y Jiang
Company Name: Shanks
A n identification and analysis of future options for AD in a market of reducing food wastes,
energy price change and land-bank competition
100. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of food waste management scenarios.

Supervisor: Pietro Goglio
Cranfield University catering facilities produce a large amount of food waste which is
currently transport in a offsite biogas facility in Bedfordshire. The aim of this project is to
assess with a life cycle assessment the environmental impacts and energy consumption of
the current practice with other scenarios: biogas production on campus and compost
production on campus.
101. Review of life cycle assessment (LCA) of bioenergy pathways.

Supervisor: Pietro Goglio
Across the world, there has been increasing interest toward bioenergy pathways from solid
biomass and several life cycle assessments have been carried out. However, the quality of
data sources and the assessment is subjected to a large variation. The aim of this project is
to collect and classify in terms of quality the life cycle assessments available for bioenergy
pathways to identify potential gaps of knowledge and future research perspectives.
102. Multiple subsea cable electromagnetic emissions into the environment

Supervisor: Dr A Gill
Co-Supervisor: FE modelling support
Subsea cables emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs) into the environment. Legislation requires
an understanding of the extent and intensity of these emissions and with the advent of
smart grids and multiple device marine renewable energy arrays there is a need to
understand how EMFs from multiple cables interact with each other and the background
earths magnetic field. The project will consider subsea cable characteristics and orientation
between cables and in relation to the geomagnetic field. we have EMF data measured from
operational AC and DC cables which we can use to validate some of the modelling
undertaken.
103. Multi Criteria assessment of options for subsea cable deployment

Different options for transmitting electricity in marine environments are available based on
the type of electrical current (AC or DC), cable characteristics, placement on or under the
seabed, amongst others. In this project you will consider a selection of industry standard
cables within different scenarios relating to the environmental and engineering
characteristics and conduct an assessment of options using multi-criteria analysis methods.
The outputs will provide an assessment of the engineering, environmental pro's and con's to
assist in decision making for subsea cable deployment.
104. Wave and tidal device deployment in polar waters - engineering and
environment limiting factors
Company Name: Marine Energy device SME/British Antarctic Survey
Diversification of deployment options for marine wave and/or tidal devices could be
important for the success of wave and tidal energy initiatives. This project aims to address
questions linked to finding a small scale renewable energy source for operations in polar
waters, such as those conducted by the British Antarctic Suvey. The polar seas represent
particular challenges to deploying and operating devices and this project will look at one or
more device types and undertake an assessment of the challenges, either from an
engineering or environmental perspective - depending on he student.
105. Quantifying the extent and variability of marine renewable energy

sources around the UK
The predictability of marine resources (wind, wave and tidal) is vital for competitive energy
sourcing. Open access datasets will be accessed to quantify the extent and variability of
energy sources around the UK (or a specific area/region). The data will be analysed for
temporal variability and determination of confidence in the output data.
106. Developing the 'environment' topic within environmental critical

elements analysis
Environmental critical element analysis is important for offshore energy companies when
looking at the risk of failure of particular elements in their operation. The focus is on the
production and/or maintenance process and the most likely and potentially
detrimental/dangerous element. The ECE process is arguably one sided as it doesn't
consider the receiving environment and receptors to any significant extent. This project will
extend consideration of post-w
107. Wireless power transfer technology demonstration

Supervisor: Dr P Luk
Co-Supervisor: W Fei
Company Name: TBC
The project concerns the study and development of some prototype for wireless power
transfer applications, including undersea and wireless charging of vehicles.
108. Energy harvestor using nano-materials

Co-Supervisor: W Fei
Company Name: TBC
The main aim of the project is to build a small shoe-embedded energy harvestor prototype
and evaluate the performance.
109. Reconfigurable on-site green research lab for innovation

Company Name: Various
The project is suitable for students who have been involved with the Group Project with the
similar project title to further develop his/her idea. The aim is to provide design concepts for
an on-campus project that provides a live research laboratory for different disciplines, as to
be determined by the student.
110. Cost and benefit study of storage technologies for PV and renewable
energies
Co-Supervisor: Dr W Fei
Company Name: Lark Energy Ltd
This concerns the study of various storage technologies for renewable energies, in
particular, focus will be put on the use of hourly real data of energy input from the PV
installations supplied by the industry partner.
111. Variability source characterization on agave tequilana waste

Supervisor: Dr A Encinas-Oropesa / Dr V Marchante
Agricultural and industrial by-product fibres from Tequila production have a promising
potential as a reinforcement/filler source for green composites developments. Final
properties in green composite materials have strong variations due chemical composition of
the natural fibres and properties are dependent on this. This project aims to experimentally
study the properties variation between different fibre sources to determine its possible use
as reinforcement/filler for green composites.
112. New sustainable material outlock market

Supervisor: Dr A Encinas-Oropesa / Dr N Simms
Agricultural low-grade by-product, is being investigted at Cranfield to be re-captured and
used as raw material for diferent industry, thus fullfil the principal of the Circular Economy
Framework and provide a sustainable local development. What would it be the potencial
cost/market for this new material?
113. Energy Recovery from a new bio-composite material

Supervisor: Dr A Encinas-Oropesa
Co Supervisor: Dr Phil Longhurst
A close loop circular framework is desirable when disposing materials. At Cranfield, a new Biocomposite base on agave fibres by-product is being developed. Energy recovery from these
materials could be a route for closing this cycle. This project investigates that possibility. As
this project complements ongoing research, it is aimed to elaborate a paper for publication.
114. Disposal route assessment for an innovative bio-material

Supervisor: Dr A Encinas-Oropesa / Dr P Longhurst
A recycling option for agroindustry waste has been proposed at Cranfield by using byproduct fibres from Tequila production as a reinforcement for a new bio-composite. This
project will look at local policies and legislations, as well as the bio-material properties, to
stablish the ideal disposal route and strategy to provide a local sustainable development. As
this project complements ongoing research, it is aimed to elaborate a paper for publication.
115. Life prediction on a Single Cristal Superalloy coated for Industrial Gas
Turbine
Supervisor: Dr A Encinas-Oropesa / Dr J Sumner
An alternative to enable gas turbine materials to operate at increasing temperatures and
pressures is the use of protective coatings on the hot gas path components i.e. blades and
vanes. CMSX4 is a single crystal originally developed for use in the hot gas path of aeroengines, but is now also being deployed in industrial gas turbines. Extensive research has
been carried out at Cranfield to gather quantitative corrosion damage data that has enable
to develop models to describe/predict the onset of hot corrosion (incubation period) and
the corrosion propagation rates observed under different gas compositions and various
deposition fluxes for type II hot corrosion damage. However, more data is needed to
improve the current models.The aim of this project is to generate such data by running a
corrosion test in a controlled atmosphere furnace, assessing samples by mass changes
during testing work, following by optical analysis using a specialised image analyser and to
assess the corrosion mechanisms, using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX).
116. Vibrational Investigation of the Base Structure of a High Pressure

Compressor
Supervisor: Dr J Amaral-Teixeira
Co-Supervisor: Dr M Al Yahyai
Structural and vibrational investigation of a base plate used with a high-speed compressor
117. Rotordynamic Study of High Pressure Compressor Operating Under

