PhD Position: Sustainable and Energy Efficient Control of Air Pollution Dispersion in Ventilation Systems

PhD Position: Sustainable and Energy Efficient Control of Air Pollution Dispersion in Ventilation Systems

The Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin and the Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), University of Surrey, United Kingdom, invite applications for a PhD Research position. The position is funded by Trinity College Dublin research income. The project will comprise the development of a sustainable and energy efficient particulate air pollution control system for use in mechanically and naturally ventilated building ventilation systems. The project work will involve the development and testing of physical prototypes at sites in Ireland as well as the use of CFD modelling to optimise energy and pollution control performance. The project will involve periods of time working with Professor Prashant Kumar at the Global Centre for Clean Air Research in the University of Surrey, while the successful candidate will primarily be based in Trinity College Dublin. The project will also comprise the integration of green infrastructure on roof-tops to improve indoor air quality. The project work will comprise:

• Development and assessment of full-scale prototype ventilation inlet designs for improved indoor air quality and energy savings
• Monitoring of air pollution and energy consumptions at a commercial building
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling of air pollution

This project is a follow-on study to previous work described in detail in:

• McNabola et al. The Development and Assessment of an Aspiration Efficiency Reducing System of Air Pollution Control for Particulate Matter in Building Ventilation Systems, Energy and Buildings, 61, 2013, p177 – 184.
• Morgan et al. Reducing energy consumption and increasing filter life in HVAC systems using an aspiration efficiency reducer: Long-term performance assessment at full-scale, Journal of Building Engineering, 12, 2017, p267 – 274.
• Considine et al. Numerical analysis of particulate matter control technology integrated with HVAC system inlet design and implications on energy consumption. Building & Environment 211, 2022, 108726.
• Considine et al. Numerical investigation on the ingress of particulate matter from ambient air into the inlet of a building air handling unit, Indoor Air, 00, 2021

In addition to the main research work, the successful applicant will also be expected to contribute to the production of scientific papers on the topic. Applicants with a masters or bachelors degree in areas of Engineering or Science relating to one or more of the core areas of the project will be considered:

• Air Pollution
• CFD Modelling
• Fieldwork & Prototype Development
• Building Ventilation Systems & Energy Efficiency

Applicants with a 1^st class honours degree or equivalent are strongly encouraged. Funding for the research project, commencing in March 1^st 2023, will be €20,000 per annum for a period of 48 months. An allowance of €7,000 per annum to cover EU university fees is also included.

Candidates are asked to send a cover letter, full CV and the names of two referees to the address below. Closing date Jan 2^nd 2023.

Prof. Aonghus McNabola,

Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering,

Trinity College Dublin,

Ireland

Email: amcnabol@tcd.ie

Telephone +353-1-8963837

Web: http://people.tcd.ie/amcnabo

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