Deadline: Applications will be accepted at any time until the position is filled.

There is a very substantial resource of unused hydropower with head differences of 1 to 2.5 m available in Europe, and in many other countries at river weirs and in irrigation canals. Conventional hydropower technology such as turbines are not economical, and ecologically questionable for locations with very low head differences and high flow volumes. Recently a novel concept, the Hydrostatic Pressure Machine, was developed at Southampton University. This machine showed good efficiencies for very low head differences. Due to the large cells, the slow speed and the operation at atmospheric pressure the ecological performance was considered as very promising. The simplicity of the machine promises cost-effectiveness. The original blade geometry, mainly chosen for simplicity of construction, however led to significant efficiency losses for higher operational speeds.

In this project, the technical and ecological performance of the HPM will be investigated and improved. This concerns in particular an optimisation of the blade shape to increase the efficiency at design flow, the investigation of the effect of water level variations and the development of an effective control algorithm. The complexity of the flow conditions around the machine which include e.g. air entrainment, require the use of physical modelling for this project. Model tests at different scales will be conducted in the laboratories at Highfield and Chilworth. The ecological characteristics will be assessed in cooperation with environmental scientists. The project should result in a technically and ecologically efficient hydropower system for head differences below 2.5m.

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Gerald Muller, Water and Environmental Engineering research group, Email: G.Muller<στο>soton.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0) 2380 592496.

This integrated PhD project will be funded through the Center for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Infrastructure Systems http://cdt-sis.soton.ac.uk. The studentship comprises support from both EPSRChttp://www.epsrc.ac.uk and an industrial sponsor.