Supervisor: Dr. Padraig Molloy, School of Engineering and Informatics, NUI Galway

Duration: Funded for 4 years (Structured PhD), full-time with extensive secondment to industry.

Project description: In order to comply with recent environmental directives manufacturers of refrigeration systems are required over the coming decade to switch from Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to refrigerants with a lower global warming potential (GWP). This extremely challenging but environmentally essential objective requires the creation of innovative refrigeration cycle analysis tools to model the behavior of novel refrigerants. The project proposed here requires the thermodynamic analysis of the complex interaction between compression, expansion and heat exchange systems with a view to optimizing the physical design and efficiency of next generation refrigeration systems. The proposed project is being part funded by Thermo King, an Ingersoll Rand subsidiary specializing in refrigeration systems based in Galway and the Irish Research Council.

Stipend:  €16,000 p.a. plus fees of €5,750 for 4 years.

Entry Requirements: Honours degree level mechanical engineer/applied physics or undergraduate expecting to graduate in 2015 with a 1^st class or high 2.1.  The applicant should have good background knowledge of refrigeration technology and an interest in working on advanced simulation tools for two-phase fluid networks. Ideally applicants should have studied or have an interest in thermodynamics, fluid dynamics and heat transfer.

Expected start date: September 2015

How to apply:

Please send a letter of introduction and a current CV to Dr. Padraig Molloy, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. padraig.molloy<στο>nuigalway.ie.

Closing date for applications:  19^th January 2015