Tested Conditions
Co-Supervisor: Dr M Al Yahyai
Rotordynamic modelling of a High Pressure Compressor for which field data is available
118. Design of a Gear Box for Use with a Geared Turbo Fan
Supervisor: Mr Ron Midgely
Co-Supervisor: Dr A Addali
This project centres on the choices that would be performed as part of the designing of a
geared fan to be coupled to an existing gas generator for aviation applications. Gear box
design for aerospace applications is conducted with the core aim of reducing weight whilst
ensuring maximum safety margins.
119. Conceptual Design of the Gearing System for a Prop Fan

Supervisor: Mr Ron Midgely
Co-Supervisor: Dr J Amaral-Teixeira
Prop fans offer the promise of substantial reductions in specific fuel consumption and are
for this reason quite attractive propositions for future propulsion solutions. This project is
concerned with the implementation of the gearing system for a prop fan to include the gear
box and ancillary equipment namely the provision of pitch control for thrust reversal.
120. High Temperature Fan Investigations

Co-Supervisor: Dr M Gourma
Industrial fans used in emergency applications where the device is required to operate in
the extraction of smoke for buildings on fire have specific creep requirements that equate
to large tip clearances and the attending efficiency penalties when running cold. This
project seeks to approach the matter of the design of these fans from a clean sheet
perspective seeking to exploit the high temperature deformation of the blades in a
favourable manner. The work involves an interaction between structural and aerodynamic
computations and analyses.
121. Flexible Airfoils - a Hydro-mechanical Examination

Tidal turbines are placed in very energetic streams often characterized by high turbulent
regimes. The fatigue implications of operating in these flow conditions can be minimized
through a number of active and passive means and this project seeks to investigate one of
these approaches which consists of the provision of highly flexible blading as the means of
reducing fatigue loading to the transmission train.
122. Rotordynamic characterization of a textured journal seal

The hydrodynamic performance of journal seals can be enhanced through the provision of
texturing. This project will follow on from a previous year project and investigate the
rotordynamic properties of a seal, damping and stiffness, employing a journal seal fitted
with geometric grooves and other surface features.
123. Subsea Wireless Acoustic Communications for the Offshore Industry

Supervisor: Dr F Kara
Advances in signalling reliability, versatility, and equipment, have propelled acoustic
communication from an unreliable form of communication, to the point that acoustic
communication can be used as a primary method of controlling and reporting status of
critical equipment. This project will approach the current state of acoustic wireless
communication, and a brief case study on how acoustic communication is bringing benefit
to the offshore industry.
124. Subsea Compression

With the recent successful commissioning, and now ongoing operation, of subsea
compression units on sgard, the technology is gaining credibility as a robust and viable
solution for increased hydrocarbon recovery. Expectations that subsea compression will
become a key enabling technology are growing. sgard project represents decades of
ongoing technology development which have also provided many learning opportunities for
further optimization and simplification of subsea compression systems. This experience is
particularly relevant under current market conditions, with operators looking for cost
effective solutions based on qualified core technologies. This project will focus on the
sgard subsea compression system and some of what went into delivering the project along
with a number of key lessons learned along the way. Robustness and flexibility of the
technology will be considered against expectations and actual operational performance.
125. Wave energy converter arrays

The project will focus on the effects of the separation distances between array system and
heading angles on energy absorption in different modes of motions in order to define
bandwidth. It will also consider wave interactions between arrays.
126. Subsea High Pressure Fields: Trends, impact and some challenges for
product development
Despite the current low oil price market environment, development of high pressure fields
will be a reality. This project will focus on what HPHT fields are and how widespread they
are. It will also be discussed some of the impact of high pressure and temperature on
project development, as well as their economic viability.
127. Using Flow Assurance to ensure Fit for Purpose cost effective asset
design and management
Given the current demands on the Oil and Gas industry to manage costs effectively, it is
essential to minimise CAPEX and OPEX spends throughout the life of an asset. Flow
Assurance is key to keeping a design fit for purpose, ensuring the right infrastructure and
applying the right technology, while asset operation and management is carried out in a
safe, efficient environment maximising production and revenue with optimum OPEX. The
project will focus on case studies of how Flow Assurance can be used to achieve this goal.
128. Contactless transmission coupling

Supervisor: Dr W Fei
Co-Supervisor: Prof P Luk
There are more and more applications from the industry which require contactless force or
torque transmissions. This project will focus on the development and analysis of various
configurations for contactless transimission coupling based on electromangetic concept.
129. Interactions between corrosion pits on the offshore pipeline

Corrosion pit is one of the major issues for pipeline in offshore industry, this project will
target at the analysis and evaluation of the interactional effects between multiple corrosion
pits. The shapes and displacement distances/directions of the pits will be comprehensively
investigated to reveal the interactional effects.
130. Maximum power point tracking control of PV panel

The project will focus on the novel design of MPPT control of PV panel. Several intelligent
control methods such as fuzzy logic and neuronetwork will be developed to improve the
dynamic performance of the PV system over the existing conventional ones.
131. Maximum power point tracking control of Small wind power generator
The project will focus on the MPPT of small wind power generation system. As fixed pitch
wind turbine is commonly used for small wind power generation applications, the electric
generator needs to be constantly regulated to the speed which could acquire the maximum
power from wind based on the turbine characteristics.
132. Low cost and accurate current sensing device

There are always compromises between the cost and accuracy of the current sensors. This
project will develop a low cost but accurate current sensor by using linear Hall sensor. The
accurracy and dynamic performance of the sensor will be tested.
133. Evaluation and test of small wind power generator

The project will focus on the analysis and experimental tests of a 500W permanent magnet
generator for small wind power generation applications. The performance and
characteristics curves from the experimental tests will be obtained to validate the evaluated
results.
134. Novel battery charging system

The project will focus on the design and test of a novel battery charging system by using the
control of power electronics and electric machine windings.
135. Looking Below the Surface of Sample Finishing

Supervisor: Dr J Sumner / S Gray
Accelerated experimental tests are widely used in laboratories to understand, under
controlled conditions, factors likely to affect component life in the field. However, to ensure
that data collected in such a manner is representative of behaviour in the field, great care
must be taken to ensure similarities in factors such as temperatures, gas environment and
or pressure, local humidity, etc. Recently however, the impact of surface finish for
components involved in gas turbines has come under debate. Surface treatments such as
shot-peening are known to affect the long term behaviour of components. As such, this
project aims to look at the responses of otherwise identical samples when exposed to hot
corrosion conditions with a range of different surface finishes. This project will involve both
lab work and microscopy, and is likely to lead to publication in a journal.
136. Limiting Gas Turbine Life: The Effect of Gas Environment

Supervisor: Dr J Sumner
Co-Supervisor A Potter
Hot corrosion is a significant and potentially lifetime limiting factor in both industrial and
aero gas turbines. The combustion of fuels results in a certain amount of SOx contamination
in the gas phase. This can react with salt deposits on component surfaces to bring about a
corrosive regime. This project investigates the influence of SOx concentration on the rate of
corrosion on superalloy samples. Within this project you will carry out laboratory scale
corrosion tests at elevated temperatures to simulate corrosion damage. Using optical and
electron microscopy, you will employ specialist metrological techniques to measure
corrosion damage and investigate morphological changes. This project will give the
opportunity to produce a paper for a scientific journal.
137. Experimental design: studying hot gas equilibria

