PhD position in wind turbine technology with focus on modelling of the aerodynamics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Electrification and digitalisation are among the largest areas for the future in the conversion to sustainable societies. The Department of Electrical Engineering conducts successful research and education in the areas - renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, industrial IoT, 5G communication and wireless sensor networks as well as smart electronic sensors and medical systems. The Department of Electrical Engineering is an international workplace with around 130 employees that all contribute to important technical energy and health challenges at the Ångström Laboratory.

The position will be at the division for electricity at the Department of Electrical Engineering.

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Project description
The research in wind turbine technology is focused on the vertical axis wind turbine. This is an alternative type of wind turbine, where the rotor has a vertical axis of rotation. This has the advantage that one can place the generator and other heavy components on ground level, which gives easier installation and operation and maintenance. The low center of gravity is also very interesting for floating wind turbines, due to the increased stability of the floating platform. The department has built multiple experimental turbines of this type.

A project within the wind turbine technology research is modelling of the aerodynamics for the wind turbines. This is important both to increase the efficiency of the turbines, and also to ensure that the turbines do not get damaged due to too large loads. This type of modelling is very challenging for traditional computational fluid dynamics simulations, as the small blades combined with the large region of air that passes through the turbine makes traditional simulations too slow to efficiently be used. Hence, aerodynamic modelling of wind turbines is typically done with models developed for this particular purpose. Several different models have been developed at the department, with main focus on vortex methods (but other methods have been used as well). The aim is to create models that can give good estimates on the dynamic forces on the turbine, while still being fast enough to run on a normal desktop computer.

We have an exciting work environment designed by the doctoral student and the research team together. The doctoral student will be supervised by at least two supervisors.

Duties

• The PhD project will to a large extent work with the continuation of the development of the simulation software already developed at the department. The work flow is typically based on first finding a suitable physical/mathematical model of the problem to be solved. Then this is implemented in code in the simulation software. The work will therefore require good skills both in mathematical modelling, and also in software development.
• The work will also include experiments, which is essential to validate all numerical models. The department will install a 200 kW vertical axis wind turbine and you will aid in this project.
• The work duties can also include teaching and other departmental duties. No more than 20%.

Requirements

• The applicant must hold a master degree in engineering physics, fluid mechanics, energy systems, scientific computing or similar.
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• We will put an emphasise in your personal qualities such as good collaborations and communication skills with other researchers. You should be purposeful, structured and be able to work effectively both individually and in groups.

Additional qualifications
Good knowledge in Swedish is beneficial. Experience in software development (especially Matlab and C/C++) is important. Experience of fluid mechanics, especially computational fluid dynamics is beneficial.

Application
Please use the link below. You should include a brief description of your research interests and relevant experience, a CV, copies of diplomas and certificates, thesis (or a draft thereof) and other relevant documents. You are encouraged to provide contact information to reference.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala. 

For further information about the position, please contact: Anders Goude, anders.goude@angstrom.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 30 November 2021, UFV-PA 2021/3957.

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