Research Projects

All research projects at the School of Engineering. You can search keywords within Project title and filter by Research Institute.

We also have many exciting Engineering PhD Opportunities for postgraduate students looking to join the School.

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Project Titlesort descending Principal Supervisor Research Institutes Project Summary
Efficient DEM simulation of large systems of non-spherical particles

Dr. Kevin Hanley

Infrastructure and Environment

To enlarge the scale of discrete element modelled particulate system from spherical to nonspherical; to increase the computational efficiency of simulating the nonspherical system; to provide more insights of particulate solid mechanics in engineering applications.

Electro-Mechanical Modelling of Tidal Turbines

Dr Jonathan Shek

Energy Systems

The research in this project will focus on modelling full resource-to-wire dynamic models of tidal arrays in order to investigate and optimise their operation.  The expected impact of this study is providing industry with an understanding and guidelines of the applicability of the different electrical layouts to specific locations and size of the arrays.

Compare different generator technologies and control theories Validate models using real measured data Perform harmonic analysis and accurate loss modelling based on temperature/frequency variations Suggest cost-effective solutions for device developers
ElmoNet Q Project

Dr Sasa Djokic

Energy Systems

Impact of increasing penetration of electrical vehicles and photovoltaic installations on power quality in public low voltage distribution networks

Engineering the Byzantine water supply: procurement, construction and operation

Dr Simon Smith

Infrastructure and Environment

This innovative research combines construction process modelling and contemporary network software to gain new insights to conceptualise the construction and distribution of the city’s hydraulic networks.

Enhanced oil/gas recovery and CO2 storage

Dr Xianfeng Fan

Materials and Processes

Enhanced oil/gas recovery and CO2 storage are a displacement process at pore scale, in which oil and gas are displaced by water or CO2 in reservoir at pore scale, or water is displaced by CO2 in aquifers at pore scale. This displacement is controlled by pore structure, pore wettability, pore surface chemistry, fluid viscosity and interfacial interaction between pore fluids and pore surfaces. The displacement controls the pore connectivity, therefore oil/gas recovery and CO2 storage capacity. We investigate the displacement and the effect of various factors on the displacement at pore scale and core scale.

FASTBLADE, Structural Composites Research Facility

Conchúr Ó Brádaigh

Energy Systems, Materials and Processes

FASTBLADE is commencing construction - see our facility site here.

The Structural Composites Research Facility (SCRF) is funded by a strategic equipment grant (EP/P029922/1). The grant started on the 1st of June 2017 and is due to complete on the 30sh of November 2020. The SCRF is to be setup as a Small Research Facility (SRF) and has been given the name FASTBLADE.

FASTBLADE will offer a suite of experimental and testing services to meet every client’s needs. The team can offer bespoke solutions to match every user’s needs and are supported by the world renown expertise and knowledge within the School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh.

FLOWBEC - FLOW and Benthic Ecology 4D

Dr Angus Creech

Energy Systems

The FLOWBEC project aims to improve the understanding of how the physical behaviour of the water such as currents, waves and turbulence at tide and wave energy sites influences the behaviour of marine wildlife, and how tide and wave energy devices might alter the behaviour of such wildlife.

Feasibility of a wetting layer absorption carbon capture process based on chemical solvents

Professor Stefano Brandani

Materials and Processes

New ideas for carbon capture are urgently needed to combat climate change. Retro-fitting post-combustion carbon capture to existing power plants has the greatest potential to reduce CO2 emissions considering these sources make the largest contribution to CO2 emissions in the UK. Unfortunately, carbon capture methods based on existing industrial process technology for separation of CO2 from natural gas streams (i.e. amine scrubbing) would be extremely expensive if applied on the scale envisaged, as exemplified by the recent collapse of the Government's CCS project at Longannet power station. Moreover, many of the chemical absorbents used, typically amines, are corrosive and toxic and their use could generate significant amounts of hazardous waste. So, more efficient and 'greener' post-combustion CCS technologies are urgently needed if CCS is to be adopted on a global scale.

Finite element implementation and detailed comparison of generalised plasticity models

Dr. Stefanos Papanicolopulos

Infrastructure and Environment

The lack of an internal length scale parameter in classical continua leads to unrealistic numerical modelling of some phenomena related to the microstructure of the material such as size effect and strain localisation.

Fire Safety of Modern Timber Infrastructure

Dr Rory Hadden

Infrastructure and Environment

Exposed structural timber elements within a compartment creates an additional fuel load which must be considered in design. This research focuses on quantifying this additional fuel load, and understanding conditions where after burnout of the compartment contents, the additional exposed timber may stop burning (auto-extinguish). 

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