Co-Supervisor: A Potter
Hot corrosion can be a key life limiting feature in many types of plant. The reaction between
deposited salt species and SO3 is a key feature of these hot corrosion reactions. For this
reason, the equilibria of SO3 and SO2 + O2 is an important factor. It is thought that Pt and
Al2O3 species are able to catalyse the formation of SO3. This project involves designing a
suitable experimental set up to determine the effects of Pt and Al2O3 species on the SOx
equilibria. Preliminary experimental work may be conducted. This project may give the
opportunity to produce a paper for a scientific journal.
138. Modelling Pilot-Scale Plant: Gas Turbine Rig

Co- Supervisor: Dr M Gourma
Changes to large operating plant come with significant risks, especially as waiting times for
replacement components (e.g. parts for large gas turbines) can be many months. As such,
companies find it important to reliably test proposed changes to operational conditions in
pilot-scale facilities, such as the high velocity burner rig for gas turbine environmental
simulations based at Cranfield. This rig has been used in large EU & international projects,
but to date has been designed and modified based only on empirical understanding. Within
this project, you will use CFD modelling to study combustion and flow paths in the
burner/rig, investigating a cascade geometry and its effect on the combusted gas flows. The
objectives are to improve the understanding of the rig behaviour, characterise the
behaviour of the existing cascade and to generate an improved cascade geometry/improved
flow control for better (homogenous) thermal distributions.
139. Modelling Pilot-Scale Plant: Solid Fuel Combustion Rig

Supervisor: Dr N Simms
Combustion plant (coal/biomass/co-fired) account for a large fraction of energy production
globally. However, environmental legislation, concerns over cheap fuel, and interests in
security of fuel supply have combined to alter many plant operating conditions. One way of
ensuring that such changes have a predictable impact on component lives within such plant
life is through the use of pilot-scale rig testing. One such rig is based at Cranfield and has
been used in many large EU & international projects. It has been through a series of
modifications based on empirical understanding. Within this project you will investigate
current rig configuration using ASPEN+, and other programmes as found to be necessary.
This will involve modular study of the rig, analysing each component separately and as an
ensemble with the objective of determining the overall heat and mass balance for this rig
with different example fuels.
140. Modelling Pilot-Scale Plant: High Pressure Steam Oxidation Rig

Co-Supervisor: Dr N Simms / Dr M Gourma
Steam turbines generate a large part of the electricity used in the world today as parts of
gas and coal fired power plants. To increase the efficiencies of thermal power plants it is
necessary to increase the steam temperature entering such turbines. Thus the final
superheaters and reheaters in power plants need to produce higher temperature and
pressure steam. One natural gas fired pilot scale test rig at Cranfield is dedicated to
investigate the effects of steam temperature on the oxidation of candidate heat exchanger
materials at elevated pressure and under heat flux conditions. It has become necessary to
have a much better knowledge of the operation of this rig in terms of its heat and mass
balances, fluid flows (gas-side and steam-side). This project will involve building
mathematical models of this test rig to enable its operating conditions to be better
predicted. Data from the previous operation of this test rig will be made available for the
validation of such models.
141. Gas Turbine Air Quality in the Offshore Environment

Co-Supervisor: Dr N Simms
Natural gas is a readily available power source utilised at many offshore sites. However the
prevalence of different mixtures of contaminants in the combustion air supply, including
NaCl from sea salt, can severely limit the life of gas turbines in these sites. This project
involves gathering information and data from various sources to enable simple models to be
developed linking contaminants in combustion air and available gas supplies to deposition
and corrosion in the gas turbine. The quality and effectiveness of different potential air
filtration systems is of particular interest in this activity. The ultimate aim is to be able to
defined operating conditions to improve gas turbine component lives, or increase the
number of operating hours possible between maintenance shut-downs.
142. Offshore Gas Turbines

Co- Supervisor: Dr N Simms
Gas turbines are often used in offshore oil and gas production systems, due to the close
proximity to a fuel gas supply, and their small footprint to power ratio. However the
prevalence of different mixtures of contaminants in the combustion air supply, including
NaCl from sea salt, can severely limit the life of gas turbines in these sites. This is as a result
of the different corrosive deposits that can form within the turbine. As increased
reliabilities of gas turbines are sought, the stability of these deposits with changes in
operating conditions is of growing interest. Using techniques such as thermogravimetric
analysis (TGA), furnace exposures, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, you
will look into the stabilities of various deposits, aiming to improve current understanding of
deposition and corrosion mechanisms. This project is likely to give the opportunity to
produce a paper for a scientific journal.
143. Biomass Boilers: Investigations into Deposit-Induced Corrosion

This experimental project aims to investigate two of the key factors effecting the reliability
of components in biomass boilers: the compositions and stabilities of different deposits.
The deposit compositions are highly dependent upon the type of biomass being combusted
and, as novel fuel stocks are investigated, so new deposit chemistries are anticipated. Some
of these deposits chemistries are expected to be unstable as operational conditions change
within a boiler during its use (e.g. heat exchanger surface temperatures). Using techniques
such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), furnace exposures, scanning electron microscopy
and X-ray diffraction, you will look into the stabilities of various deposits, aiming to improve
current understanding of deposition and corrosion mechanisms. This project is likely to give
the opportunity to produce a paper for a scientific journal.
144. Materials challenges in supercritical CO2 power generation cycles

New types of power generation systems are being developed based on the use of
supercritical CO2. These include both open and close fluid cycles depending on the heat
source and recirculation of CO2. Heat sources can include solar, nuclear, biomass, wastes
and fossil fuels. Components in these cycles include heat exchangers, gas turbines, pumps,
pipework, etc, and their materials of construction need to be compatible with the
supercritical CO2 fluid. This project will review the compatibility of existing materials with
supercritical CO2 in the temperature and pressure ranges being considered for these new
power generation cycles
145. Materials selection for Molten Salt Power Cycles / Heat Storage
Co-Supervisor: Dr A Pidcock / Dr N Simms
Some types of solar thermal power generation systems that are being developed use molten
salts to transfer heat. In addition, molten salts are being considered as the basis for heat
storage systems. It is necessary to determine the corrosion performance of potential
materials for every component in the hot fluid paths of these new power cycles. This
project will carry out a review of potential materials performance from the limited available
literature and also generate experimental corrosion data for specific materials/salt
combinations to extend the available information.
146. Time dependence of aggressive fireside corrosion

Co-Supervisor: Mr A Pidcock / Dr N Simms
Renewable fuels, such as waste and biomass, are being increasingly used to generate heat
and power. The heat exchangers that are used in these systems need to be able to
withstand the aggressive deposits generated by these fuels to give economically acceptable
lives. To assist in the development of improved models for component lives it is necessary
to have better understanding of the time dependence of the specific types of fireside
corrosion generated by using these fuels. This project will carry out a 1000 hour laboratory
test on a range of materials using synthetic deposits to investigate the time dependencies of
the various potential fireside corrosion processes.
147. Materials for use in Supercritical fluid power generation cycles

Supercritical fluids are at the core of many proposed new power generation systems. These
fluids may be based on H2O, CO2 or a mixture of these compounds. Closed cycle heat
sources can include solar, nuclear, biomass, wastes and fossil fuels. Semi-closed cycles can
use gaseous fuels and very high pressure oxy-combustion to generate related environments.
In all cases, the components in these cycles include heat exchangers, gas turbines, pumps,
pipework, etc, and their materials of construction need to be compatible with the various
supercritical fluids. This project will review the compatibility of existing materials with the
different potential supercritical fluids in the temperature and pressure ranges being
considered for these new power generation cycles
148. Corrosion and protection of pipeline steels- Project 1

