PhD on Computational Fluid Dynamics modelling of Hydraulic Turbines

Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) modelling of hydraulic turbines. A fully funded PhD studentship is available at the University of Parma (in Parma, Italy) in the framework of a Scientific collaboration between Andritz Hydro SAS and University of Parma. Andritz Hydro is a global supplier of electromechanical systems for hydropower plants and one of the leaders in the world market for hydraulic power generation. University of Parma is one of the institutions that leads the research on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic modelling, actively collaborating with several different universities and industries around the world. Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic was developed originally for astrophysics, then the method has seen rapid development in the last decade for application to engineering problems where complex interfaces and/or moving boundaries are present, including the simulation of hydraulic turbines.

The research will be jointly supervised by Dr. Renato Vacondio (University of Parma) and Dr. Jean-Christophe Marongiu (Andritz Hydro). The PhD Student is expected to spend about 1 year working at the Andritz Hydro Turbine Research center in Vevey, Switzerland (close to the city of Geneve). Moreover, the student will actively contribute to the development of the in-house SPH code developed at Andritz and to work in close collaboration with other researchers both at University of Parma and Andritz Hydro.

The research involves mathematical derivations, scientific computing and simulations of engineering problems related to turbine design. Applicants are expected to have a degree in Mathematics, Mechanical/Civil/Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, or a related subject. Some experience on approximation of partial differential equations and/or on scientific computing is considered an advantage but it is not mandatory.

Informal inquiries can be made to: Dr. Renato Vacondio ([email protected] ) until the end of July.