PhD studentship at University of Surrey, UK.

Beyond the surface: wetting and dispersion of powders in a liquid.

A three-year PhD scholarship is offered by the University of Surrey to study the wetting and dispersion of powders crossing a liquid-air interface.

This PhD scholarship covers a PhD stipend at normal EPSRC rate (currently 13863 GBP/year) and the university fees for UK/EU PhD students. The start date of the project is July 2015.

Dispersing powders in liquids or dissolving powders in solvents are common operations for many industrial processes and products, such as pharmaceuticals, foodstuff, paints, building materials, detergents. The floating and sinking of model powder grains with respect to a static liquid interface, e.g. still water, are now well understood [1, 2, 3]. However, these conditions are still too simple to be relevant for industrial applications.

This PhD project will bridge the gap toward these applications by studying experimentally:

- the effect of the liquid flow in proximity of the point of impact of the grains and the interface;

- the collective behaviour of grains poured onto a liquid-air interface and the formation of undesired “lumps”, i.e. completely submerged, but partially dry granular structures.

This project aims at establishing a realistic theory describing these phenomena and the effect of varying process conditions and system parameters.

The ideal candidate has a first or upper second class Master degree in engineering, physics, or chemistry (or equivalent oversea qualifications) and a strong interest for fluid and/or granular mechanics.

Non-native speakers of English who did not study in an English speaking Country, will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above (or equivalent). We offer intensive English language pre-sessional training.

Applications should contain a CV, the names and contact details of two referees and a covering letter explaining your interest for this project and your qualifications. These documents should be sent via email, before May 15^th, 2015, to:

Dr. M.Ramaioli, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, UK, m.ramaioli<στο>surrey.ac.uk

Prospective applicants can address informal enquiries to Dr.M.Ramaioli, before a formal application.

__________________________________________________________________________________

[1]    J. B. Keller, Surface tension force on a partly submerged body. Phys. Fluids., 10, 3009-3010, 1998.

[2]    P. S. Raux, H. Cockenpot, M. Ramaioli, D. Quéré and C. Clanet, Wicking in a Powder, Langmuir, 29, 11, 2013.

[3]    J. Dupas, L. Forny, M. Ramaioli, Powder wettability at a static air-water interface, Volume 448, p. 51–56, JCIS, 2015.