The internal and external corrosion rates of pipeline steels are critical to their potential
lives. There are many methods that have been developed to protect these components,
including the use of corrosion resistant alloys, protective coatings, inhibitors, cathodic
protection, etc. These projects review typical exposure environments, associated
degradation mechanisms and methods of protection. Simplified laboratory exposure tests
will be used to simulate selected conditions and measure materials responses.
149. Corrosion and protection of pipeline steels- Project 2

The internal and external corrosion rates of pipeline steels are critical to their potential
lives. There are many methods that have been developed to protect these components,
including the use of corrosion resistant alloys, protective coatings, inhibitors, cathodic
protection, etc. These projects review typical exposure environments, associated
degradation mechanisms and methods of protection. Simplified laboratory exposure tests
will be used to simulate selected conditions and measure materials responses.
150. Energy recovery from wastewater screening materials

Supervisor: Dr S Wagland
Co-Supervisor: Beatriz Fidalgo Fernandez
Company Name: Ecoganix
Wastewater screening materials generally consist of textiles, plastics, wood/biomass,
organic matter and inert components. These are costly to manage due to their hazardous
nature and so this project will investigate the composition and energy potential of
screenings obtained from a number of waste water treatment facilities. The researcher will
devise a sampling strategy, outline methods of characterisation and analyse the data to
ascertain the suitability of such materials for thermal energy recovery. Advanced Thermal
Treatment [ATT] technologies are of particular interest, and so the data collected will be
suitable for modelling the performance of the screenings in gasification and pyrolysis
processes.
151. Near infrared [NIR] spectrographic properties and variation of

components within commercial and industrial wastes and output solidrecovered fuel [SRF]
Company Name: Opes
Solid recovered fuel [SRF] is a refined waste-derived fuel which, in this case, is produced
from mixed commercial and industrial wastes. It is imperative to understand the quality of
SRF produced, in terms of chlorine content, moisture, ash and calorific value. Following on
from optical monitoring work carried out previously at Cranfield this project will review the
potential of using near-infrared spectrometry to monitor these properties and the variation
of each. Determined properties and variation will be compared and calibrated with actual
values prior to assessing the validity of such an approach to real-time waste-derived fuel
monitoring.
152. Establishing the pathways and causes of fire from stored waste-derived
fuels and identifying properties for self-heating and auto-ignition
Co-Supervisor: Dr P Longhurst
There has been considerable interest in fires at waste treatment facilities in the UK, leading
to comprehensive guidance being released about the storage of combustible wastes
(Environment Agency, 2015). In the UK the waste industry has progressively moved away
from landfill disposal, leading to a significant increase in the number of waste treatment
sites offering, either thermal recovery or facilities incorporating mechanical and/or
biological technologies (Velis et al., 2012; Velis et al., 2013; Wagland et al., 2011) with a
consequential rise in materials stored at waste treatment sites. As suggested by recent
increases in the amount of refuse-derived fuels [RDF] being produced in the UK and
exported to mainland Europe, there is now a substantial amount of wastes being processed
predominantly for the production of RDF (or solid recovered fuels, SRF, in some cases).
Almost 40 years ago, Lisiecki (1978) first documented the risk of fire through the storage of
RDF. However, the dramatic rise in the production and use of RDF has resulted in a
significant increase in reports and studies in this topic. Recommendations made in the
literature suggest that chemical oxidation is a major cause of self-heating, with indications
that biological processes can also play a role. Spontaneous combustion in stored wastederived fuels is however not well understood. It is likely that the bio-chemical pathways
leading to heating and combustion are complex, and are the result of the presence of a
number of ideal and interacting conditions, creating a perfect storm type of incident.
153. Production of waste-derived fuels through landfill mining

Co-Supervisor: Dr F Coulon
Company Name: Viriidor
Production of refuse-derived fuel [RDF] and solid recovered fuel [SRF] in the UK has rapidly
increased in recent years. Whilst much of this material is exported (particularly RDF), at
cost, from the UK it is expected that the cost of managing RDF and SRF will decrease as the
demand for high quality fuels grows. Previous research has suggested that landfill mining is
only economically viable with the recovery of multiple resources; through processing
excavated waste there will be a significant fraction which is not suitable for recycling or
reprocessing. This remaining material would represent a significant cost to manage. This
project will investigate the potential for producing waste-derived fuels, either as a high
quality SRF for energy recovery or as a feedstock for advanced chemical conversion to
valuable chemicals, secondary raw materials.
154. Estimation of biogas potential of sewage screenings using image analysis

Screening materials are collected during the treatment of sewage wastewater and comprise
of a mixture of materials, such as plastics, textiles, wood/biomass and other large solids.
This hazardous waste stream is unsuitable, both practically and economically, for the
recovery of high quality recyclable materials. However, such materials offer the potential
for energy recovery, either through thermal or biochemical conversion. Due to the
biohazardous nature of this waste stream it is not practical to undertake detailed regular
analysis, therefore this proposed project aims to investigate a potential approach for
characterising these materials. Cranfield University have previously developed an image
analysis technique which could accurately determine the renewable energy content of
mixed wastes and waste-derived fuels. The technique includes capturing an image using a
standard digital camera of a known area, digitally correcting the image and applying a dotgrid methodology. The composition of the waste is determined and applied to a database
containing the characteristics of waste components (i.e. paper, card, plastics etc). Previous
studies using this technique have demonstrated strong correlation between actual
characteristics of waste (i.e. composition and calorific values) with those determined
through image analysis. Therefore it is suggested that this technique could be applied to
other mixed materials, such as screenings, to assess other characteristics as required.
155. Environmental Degradation of Photovoltaic Panels.

Co-Supervisor: Dr C Sansom
Photovoltaic (PV) panels are used to generate power from solar energy. However, being
situated outside, these panels are subject environmental degradation from factors such as
direct sunlight, UV, rain, hail, corrosive atmospheres (pollution, acid rain), salt spray, sand
and dust erosion, and abrasive cleaning. In this project you will investigate the degradation
of relevant PV cell materials (including glass and a range of plastics) and characterise their
degradation. Examples of characterisation methods you will use include confocal
microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and evaluating the drop in optical transmission
through the test materials.
156. Carbon capture technologies for power generation: a review of

proposed and implemented cycles- Project 1
Supervisor: Dr G Di Lorenzo
Carbon
capture
involves
extracting
carbon,
in
the
form
of
CO2,
from the fossil fuel before or afetr the combustion Different natural gas fired gas
turbine cycles based on this approach have been proposed However,
only a few of these cycles have been implemented and even fewer are available
commercially. This project aims at reviewing the literature on research and
development on these technologies and identifies the cycles with the largest
potential for the future. In addition, the remaining development work required for
implementing the various technologies is discussed.


