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 Title Principal Supervisorsort descending Research Institutes Project Summary
Rural and Remote Ubiquitous Broadband Wireless Access

Dr Tharmalingam Ratnarajah

Imaging, Data and Communications

This research network would bring together key research groups that are in the vanguard of developing novel technologies and algorithms for spectrally efficient generation wireless networks in the UK and India.

Massive MIMO for Future Wireless Communication Networks

Dr Tharmalingam Ratnarajah

Imaging, Data and Communications

The spectrum crunch is a global phenomenon, where wireless networks constrained by scarce spectrum resource cannot keep pace with the explosion in mobile broadband use, particularly at a time when smartphones and tablets are becoming even more prevalent and heavily used. Every new opportunity has to be maximally exploited to cope with this spectrum deficit and meet the demands of explosive broadband usage by pushing more data through existing spectrum. Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), an advanced antenna technology only developed in 2010 offers one such opportunity.

Optimal Design of Very Large Tidal Stream Farms: for Shallow Estuarine Applications

Dr Tom Bruce

Energy Systems

This project is a collaboration between SuperGen Marine, the Exeter Centre for Water Resources (Non-SuperGen), Penn State University, Aquascientific Ltd., The Danish Hydraulics Research Institute and is mentored by Garrad Hassan partners. The primary goal is the introduction of a new hybrid optimisation approach that allows the multi-objective optimal design of the layout and power loadings of marine energy farms subject to environmental impacts. It involves a new, academically highly challenging integrated analytic/numerical/experimental, approach to optimising the performance of large tidal stream energy capture farms. The specific application focus involves tidal turbines suited to operating in shallow medium flow estuaries but the technique can be applied to all types of marine energy farms. Optimisation is subject to minimising flood risk, with further environmental impacts, such as sediment transport driven outcomes, being capable of subsequent incorporation as slow timescale effects. The work complements the PERAWAT project and has key partners in common.

X-MED: Extreme Loading of Marine Energy Devices due to Waves, Current, Flotsam and Mammal Impact

Dr Tom Bruce

Energy Systems

Marine energy should make a substantial contribution to the UK renewable energy target of 30% electricity by 2020. Tidal stream turbines are a more mature technology than wave energy devices while the potential of wave energy is considerable. There is a growing capability and confidence in the loading and performance of marine energy devices in operating conditions as designs rapidly develop. However knowledge of extreme loading is less mature and indeed there is some uncertainty about their origin.

Low Power Indoor Positioning Methods

Professor Tughrul Arslan

Integrated Micro and Nano Systems

The project aims to develop a low power low foot-print mobile positioning technology that operates seamlessly both indoors and in urban areas.

EcoWatt2050

Prof Vengatesan Venugopal

Energy Systems

The Scottish Government is committed to promoting substantial sustainable growth in its marine renewable industries. Agreements for sea bed leases are already in place for 2GW of wave and tidal developments, and projects are progressing through the licensing process. Strategic marine planning for future phases of wave, tidal and offshore wind development is now in progress. For marine renewables to significantly contribute to the low-carbon energy mix towards 2050, significant offshore development in the form of very large scale arrays will be needed.

CableDyn

Prof Venki Venugopal

Energy Systems

This fundamental scientific research aims to investigate the dynamic loading, motion response, impact of vortex induced vibration and its suppression mechanism, and fatigue failure of subsea power cables subjected to combined 3-dimensional waves, currents, and turbulence.

Microwave Assisted Gas Separation

Prof Xianfeng Fan

Materials and Processes

CO2 Capture

ACCA: Atmospheric Carbon Capture

Professor Khellil Sefiane

Multiscale Thermofluids

Carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion and change in land use are forcing a rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 levels leading to climate change. The initial implementation of plans to reduce the levels of CO2 is based on a combination of increased use of renewable energy and the implementation of carbon capture and storage from industrial sources and power plants on a wide scale.

The First Open-Source Software for Non-Continuum Flows in Engineering

Prof Jason Reese

Multiscale Thermofluids

This project is both multi-scale and multi-disciplinary, and spans research areas across physics, mechanical engineering, computer science and chemical engineering. Our aim is to produce, for the first time, a general, robust and efficient open-source code for the simulation of non-continuum flows for engineering applications.

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