PhD Studentship – Process Industries: Net Zero Optimisation of the cryogenic bulk liquid production and supply market

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

About the CDT

Newcastle University will collaborate with the University of York and more than 25 industrial partners to produce 55 PhD graduates with expertise in Process Intensification and Green Chemistry. The vision of the CDT is to produce the next generation of internationally renowned researchers who are anticipated to go on to a wide variety of careers, including within industry, academia and government. The researchers will help the process industries transition to more sustainable practices: this includes the pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, chemicals, and utilities sectors.

Our partners

A collaboration between two world leading groups the Process Intensification Group (Chemical Engineering, Newcastle) and the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence (Chemistry, University of York), will collaborate with over 25 industrial partners on more than 55 PhD projects. Every project will be co-created with industrial partners to address the challenges they face in their transition to Net Zero. Students will receive intensive training throughout their PhDs to become the Net Zero-enabled engineers and chemists that the future process industries need. Based on their research and training, our graduates will become architects and leaders in the transition to Net Zero for process industries in the UK.

Award Summary

100% fees (Home & international), a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £19,237 (2024/25 UKRI rate), and a research training support grant of £20,000.

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

17th September 2024

Award Duration

4 years

Application Closing Date

31st May 2024

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

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal

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