Occupation : Full-time
Period : Fixed-term contract
Place : Leuven
Apply no later than : June 30, 2015
This PhD position is part of the European Training Network “AWESCO – Airborne Wind Energy System Modelling, Control and Optimization”. AWESCO will recruit altogether 14 PhD fellows who are based in different countries but meet regularly during exchange visits, training events, workshops, and summer schools organized by AWESCO. The PhD position in Leuven has a strong methodological focus in the field of computational fluid dynamics and atmospheric-boundary-layer simulation. It is based in the Turbulent Flow Simulation and Optimization (TFSO) research group headed by Prof. Dr. Johan Meyers, which is part of the department of Mechanical Engineering. The PhD will focus on simulation and optimization of kites and kite farms in the atmospheric boundary layer. This shall be performed in close cooperation with the the other AWESCO PhD fellows that focus on other aspects of high-altitude wind power, in particularly with those who are based in the companies of the AWESCO network – AmpyxPower (Den Haag), Xsens (Enschede), Enerkite (Berlin), SkySails (Hamburg), Makani/Google [x] (Alameda) – during mutual exchange visits. Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) is a novel wind energy technology based on flying high-performance wings several hundred meters above the ground in the wind field. These wings are anchored to the ground by a tether, like kites, and perform fast crosswind motions and specially designed cycles to harvest wind energy. AWE taps into the large wind resource in altitudes above 200 meters, and is expected to be able to produce electricity in a larger scale and at a lower price than classical wind turbines. AWE promises to become a major actor in the transition towards a low-carbon economy, and several companies are currently developing prototypes of AWE systems, with a first commercialization target in 2017. While the AWE technology is developing fast, its contribution to our energy system will depend on the solution of several key challenges. It is our mission to address these challenges today, so that AWE can contribute tomorrow to the sustainability of our society. In order to speed up the development of the AWE industry in Europe, the EU framework program Horizon 2020 is funding the Initial Training Network AWESCO that links the major academic and industrial experts of the field. The first objective of AWESCO is to pave the way to a large-scale deployment of AWE by identifying its future difficulties and by preparing solutions before they arise. The second objective of the network is the creation of a well-connected group of highly skilled engineers who will act as leaders in the technological development of Europe, and the future AWE industry. The AWESCO network includes 10 beneficiaries and 11 partner institutions.
PhD Position on large-eddy simulations of kite systems and kite farms in the atmospheric boundary layer
The Turbulent Flow Simulation and Optimization research group at KU Leuven focuses on supercomputing and the development of computational methods for the simulation and optimization of high-Reynolds number turbulent flows with applications to wind energy, atmospheric dispersion, and turbulent boundary layers. The group develops its own fully parallelized simulation software SP-Wind, that consists of a state-of-the-art psuedo-spectral turbulent flow solver for large-eddy simulations and direct numerical simulations, including non-linear adjoints for optimal control. Research on wind energy in the group is supported among others by the European Research Council (ERC).
The AWESCO PhD position will be supervised by world leading experts in turbulent flow simulation and optimal control of turbulent flows and shall prepare the fellows for a high-level career in wind energy and fluid mechanics in industry or in academia.
Project
AWE systems operate in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL), the lower region of the atmosphere, and are subject to turbulence, wind shear and stratification.Stable, neutral, and unstable stratification lead to different velocity profiles and turbulent-flow structures. In addition, induced by the Coriolis force, an Ekman spiral occur, characterized by different wind directions above the ABL and at ground level. The ABL is often capped by a strongly stable temperature inversion layer. Above land, this layer is usually situated around1 km, while at sea, it may come down to a height of a few 100 meters, well into the region where kites operate. The interaction between kite systems and these different physical flow phenomena is currently poorly understood: first of all,prototype kite systems are not flown in all weather types, nor offshore; and secondly, the region in the ABL were kites operate (200 – 500 meters altitude) has been of minor interest for wind engineering, so that it is a lot less studied than the near surface region where wind turbines typically operate. The current PhD research focuses on the large-eddy simulation of kites for different atmospheric conditions. To that end, a kite model is implemented in the SP-Wind code, and an efficient interface is developed that allows to couple any kite-control model to SP-WIND, constituting a virtual testing environment. The PhD further focuses on optimal flight trajectories, given realistic turbulent flow, and possibly optimally reacting to upstream flow structures. Finally,also kite farms are studied, including mutual interaction of kites wakes.Moreover, in contrast to conventional wind-farms, kite farms can potentially penetrate the top of the atmospheric boundary layer, which may significantly enhance entrainment and overall energy production per square kilometer.
Profile
Ideal candidates have a master degree in one of the following or related fields: fluid mechanics, aerospace or mathematical engineering, numerical mathematics, or computational physics. They should have a good background or interest in fluid mechanics, optimization, simulation, and programming (Fortran, C/C++, Matlab,python, …), as well as a desire to contribute to the development of open-source software and the success of real-world experiments. Proficiency in English is a requirement. The positions adhere to the European policy of balanced ethnicity,age and gender. Both men and women are encouraged to apply.
Marie Curie Eligibility criteria (in short):
To be eligible, you need to be an “early stage researcher” and simultaneously fulfill the following criteria at the time of recruitment:
a) Nationality: you may be of any nationality.
b) Mobility: you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc…) in Belgium for more than 12months in the 3 years immediately prior to your recruitment under the AWESCO project.
c) Qualifications and research experience: you must be in the first 4 years of your research career after the master degree was awarded.
To apply, use the KU Leuven online application system through the link below (applications by email will not be considered). Please include:
a) an academic CV and a PDF of your diplomas and transcript of course work and grades
b) statement of research interests and career goals, indicating in which of the AWESCO positions you are interested
c) sample of technical writing, e.g. a paper with you as main author, or your bachelor or master thesis
d) list of at least two references: names,phone numbers, and email addresses
e) some proof of proficiency in English (e.g.language test results from TOEFL, IELTS, CAE, or CPE)
Please send your application as soon as possible, and before May 1st, 2015 at the latest.
Decisions: when a suitable candidate applies;in any case by June 2015 at the latest
Starting Date: candidates can start immediately, but October 2015 at the latest
Offer
Ideal start time is in spring or summer 2015. The PhD position lasts for the duration of four years (three years covered by AWESCO, and one year by the TFSO group),and is carried out at the University of Leuven. During this time, the candidate also takes up a limited amount (approx. 10% of the time) of teaching activities.The PhD years include one or more longer visits – so called “secondments” – between one and six months to other groups in the AWESCO network, with some freedom regarding the destinations and durations. The remuneration is generous and will be in line with the EC rules for Marie Curie grant holders. It consists of a salary augmented by a mobility allowance, resulting in a net monthly remuneration of about 2000 Euro (in case of dependent children or spouse, the amount can be somewhat higher)
Interested?
Please apply using the link below.
You can apply for this job no later than June 30, 2015 via the online application tool