Anticipated start date for project: September 2015 entry

Information about the project (about 250 words):

To reduce the fuel consumption and carbon footprint of air travel, one of the concepts under investigation for future aircraft involves the use of electrical power for propulsion. A set of around a dozen electric-motor-driven fans would be placed along the wing, providing improvements in aerodynamic efficiency, and the primary power source could be a gas turbine engine or fuel cell, or a combination of the two, possibly with an energy storage buffer. The peak powers could be well above 1MW for large aircraft. To reduce system weight and electrical losses, superconducting machines are under consideration for the propulsion motors, which are connected to the electrical generators through a distribution system consisting of superconducting cables. An essential enabling technology for this concept is the provision of power electronic converters to interface the power sources and loads within the superconducting electrical system and the power electronics is most likely to be co-located in the cold environment with the superconducting elements. Previous research has shown that many power devices have improved characteristics at very low temperatures, but at temperatures below 50 K carrier freeze-out effects can result in severely degraded conduction behaviour.

The research will investigate the power electronic conversion requirements for future superconducting electrical systems onboard an aircraft. Based on a selection of the most appropriate semiconductor device technology, power converter topologies and operating strategies will be devised for the power electronic units within the electrical system. Initial simulation work will lead to detailed system design and the construction and thorough evaluation of a prototype cryogenic converter.

Qualifications applicants should have/expected to receive:

The PhD student will be based within the Rolls-Royce UTC in Power Conversion, which forms part of the Power Conversion Group at the University of Manchester. The group consists of over 50 researchers including eight academic staff specializing in electrical machine and power electronic technologies for more-electric transport and renewable energy applications. The group has extensive laboratory facilities including a 100 kW aircraft electrical systems demonstration rig, high power battery testing facilities and several cryogenic systems.

Applicants should have (or expect to obtain) the equivalent of a UK first or upper second class honours degree in Electronic Engineering or a closely related subject. Good communication skills (oral and written) in English are also required.

An EPSRC studentship will be available for eligible students (seewww.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/Pages/eligibility.aspx). The full studentship is only available to students from the UK or EU who have been normally resident in the UK for at least 3 years.

Contact for further information:

Informal inquiries should be directed to Prof Andrew Forsyth. Please send an e-mail with a subject line “Rolls-Royce Cryogenic Power Electronics” to: andrew.forsyth<στο>manchester.ac.uk

How to apply:

If you wish to apply please email with a subject line “Rolls-Royce Cryogenic Power Electronics” along with a covering letter, full Curriculum Vitae, and the names and contact details of at least two academic referees to: Ms Marie Davies (m.b.davies<στο>manchester.ac.uk)