PhD Studentship Optimisation of the Cryogenic Bulk Liquid Production and Supply Market

Award summary

The studentship provides 100% fees (Home & international), a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £18,622 (2023/24 UKRI rate), and a research training support grant of £20,000.

This PhD project is part of the CDT in Process Industries: Net Zero.

Overview

Linde and BOC plants make cryogenic liquid air products at various production rates. Production is subject to variable power prices and customer locations, as well as vehicle and driver availability which creates a complex optimisation / scheduling problem. Moreover, any derived schedule must be automated and continually updated to account for variations in production capacity and efficiency. 

The PhD project will develop construct and apply an optimisation strategy for bulk liquid production accounting for the subsequent supply market (liquid oxygen, nitrogen, and argon to customers from UK production sites). This will be constrained by customer demands and subject to electricity spot market prices as well as process carbon intensity (net zero) objectives. Plant start-up penalties and inter-site optimisation capabilities will be incorporated into the optimisation model to emulate realistic operational flexibilities and costs.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: 17^th September 2024

Award duration: 4 years

Sponsor: EPSRC

Supervisors:

Dr MJ Willis and Dr C O'Malley

Eligibility criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project (usually chemical engineering or chemistry, but please get in touch if you think your qualification may be relevant). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.

Home and international applicants (inc. EU) are welcome to apply and if successful will receive a full studentship. Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.

International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme. 

How to apply

Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:

• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8856F
• Leave the research area field blank
• Select ‘PhD in Process Industries; Net Zero (PINZ’) as the programme of study
• You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section:

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form
• The studentship code PINZ01 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field
• ‘Research Proposal’ - when prompted for how you are providing your research proposal – select either ‘Write Proposal’ or ‘Upload document’. Your research proposal should be no more than 2 pages max.

Contact details: pinz.cdt@newcastle.ac.uk

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