159. Thermodynamics of fluid mixtures confined in shale gas formations

Supervisor: Dr K. Patchigolla
Co-Supervisor: Dr Alisa Cotton
Company Name: Shell
Shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas across the world.
Based on several studies it has been estimated that greenhouse emissions (GHG) from shale
gas are similar to those of conventional natural gas sources. This project will provide a
critical review of literature on shale gas formations and its applicability for UK energy
markets. The student will run the MTDATA (thermodynamics) simulation under realistic
conditions on representative compositions to determine the possibility of reactions
between components. Based on the reactions and chemistry between components, the
project will develop the necessary strategies or procedure to mitigate these occurrences.
Also, this project discusses important trends and characteristics in the development of shale
gas formations and its reactions and to identify the suitable gas turbines
160. Feasibility of ship based transport option in CCS systems from source
to sink
At present there is a less interest in CO2 transportation via shipping, creates opportunities
for CCS when there are no suitable onshore storage locations. Also, shipping creates
additional flexibility in removing the constraint of a single source-single sink scenario. This
project will assess, understand and quantify the key issues at all stages of the system from
the capture plant to the point of injection at the storage location, e.g North Sea offshore
platform. Kinetics of water condensation and of cryogenic CO2 separation will be assessed
to gain the experiences and designing of liquid CO2 processing and handling plants under
realistic conditions. Also, this task evaluates the loading, unloading behaviours under normal
and failure modes and will be critically assessed. The student will have access to flow sheet
programme, gCCS and OLGA tracking models (commercial softwares) to validate the fluid
behaviours. Further investigation will be carried out to determine the energy demand and
process problems (e.g uncontrolled solidification) as part of this work, a supporting
mitigating strategies is planned as well.
161. Integrated solutions of hydrogen storage materials

Co-Supervisor: Dr Alisa Cotton
Company Name: Shell
Storage plays a pivotal role in synchronizing energy demand and supply, both on a short and
long term basis. Hydrogen from renewable sources plays an important role and might be the
future energy source for homes. And this project aims at reviewing the current/new storage
materials with high hydrogen storage capacity for distributed level applications- e.g for
buildings and transport sectors. High storage capacity materials (ex. metal hydrides,
ammonia etc.) and its ability to capture and retain hydrogen atoms on its surface will be
critically assessed and to check its long term multi-cyclic stability issues. For the best
candidate materials for hydrogen storage, the student will exploit the integrated solutions
for hydrogen generation from renewable source and its utilization by end users.
162. S-CO2 for efficient power generation with energy storage

Increasing the share of variable renewable energy resources entail the need for energy
storage to balance the production and consumption of high quantities of electricity to
stabilise the grid power and direct utilisation. Integrated storage options can improve
energy efficiency and provide distributed electricity generation This study will explore the
challenges of integrating heat storage with an S-CO2 power cycle into existing plants. Using
S-CO2 as a working fluid provides benefits and opportunities in improving the efficiency and
reducing the foot print compared to conventional approaches. This project will also
develop a process model of the cycle/s and explore the characteristics of S-CO2 operational
behaviour with and without heat storage using standard software packages (e.g.
Thermoflex) and will include any major and minor behaviour changes along with mass and
energy requirements. Specifically the task will consider the Thermal Oil (Terminol)
characteristics and model heat exchangers/heat storage using these oils. Also, depending on
the performance of heat storage concept we will consider to input molten salt fluid
properties and revise the developed models. In addition, it will be necessary to consider the
natural variability of high-temperature energy sources.
163. A business intelligence review of cooling systems

Co-Supervisor: Peter Turner
This project supports the H2020-Water saving for solar concentrated power (WASCOP)
project for CSP plant. Although CSP has a minor environmental impact in arid areas
compared to conventional power plants, CSP plant operations consume comparitively large
amounts of water in areas already subject to high water scarcity. The majority of the water
usage is for cooling the power block and condensing the steam. This project aims to review
the current state of art for alternative power plant cooling systems (evaporative, air-cooled
condenser, hybrid etc.) and this will be supported by a thermodynamic assessment to
understand the characteristics of each alternative system. This project will also explore the
development of a cost effective dry/wet cooling system for use at peak ambient
temperatures, which could optimise water usage and minimise any impact on overall plant
efficiency.
164. A global CSP model development

This project supports the H2020-Water saving for solar concentrated power (WASCOP)
project for CSP plant. Although CSP has a minor environmental impact in arid areas
compared to conventional power plants, CSP plant operations consume large amounts of
water in areas already subject to high water scarcity. The majority of the water usage is for
evaporative cooling of the power block to condense the steam. Air-cooled condensers, that
use no water, can be used but perform poorly at high ambient temperatures. This project
aims to develop an optimum operating strategy for powerplant cooling using a hybrid cooler
that limits the use of evaporative cooling water use to periods of high temperature. In
addition, the project explores the whole (global) system analysis under real conditions using
the Thermoflex software package, that will enable each sub-system in the powerblock and
the impact on overall efficiency and water useage under different ambient conditions to be
modelled.
165. Development of simple air-rock low- temperature heat storage

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants are best sited in areas with high levels of direct solar
radiation but these are usually in arid desert areas where access to water is difficult and
expensive. Power plants require significant cooling and this is usually either by direct water
cooling (from river or sea) or by evaporative cooling. It is possible to cool plants using air
cooled condensers but as ambient temperatures rise, the turbine back-pressure increases
and the plant looses efficiency and output. An EU,collaborative project, WASCOP, aims to
examine new ideas to reduce or eliminate cooling water use in CSP plants without the
normal efficiency penalty. One idea is to develop a simple low-temperature air-rock

thermocline heat storage system, using the geology of the site, that uses cooler night-time
air to cool the rocks so that the hotter daytime air (that can be >20degrees hotter) can be
drawn through and cooled before being used in an air-condenser. A previous project
developed the equations governing the behaviour of a thermocline storage system. This
project aims to take these results and to design and optimise a nocturnal cooling system for
a full-scale plant-sized Critical elements will be the practical design, optimisation of the
length/width ratio and of the rock size and the effect these choices have on the pumping
power required to push the air through the rock-bed. Another potential design variation is
whether the system should be built as a single module or as a number of thermocline
modules that are switched on one after the other to reduce the auxiliary pumping power
loss and to propose ways that this could be accomplished simply at a minimum construction
cost using readily available materials. Another question that the project should answer is
whether there is any benefit in using the wind to reduce the pumping power and how might
this be achieved and is this likely to be economic?
166. Impact of gaseous fuel types on the performance of supercritical CO2based turbine power cycles
Supervisor: J Oakey
167. The impact of syngas compositions on the performance of

small/medium gas turbines in distributed power and CHP schemes
Supervisor: J Oakey
168. The impact of syngas compositions on the performance of combustion

engines in distributed power and CHP schemes
Supervisor: J Oakey
169. The performance and operability of fuel gas cleaning options for power
applications
Supervisor: J Oakey
170. The opportunities for the application of additive manufacturing for gas
turbine components and their repair
Supervisor: J Oakey
171. The development of a materials database of damage to gas turbines in

oil/gas production
Supervisor: J Oakey
172. Critical elements in gas turbine alloys

Supervisor: J Oakey
173. Integrated planning of production and utility systems

Supervisor: Giorgos Kopanos
174. A rolling horizon framework for production planning and scheduling of

parallel continuous processes with product families
175. A general scheduling framework considering resource-constrained

processing, setup and changeover task
176. Production scheduling in ice-cream production facilities

