PhD. Offer: Design and evaluation of an opto-acoustic instrumentation for the study of loaded fluids

2 Apr 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

University of Strasbourg

Research Field

Technology » Instrumentation technology

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

France

Application Deadline

13 May 2024 - 12:00 (Europe/Paris)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Offer Starting Date

2 Sep 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Whether from a European perspective or, more recently, within the framework of the
United Nations, one priority is to ensure the availability and the sustainable
management of water and sanitation. Optimal management of surface water requires
assessment of the suspended solids (SS) load in urban and natural runoff. Real-time
measurement of the concentration of potentially polluting suspended solids is
obtained using optical turbidity, a measurement technique now widely deployed in
the field.

After more than two decades in the field of ultrasonic instrument development, our
team has demonstrated the value of these methods in the field of river and sewer
network flows [1]. More recently, we have conducted a study on the relevance of
turbidity measurements using optical and acoustic methods [2]. The results revealed
inconsistencies in optical data: in exceptional situations, such as rainy periods in
sewage systems or river flooding, optical turbidity data are questionable and can lead
to massive underestimation of SS concentration.

In addition, technological advances in both electronics and photonics mean that
innovative, low-cost optical methods are now possible. In this context, we, at the
ICube laboratory have developed a new instrumental device for measuring turbidity,
called "Time Resolved Optical Turbidity" or "TROT". The aim of this project is to get a
new, more robust and reliable method of measuring turbidity, even in highly
concentrated media. Based on the principle of Time Correlated Single Photon
Counting, the technology involves analyzing both the light intensity and the temporal
response of the light signal, thanks to an original configuration.
TROT technology is currently the subject of several collaborative projects. A project
with IRMA in Strasbourg (Institut de Recherche Mathématique Avancée) aims to
complete our knowledge of the physical phenomenon by modeling the radiative
transfer equation adapted to the liquid medium. This modeling will enable us to
perfect the analysis of data from TROT technology. Measurement campaigns close to
field conditions carried out in collaboration with Ifremer Brest have shown that the
robustness of the system still needs to be improved. Nevertheless, data has been
collected on the materials encountered in oceanography using TROT technology and
various other instrumentations, enabling a comparative catalog to be compiled
between different techniques.

This thesis is a continuation of this ongoing work, with the aim of optimizing the
combination of optical and acoustic signals. The aim is to develop a new instrumental
approach based on the combination of acoustic and optical time-resolved signals,
enabling simultaneous estimation of TSS concentration and size. At present, there is
only one mixed single-frequency instrument available for this type of measurement
[3].

Bibliography:

[1] "Acoustic turbidity as online monitoring tool for rivers and sewer networks", Flow
Measurement and Instrumentation, 48,118−123, 2016
[2] "Optical versus acoustic turbidity in heavy loaded flows", Proceedings of the
ISUD11 Symposium, Berlin, 5−7 September 2018
[3] "Super-Turbidity Meter: LISST-AOBS Combines Optical Turbidity with Acoustics", Eproceedings
of the 38th IAHR World Congress, Panama, 2019

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

The candidate will have a strong appetite for experimental and multidisciplinary
approaches. The candidate should hold a research master's degree or an engineering
diploma. A background in instrumentation, optics (TCSPC) and/or acoustics is
desirable.

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Good

Additional Information
Additional comments

The candidate is required to have a valid Master degree by Sep. 1, 2024. 

Recruitment is based on a competitive examination organised by the MSII doctoral school of the University of Strasbourg (http://ed.math-spi.unistra.fr/en/application/subjects-of-doctoral-resea… ).

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Equipe MécaFlu

Country

France

City

Strasbourg

Postal Code

67000

Street

cour des cigarières

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

City

Strasbourg

Website

https://icube.unistra.fr/en/

Street

46 boulevard de la victoire

Postal Code

67000

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED