The specific PhD research topic announced here focuses on building on an existing meso-microscale coupled model where the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model provides the boundary conditions to drive a time-dependent Reynold Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) computational fluid dynamics model. The research focuses on extending the capabilities of the coupled model to include the wake effect of future wind turbines where tip heights may approach 300 m or taller. The research will investigate the conditions that prevail in the offshore marine environment where previous work considered onshore conditions and improved approaches to capture the relevant factors that impact offshore wake behaviour, considering impacts of boundary layer height, low-level jets, gravity waves, complex land-sea interactions and how these impact high fidelity wake models.
About AptWind
Atmospheric Physics and Turbulence for Wind Energy, or AptWind, is a new European Industrial Doctoral Network. The AptWind project aims to train a new generation of researchers proficient in innovative approaches to address current and future challenges in atmospheric flow physics and turbulence for wind energy applications.
The AptWind program includes specialised seminars, such as Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence for Environmental Systems Science at NCAR in Boulder, Colorado, in 2024 and Remote Sensing for Wind Energy PhD Summer School at the Danish Technical University in Denmark in 2025. Within the AptWind program, the candidates will gain a portfolio of transferable skills, contribute to breaking significant barriers for the transition to green energy via their research and develop a broad professional network in the wind energy industry.
PhD candidates will meet with the entire student and supervisory network at sites around Europe to present progress, discuss challenges, and learn from the AptWind community. Within the AptWind program, the candidates will gain a portfolio of transferable skills, contribute to breaking major barriers to the green energy transition via their research, and develop a broad professional network in the wind energy industry. The PhD topics cover engineering
domains critical to wind energy, such as computational fluid dynamics, lidar measurements and machine learning.
Candidates will split their time between a university in one country and a private-sector company in another.
http://www.aptwind.e