177. Energy Consumption scheduling in smart homes

178. Assessment of Offshore wind prospects for Guernsey with Guernsey

Renewable Energy Team, States of Guernsey
Supervisor: Dr John Sharp
Guernsey (Gsy) Renewable Energy team has appointed consultants for a preliminary
feasibility study for a 30MW offshore wind farm in Gsy waters the reason being a 30MW
development would roughly match the Guernsey minimum base load (no
export/dumping/storage solution required). This will report in March and it is expected that
a floating system far offshore to the NW of the island will be recommended. The student
project is to identify the next steps from this feasibility study (which will be made fully
available to the student), including assessing the different technologies available and their
likely commercialisation timescale, the foundation requirements and the benefits and
disadvantages of different offshore sites. A cable link to the shore will also be a
requirement. The student should also consider whether it would be viable to scale up the
site at a later date (if storage solutions are viable or export is desired), and what additional
considerations that would require.
179. Analysis of Tidal Strategic Direction for Guernsey, with Guernsey

Renewable Energy Team, States of Guernsey
Guernsey (Gsy) has a recognised tidal resource, particularly in the Big Russel (sea area
between Gsy and Sark). The project has so far not been developed. The project is to provide
the Renewable Energy Team with guidance on when would be an appropriate time for the
island to adopt tidal energy. Questions the project would first need to address are
identifying all the factors that make a site an attractive site for tidal development at a
particular time e.g.
Which of these factors does Guernsey have
What does Guernsey lack
What are the potential advantages to Guernsey of developing tidal energy
What are the potential drawbacks?
What technologies would be best suited to development
What are the key milestones for the industry?
When are they likely to be met?
What will drive commercialisation?
With these factors established the project will relate these to the particular situation of the
tidal resource in Gsy.
180. Deviations from Warrantied Wind Turbine Performance Caused by

Complex Flow with Lloyds Register
Some previous work suggests that real-life power curves can deviate significantly from
published and warrantied performance. This is very significant for project viability and is of
great interest to financial backers. A significant factor is the complex, turbulent structure of
the wind within a large wind farm.
For the project 8 turbines would be selected from an operating wind farm (4 from the edge
& 4 from the middle) and the measured power curves would be compared with those
published by the manufacturer. Comparisons would be segregated into bins, categorised by
wind speed and direction. Proximity to upstream operating turbines is expected to play an
important part in real-life power deviations. Lloyds Register would provide the raw data,
which would be in the form of wind speed, electrical power and wind direction (for each
turbine). Relative locations of the turbines would also be provided. During the project, the
data would be grouped according to pre-determined criteria. Within each group, the power
curves would be derived. Deviations would be calculated. Power curves would be
compared according the location of the turbines in the wind farm.
Lloyds Register has been working with the operator of a large offshore wind farm.
Discussions are currently under way about the commercial value to the operator of
participating in a project such as the one described here. It is anticipated that there would
be no commercial sensitivity in providing anonymous power performance data for use in a
Masters project.
181. Grid impact of distributed renewable generation, with Alderney

Electricity Ltd, AEL)
Historically power generation and distribution networks have conformed to a centralised
model i.e. large power stations serving a wide area. Changing the underlying model impacts
on the network design.
The implementation of renewable generation at scale over the last decade has forced
network operators to accept an increasing volume of distributed generation source at both
macro (for example windfarms) and microscale (domestic grid connected solar PV).
Whilst the penetration of such alternative sources of generation remained low, the overall
impact on grid operation was minimal. We are now seeing level of penetration in the UK
(over 20% of total power from renewable sources in 2015) and elsewhere that are causing
significant issue for the continued safe and efficient operation of our power network. The
means by which the challenges will continue to be met as penetration level continue to
grow remains unclear.
This project will:
Research what issues have already been identified for network operators.
Identify practical measures that are being taken by operators to manage growth in
renewable generation,
It will consider what future strategies will be required and how technology can
mediate impact.
Using the example of the electricity grid on the Channel Island of Alderney to
propose a model for the introduction and management of macro and micro scale
renewable energy sources into the islands energy mix, in conjunction with AEL.
182. Decommissioning of Offshore Wind Farms, with TWI, Cambridge

Offshore wind farms will need to need to be decommissioned at the end of their useful life
(~25 years). As part of the initial project application decommissioning plans need to be
submitted based on national and international requirements.
The project will assess the technical requirements for decommissioning wind turbines in
farms with different types of foundations, including piled, gravity, framed structure, and
identify the technologies required, together with support vessels etc. The removal of export
cables will also be addressed. The project will also compare the methods of partial and
complete removal of piled foundations and the environmental impacts of leaving some
items in situ (e.g. inter array cabling).
183. Management of Integrity of Ageing Pipelines- with TWI, Cambridge

Many North Sea offshore export pipelines are approaching or have exceeded their original
design life, in some cases by more than 15 years. At this stage it is necessary for dutyholders to reassess, and validate the basis for their continued safe operation. Internal
inspection is a key tool in achieving this e.g. via pigging. Failure to manage ageing and
degradation mechanisms could result in risks to platform personnel, environmental damage,
and costly replacements.
The project will assess the status of ageing pipelines in the North Sea, identify relevant
degradation mechanisms and appropriate mitigation measures, including an assessment of
the value of inspection options. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are widely used to assess
performance against targets. This project will develop a set of KPIs relevant to ageing
pipelines, based on an assessment of the relevant hazards. In addition a case study will be
undertaken for integrity management of a selected pipeline which has exceeded its design
life.
184. The significance of corrosion on the life extension of offshore

installations, with TWI, Cambridge
Many offshore installations around the world are operating significantly beyond their
original design lives. One of the main degradation mechanisms is corrosion and it is
mitigated primarily by passive systems such as coatings (topsides and to some extent
underwater) and anode systems. Both these mitigation methods have limited lives.
The project will assess the extent of remedial works to address the failure of corrosion
mitigation systems and methods for reinstatement or avoidance of corrosion as well as the
consequences of allowing corrosion to continue. The particular the project will review
alternative methods of coatings and methods for reinstatement or replacement of anode
protection systems including a case study of either replacement of an anode system or the
use of a new coatings system.
185. Development of a risk prioritisation framework to inform decisions

about the decommissioning and clean-up of oil facilities (e.g. Well sites
and facilities)
Supervisor: Dr George Prpich
This project will develop a holistic risk ranking framework that includes economic,
environmental, and social elements. The output will be a tool that can be used by decision
makers to identify which sites to remediate first.
186. Can we predict the likelihood of oil spills in the arctic an analysis of
existing offshore oil spills
Using available information about reported oil spills, can we predict the likelihood of an
incident to occur in regions new to oil and gas exploration, such as the Arctic.
187. Risk communication in the shale gas sector

