Global PhD Partnerships KU Leuven-University of Melbourne: A joint experimental/numerical study of hydrogen combustion in reciprocating engines

At the division of Applied Mechanics and Energy Conversion (TME) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven, the LowCarb Research group led by Asst. Prof. Joshua Lacey focuses on the decarbonization of industrial processes. This includes characterizing thermal-fluid processes that utilize alternative fuels such as hydrogen.

At the University of Melbourne, the Combustion CFD group led by Associate Professor Mohsen Talei focuses on developing predictive tools that can be used to design cleaner gas turbines and reciprocating engines. They use high-performance computing (HPC) to conduct simulations of different phenomena related to the combustion of alternative fuels such as hydrogen and biomethane, addressing both fundamental problems as well as real-world applications.

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Project

Hydrogen stands out as a promising fuel in our efforts for energy decarbonization, and its use is often discussed as a method to avoid carbon emissions from reciprocating engine applications. While this option has been considered in previous studies, there are still areas to explore before the technology can be deployed in a robust manner. The notion of directly-injected (DI) hydrogen is still quite nascent, and this offers the possibility to induce charge stratification, potentially avoiding abnormal combustion events. Hydrogen flames also behave quite differently to those of other fuels, as they are able to closely approach walls before extinguishing, impacting the temperature gradient and energy flux at chamber boundaries. A comprehensive characterization of such phenomena necessitates a combined approach of coupled experiments and simulations in order to adequately resolve the interconnected chemical and hydrodynamic processes occurring in the combustion chamber. The two students selected for this project will have a unique opportunity to undertake these activities not only within two complementary research groups, but also in two different countries (Belgium and Australia). Students will spend time at both KU Leuven and the University of Melbourne within the research groups of Asst. Prof. Joshua Lacey and A/Prof. Mohsen Talei. While the students will operate independently of one another, there are common elements between the students’ topics, creating opportunities for them to share understanding and knowledge between themselves and the respective research groups at each institution. Selected students should be prepared to conduct experiments as well as detailed numerical simulation.

Profile

You have the scientific curiousity that drives doctoral students with a keen interest in green technologies such as hydrogen. You are capable of operating independently, but also within multiple research teams composed of multidisciplinary backgrounds.

Offer

Interested?

Applicants should express their interest by sending an email to both Asst. Prof. Joshua Lacey (josh.lacey@kuleuven.be) and A/Prof. Mohsen Talei (mohsen.talei@unimelb.edu).

The email should *strictly* contain the following information in the text body, in bullets:
Name
Master degree (Master specification, University + Country, Year obtained)
Master thesis (Title, Year, Supervisor)
A one-paragraph (up to half an A4 page) statement explaining the motivation for applying for this joint PhD position.
Two academic references

Please also attach an academic CV to your email.

A decision is expected as soon as suitable candidates are found, so do not wait until the end date (indicated here below) to apply. For more information, please contact Asst. Prof. Joshua Lacey, tel.: +32 16 32 17 27, mail: josh.lacey@kuleuven.be and A/Prof. Mohsen Talei, tel.: +61 90354026, mail: mohsen.talei@unimelb.edu.au.

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