PhD Studentship – Improving energy efficiency of Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems through innovative design and novel pipe insulation

Graduate School

Loughborough University

PhD Studentship – Improving energy efficiency of Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems through innovative design and novel pipe insulation
Applications are invited for a PhD studentship funded by the School of Civil and Building Engineering (CBE), the Department of Materials, and TATA Steel to start in April 2016. The project will be primarily based in CBE at Loughborough University.
The Project
The PhD student is expected to work in collaboration with industrial partners, in particular Tata Steel, through the Building & Industrial Services Pipework Academy (BISPA) at Loughborough. BISPA is a collaboration between Loughborough University and industrial partners such as Tata Steel Europe and its Tubes business. The main aim of this project is to investigate the energy reduction in pipes due to right sizing, novel insulation such as DLC, and installation practices in HVAC systems. The objectives are to quantify energy saving for various sizing and novel insulation, as well as improving the service life, installation and application suitability of building and industrial pipework and materials.
The Tata Steel experimental facilities at Loughborough University will provide heat loss, pressure loss and corrosion measurements of any size and type of tubing for HVAC systems. The research will be carried out through tests and measurements mainly within CBE and the Department of Materials, as well as industrial partners’ own test facilities. Work will also be undertaken with Tata Steel Research and Development in Rotherham and Warwick and at the Tube manufacturing hubs in both the UK and Holland. The project will provide opportunities for working with other Tata Steel project students at Cranfield and Swansea Universities and other industrial partners located in both the UK and EU, and may require additional travel.
The outcome of the research will be innovative methods for design and insulating HVAC pipes, as well as validated methods for developing novel low cost smart coatings, and performance parametric data for a range of applications. For wider dissemination, collected data will be parameterised and shared with software designers. The project will also include the development and optimisation of pipework BIM models (Building Information Modelling) and improvement in pipework application training packages using virtual reality.
Studentship details
The studentship is for 3.5 years and provides a tax-free stipend plus tuition fees at the UK/EU rate. The value of the stipend is £14,057 per annum (2015/16 rate) with cost of living adjustments in future years. TATA will also provide a £100 per month stipend top-up. International (non-EU) students may apply but will need to find the difference in fees between those for a UK/EU and international student themselves.
Eligibility
Applicants should have a minimum of a 2.1 honours degree (or equivalent) or Master’s degree in Chemistry, Engineering or a relevant discipline. Applicants will be judged on their academic achievement, their understanding of the proposed research topic and their references.

Funding information

Funding applies to:

Open to applicants from a range of countries

Funding notes:

International (non-EU) students may apply but will need to find the difference in fees between those for a UK/EU and international student themselves

Contacts and how to apply

Academic contact:

For informal enquiries about the project, please contact Dr Mahroo Eftekhari, at M.M.Eftekhari@lboro.ac.uk or (01509) 222606.

Administrative contact and how to apply:

For enquiries about the application process, please contact the School’s Research Administrator, Mr Berkeley Young, at civ.eng.pgr@lboro.ac.uk or (01509) 222611.
To apply, please complete the online application using the following link: https://lucas.lboro.ac.uk/web_apx/f?p=100:1.
The closing date for applications is Monday 29 February 2016
Please quote the following reference when applying: CBEM2016-ME

Application deadline:

29 February 2016