Using a case study analysis, this project will explore the similarities and differences between
risk communication strategies between different sectors. Or, this project can study the
effects of framing on public perception
188. A cost/benefit analysis of waste water treatment options for the

unconventional oil and gas sector
Treatment of flow back fluids is a considerable challenge for the oil and gas industry. This
project will identify the technologies available to treat contaminated water and will devise a
cost/benefit analysis that integrates environmental, social, and political aspects to study the
problem.
189. How can we compare and contrast methane emissions between

different natural and manmade sources
This project will identify sources of methane emissions from different sectors and will
quantify the impacts that these emissions might have on the environment (e.g. Air quality,
climate change). The aim is to understand the relative impact to support appropriate and
proportionate risk management strategies.
190. Evaluate the implications of enhanced safety measures required in the

wake of the recent Gulf disaster
Supervisor: Prof Ben Anthony
BP has faced fines of $4.5 billion and a temporary ban on future contracts, and the full
implication of the gulf oil disaster has yet to be revolved. The student will be asked to
explore what future security measures will likely to be necessary and their implication for oil
costs, from marine sources.
191. Hydraulic fracturing is anticipated to extend the R/P ratio for natural
gas for another 60 years. Assess the likelihood of such development
meeting these goals and evaluate the risk for applying this technology
The IEA has recently written a report called a golden age of natural gas, in which fracking is
anticipated to provide the next major source of clean fuel. However, there is no evidence of
minor earthquakes and significant concerns about issues like ground water
contamination. What do these and any other challenges to this technology portend for this
approach.
192. Gas hydrates represent the final major untapped source of natural gas;
evaluate the challenges to using this technology to serve as a major
energy source for the latter half of this century
Gas hydrates are found in some of the most inhospitable regions on the earth. The costs to
exploit them would be in the order of billions of pounds. However, strategies which involve
natural gas production and CO2 storage may represent an important route for capping
anthropogenic CO2 production as well as dramatically extending our energy supplies.
193. Marine acidification due to global warming is now a well-established

phenomenon. What are the likely implications of current projects for
C02 levels during this century on the oceans and what should be done
about it?
Approximately 5% of the worlds protein comes from the ocean. However, ocean
acidification coupled with over fishing threatens the likely future of fish stocks required to
feed a growing world population.
194. Feasibility study of nuclear technology as the future of energy

Extraction of nuclear fuels from the ocean would offer a significant extension of our nuclear
fuels. The feasibility of this approach and the potential of new nuclear technologies to
affect our needs for such fuels is a vital question for humanity in light of decline
hydrocarbon fuels, and the need to reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions.
195. Wave or tidal energy assessment potential for future energy supplies
Differences in salinity or thermal gradients in the ocean have been suggested as possible
sources of future energy. How realistic are such schemes, and are there any other options
(e.g. growing microalgae in the oceans).
196. Black carbon recently been identified as an important cause of loss

northern ice, assess the studies now available, and suggest strategies
to reduce black carbon production worldwide
Humanity is currently failing to meet their CO2 mitigation targets; black carbon is an
unwanted product from combustion devices, what part could it plays in future strategies to
control global warming.
197. Deep geothermal energy possibly with CO2 injection might offer a
major way of extending humanities energy supplies. How realistic is
this, and should CO2 be used instead of water to generate the
necessary heat energy
The future of humanities energy supplies appears in question with ideas of peak oil, gas and
even coal being suggested. Alternatives to supply our economies are required, an important
question is whether deep geothermal a reasonable option.
198. Coal fires in spent deposits and coal mines are major sources of
greenhouse gases. Assess the importance of these sources to
anthropogenic sources of GHG and explore
Preventing emissions of GHG from combustion processes requires either achieving high
efficiency operation or adopting technologies like CCS. Other sources of emissions such as
coal mines or coal fires are unintentional sources of pollution, and so cost effective
strategies are likely to provide considerable promise.
199. Sea level rise is one of the major consequences of global warming,
determine what strategies, mitigation or otherwise are likely to be
required worldwide and assesses the likely consequences of employing
or not such strategies
There are two major potential sources of sea level rise, melting of ice and thermal expansion
of the water column in the oceans. Current IPCC models appear to underestimate seal level
rise, and sea level rise is not uniform throughout the world. Important questions are
therefore what the appropriate and affordable mitigation steps are and what are the
implications in terms of forced human migration, food production etc. if nothing is done.
200. Energy storage with solar power

Look at both large and small scale energy storage options for concentrated solar power and
compare them with alternatives such as photovoltaics options with battery storage.
201. Quantitative evaluation of waste generation rates on campus and

energy footprint modelling- optimisation of collection methods and
equipment
Supervisor: Dr Ying Jiang
Co Supervisor: Dr Stuart Wagland
Institutions and community waste generation rates are key information for determining
frequency of waste collection. For large institutions and communities which have
considerable delivery distance to treatment sites, if generation rates exceed critical level, it
might be worthwhile to consider an on-site WtE facility such as a community scale AD plant.
This will reduce drastically the cost of fuel for the delivery, providing there is an initial fund
available to invest on the commissioning of facilities. A theoretical scoping study of waste
generation rates will be carried out to study food waste and paper waste generation on
Cranfield campus. This work will be achieved via interviews or questionnaires with waste
managers on site and waste collection contractor. Based on the results, an average waste
generation rate and seasonal variation will be captured. These data will be applied along
with currently waste treatment sites mapping data and waste collection/delivery route in a
LCA and energy footprint model. The modelling study will identify options that maximise
collection efficiency and reduce fuel consumption as part of the overall energy balance.
202. Syngas biomethanation using anaerobic digestion

Co Supervisor: Dr Stuart Wagland
Syngas produced via gasification is a mixture of mainly CO, H2 and CO2. Although syngas can
be used as fuel directly, the volumetric energy density of syngas is only about 50% of natural
gas (mainly CH4). Therefore methanation of syngas is of significant importance to meeting
increasing natural gas demand. Currently, commercial technology for syngas methanation is
thermal-chemical reactions, a heavily energy demanding process. In anaerobic digestion
process, it is well understood that CO, CO2 and H2 can be consumed by methanogenic
microorganisms such as Methanosarcina barkeri, Methanosarcina acetivorans and
Methanococcus. It is therefore desirable to develop a simultaneous anaerobic digestion and
syngas biomethanation technology to achieve waste digestion and biologically syngas
convert into methane through process integration. in this project, continuous anaerobic
digestion trials will be carried out in CSTR reactors under a variety of process conditions
(retention times, loading rates, temperatures, etc.) in order to optimise the CH4 yield from
the process and also to decrease retention time and enhance process stability. Due to the
potential toxicity of CO to active microorganisms in the biogas digesters, the performance of
the integrated syngas methanation digester will be constantly monitored in a controlled
experiment. Additionally, diversity and structure of the methanogen community will be
monitored in the syngas methanation digester using pyrosequencing technique.
203. A study of OFMSW collection schemes in practice at local authority

level in the UK
The aim of this project is to survey current segregated waste collection status across local
authorities across the UK and assess a range of segregated waste collection schemes to
identify some key factors affecting collection performance. The methods to be employed in
the survey will be: 1.) visiting the website of all organisations responsible for providing
waste collections (e.g. municipalities, local or regional authorities, or waste management
contractors); 2.) An online questionnaire designed to capture the waste segregation and
collection scheme and will be distributed to all relevant waste management contractors and
governing bodies at local level.
204. A critical review of current technical and market barriers in wider

acceptance of phytoremediation
Phytoremediation is soil remediation technology that uses plants to remove the
contaminants from the soil and sequester in plant biomass. Compared with conventional
land remediation strategies, phytoremediation offers significant economic, aesthetic, and
technical advantages. However, the wider application of phytoremediation has been
hindered by a number of technical and market barriers. The aim of this project is to critically
assess the market potential of phytoremediation as a soil remediation technology, identify
the technical and market barriers currently exist for this technology and to propose sensible
and practical solutions to remove these barriers.
205. CFD simulation of liquid carry-over in a 3 phase separator with high

