Fully-funded PhD studentship: Advancing sensing technology for CCUS applications

This is a fully-funded 4 year PhD offering an annual tax-free stipend of £20,780, tuition fees and an enhanced research and training grant.

This PhD is one of a number of projects hosted by the Centre for Doctoral Training in Green Industrial Futures (CDT-GIF). We are offering pioneering research projects that will enable PhD researchers to explore key technologies and solutions that will support UK industry to reach net zero.  Alongside their research, our PhD researchers gain valuable training in how to apply their research within the wider industrial system, including opportunities for industry placements, site visits, international facility visits and biannual residentials.

The Project

The project is led by Prof. Mercedes Maroto-Valer in collaboration with industry partner, TÜV-SÜD, and is at the forefront of innovation. If successful, the outputs of this research could be implemented in industrial settings, generating tangible impact to improve emission reduction in the UK.

The deployment of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) is critical for achieving the UK's net-zero target set by the Climate Change Act (2008). With commercial agreements in place for two Track-1 clusters and £21.7 billion committed by the UK government over 25 years, the UK is positioned to lead in CCUS. However, the success of these clusters depends on the adoption of safe and cost-effective technologies tailored to CCUS needs.

Accurate knowledge of CO₂ streams density is vital across the CCUS chain, impacting engineering design, pipeline safety, reservoir management, and financial settlements. Unlike natural gas, which has a constant composition, CO₂ streams are project specific and contain over 20 impurities across gas, liquid, and supercritical phases, complicating the development of an accurate and generalisable density Equation of State model (EoS). This is especially challenging near the critical point and the Widom line, where there are large gradients in fluid properties.

This project aims to develop two advanced methodologies for accurate and cost-effective CO₂ density measurement. Both approaches are designed to be accurate, cost-effective, and easily deployable, as they utilise inputs — such as speed of sound, temperature, and pressure—already available from the existing commercial ultrasonic flow meters typically deployed across the transportation chain.

This project not only addresses critical analytical challenges in CCUS research and has significant industrial impact but also provides a comprehensive training experience for the PhD researcher, preparing them for a successful career in academia, industry, or entrepreneurship.

Click Apply for more information on our application process.

Deadline: 30^th June.

Advert information