Efficient performance prediction tools for wind assisted ships

Project title: Efficient performance prediction tools for wind assisted ships  

Supervisory Team: Dr Joseph Banks, Prof Dominic Hudson, Dr Martyn Prince

Project description

One of the most promising ways to rapidly decrease the CO2 emissions from commercial ships is thorough the use of wind to directly generate thrust. Smart Green Shipping is working with the University of Southampton to deploy its FastRig wing sail technology on a commercial ship for the first time as part of a new Innovate UK funded project. In order to build investor confidence and maximize the savings achieved through route optimisation it is essential to be able to predict the performance of a vessel propelled by both a propeller and wind assist devices. Therefore, there is a great opportunity to combine some of the performance prediction techniques used in high performance sailing with recent research into ship resistance and propulsion to develop efficient prediction tools for commercial wind assisted vessels.

This PhD will focus on fundamental research into predicting the aero and hydrodynamic forces acting on a wind assisted ship and understanding the complex interactions between the wing sails, hull, propeller and rudder. This will ultimately help the development of efficient methods for predicting wind assisted vessel performance. The project will start bay assessing the gaps in understanding in this area and developing a research project plan which could include (but is not limited to): wing sail aerodynamic interactions; investigating the trade-off between simulation fidelity and required computational resources needed to provide accurate force predictions in various sailing conditions; the hydrodynamic balance of a vessel when sailing and the required rudder forces to maintain a course or investigate how a ships propeller design could be improved for efficiency when motor-sailing. It is expected that this could include a mixture of computational fluid dynamics, mathematical modelling and model scale experiments and has the opportunity to work alongside the Innovate UK funded project assisting with planned experimental programs in the towing tank and the wind tunnel.  There is also the opportunity to work closely with the Wolfson Unit, Smart Green Shipping and other consortium partners as part of the project, providing a unique opportunity to see your research have real impact in a rapidly evolving sector. The team of academics and researchers working on this project will help provide training and support throughout the PhD.

Entry Requirements

A very good undergraduate degree (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent), with a background in mechanical engineering, ship science, aerospace, physics and mathematics. You should be confident with coding, performing experiments,  fluid dynamics and ideally a background of ship resistance and propulsion.

Closing date: 01 June 2023

Funding: For UK students, Tuition Fees and a stipend of £17,668 tax-free per annum for up to 3.5 years.

How To Apply

Apply online: Search for a Postgraduate Programme of Study (soton.ac.uk). Select programme type (Research), 2023/24, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, next page select “PhD Engineering & Environment (Full time)”. In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the supervisor Joseph Banks

Applications should include:

Curriculum Vitae

Two reference letters

Degree Transcripts/Certificates to date

For further information please contact: feps-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk

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