liquid
Supervisor: Dr Patrick Verdin
The rate of liquid carry over is an important performance of a gas liquid separator.
Unexpected high rates of liquid carry over in a separation system could lead to operation
and environmental concerns. In this project an investigation on the liquid carry over rate in
an industrial scale water/oil/gas floatation separator will be performed using CFD tools. The
objective is to find out the impacts of top liquid level, gas flow rate, and geometry of the
separator on the liquid carry over rate.
206. Fuel-cells as a heat source for calcium looping CO2 capture plants
Supervisor: Dr Vasilije Manovic
a. Literature review identifying fuel-cells types, developments, modelling approaches
and their applicability in CO2 capture plants.
b. Development of the process model for the fuel-cell and the CO2 capture plant.
c. Performance and economic analysis.
207. Integration of the C02 capture from air and the calcium looping CO2
capture plant for coal-fired power plant
a. Literature review identifying air capture types, developments, modelling approaches
and their applicability in CO2 capture plants.
b. Development of the process model for the air capture and the CO2 capture plant.
208. Integration of CO2 thermodynamic cycle in CO2 capture and

compression system
a. Literature review identifying available CO2 cycle fundamentals configurations,
applications and modelling approaches.
b. Development of the process model for the CO2 cycle and the CO2 capture plant.
209. Low-temperature power cycle for waste heat utilisation cycle in CO2
capture and compression system
a. Literature review identifying available low-temperature power cycle fundamentals
configurations, applications and modelling approaches.
b. Development of the process model for the low-temperature power cycle and the
CO2 capture plant.
210. Low- temperature power cycle based on ammonia for waste heat
utilisation cycle in chilled NH3 process CO2 capture
a. Literature review identifying ammonia power cycle fundamentals configurations,
b. Development of the process model for the ammonia power cycle and the CO2
capture plant.
211. Integration of the ammonia synthesis process and the chilled NH3
process for CO2 capture from coal-fired power plants
a. Literature review identifying ammonia synthesis and chilled ammonia process
fundamentals, configurations, applications and modelling approaches.
b. Development of the process model for the ammonia synthesis and chilled ammonia
processes.
212. Probabilistic performance assessment of the chilled ammonia process

for the coal-fired power plants
a. Literature review identifying chilled ammonia process fundamentals, configurations,
b. Development of the process model for the ammonia synthesis and chilled ammonia
processes.
c. Probabilistic performance and economic analysis.
213. Numerical Simulation of the Performance of Regenerative

Electrocaloric Cooling Devices
Supervisor: Dr Joao Amaral Teixeira
Cooling systems based on the electrocaloric effect (ECE) promise highly efficient and compact
cooling device designs and are thus in the scope of international research. The ECE is defined as the
entropy/temperature change of an electrocaloric (EC) material upon alteration of an applied
electrical field. Unfortunately, the resulting temperature changes of the materials are in the range of
less than one to a few Kelvin. To successfully use EC cooling systems in applications, they must
provide higher temperature spans. This can be achieved by the use of thermal regeneration in the so
called Active Electrocaloric Regenerator (AER) devices. Several concepts of those devices have
been discussed in literature. The concept to be regarded in this thesis contains a regenerator out of
several evenly spaced plates of EC material through which a heat transfer fluid is alternatingly
pumped. By synchronised activation of the elements and pumping of the fluid, a temperature
gradient is established over the length of the regenerator, allowing heat to be transferred from one
end of the regenerator to another. The performance of this device is crucially depending on the
geometrical and material properties of the design (gap, thickness, thermal conductivity, heat
capacity, ) and the operational parameters (operating frequency, phase lag, displacement ratio, ).
To support the dimensioning and operation of AERs, a simulation environment is needed which can
predict the devices performance under different conditions.

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School of Energy, Environment and Agrifood

1. Experimental assessment of the wave field perturbation in the case of a

2. Experimental investigation of the performance of foils near the water

3. Experimental survey, analysis and calibration of the regular and irregular

4. Experimental survey, analysis and calibration of the regular and irregular

5. Comparison of full scale performance data (Cp, Ct) of the DeltaStream

6. Analysis of tank test data of yaw moments of the DeltaStream 15

7. Prediction of Corrosion Fatigue Crack growth Behaviour in Structural

8. JIC Fracture Toughness Finite Element Modelling for a Range of Metallic

9. Feasibility Study of the Use of Renewable Energy for Water Treatment

11. Techno-Economic Feasibility Analysis of Renewable Wind Energy

13. CFD study on a dense periodic array of vertical-axis wind turbines

14. CFD study on the aerodynamic interaction of simplified horizontal-axis

16. CFD study on a vertical-axis turbine with active pitch control

17. CFD study of aircraft aerodynamics: Wing-body junction flow

19. Injectable Venturi for slug control

20. Pseudo Spiral Tube on topside platform for slug mitigation

21. Inferential slug control using new flow measurement

22. Self-optimizing control of wind turbine generators

23. Condition monitoring for PSE Multiphase Flow Facility

24. Experimental investigation of the response of metal foam sandwich

25. Experimental investigation of the response of metal foam sandwich

27. Investigation of SHM strategies for metal foam sandwich panels in

28. Conceptual and preliminary design of a SPAR floating support structure

29. Further development and analysis of the mooring dynamics modelling

30. A systematic comparison of floating support structures for offshore wind

31. Investigation of simple, low aspect ratio 3D planforms in ground effect

32. A review and comparison of contol-oriented, simplified coupled model of

33. Integration of an unsteady 2D vorticity aerodynamics code in the

34. Effect of second-order hydrodynamics on floating vertical axis wind

36. Microwave-assisted hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae

37. Co-pyrolysis of biomass and oil sand

38. Hydrothermal gasification of sewage sludge

40. CFD modelling of hydrothermal gasification of sewage sludge in a

41. Finite element and stress analysis of Rotary valve

42. CFD: Thermo-fluid modelling of CO2 mixture, transport and

43. Anaerobic digester: CFD modelling of gas and Non-Newtonian fluid in

46. CFD modelling of the combustion in the burner/rig

47. The experimental study of physical properties of liquid/liquid mixtures

48. Behaviours of Two Phase Flows in Up and Down Vertical Pipes

49. Assessments of Minimum Sand Transportation Conditions in Multiphase

50. Data Mining to Extract Multiphase Flow Parameters

51. Wetgas Measurement using Clamp-On Sensors

52. Ultrasonic Flow Measurement for Boiler Tubes

53. A review on a type of instability in gas-liquid systems

54. Optimum design of crack arrestors in structural members

56. Towards a rapid quantification of likelihood of failure in load-carrying

57. Accurate integrity assessment of welded components containing

58. Risk-based insoection of offshore welded components

59. Hybrid power cycles to utilise low-grade heat

60. Drag reduction by soluble polymeric additives

61. Enhancing heating-systems performance using drag reducing additives

62. Electro-chemical coolers for small-scale refrigeration

63. Absorption refrigeration cycles for special applications

64. Bio-Diesel Internal Combustion Engines

65. Study of a power generation scheme for a specific geographical region

66. Energy markets analysis and forecasting

67. Parametric Modelling and Fatigue Damage Assessment of Offshore Wind

68. Structural Optimisation of Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structures

69. Normalisation Framework for Structural Health Monitoring Data

70. Techno-economic assessment of the scaling of a waste treatment system

72. A multi-disciplinary risk-based review of energy storage systems

73. Thermodynamic modelling of phase transformation of trace element in

74. Cost-Effective Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of Deep-water