Are you an experienced and ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have a background in the computational modelling of boiling flows? Do you want to further your career in one of the UK’s leading research intensive Universities?

We are looking for a Research Assistant or Fellow to join our project, working on the development of heat flux partitioning models of boiling water and their incorporation within Reynolds-averaged; Navier-Stokes (RANS); Eulerian-Eulerian; two-fluid computational fluid dynamic models (CFD) of boiling flows for nuclear reactor applications. Extension of the boiling model will be carried to allow it to better handle departure from nucleate boiling (DNB), with the complete CFD model validated against measurements of DNB on a single rod and in rod bundles and against data on the passive cooling of the external surfaces of reactor vessels (external reactor vessel cooling). Allied predictions based on large eddy simulation (for Grade 7) will also be used to underpin further development of the RANS approach.

The work is funded by the EPSRC through a grant entitled ‘Development and Validation of Thermal-Hydraulic Prediction Methods for Licensing, Fault Conditions and Severe Accidents in BWRs and PWRs’ under Phase IV of the UK-India Civil Nuclear Collaboration. The project is in collaboration with colleagues at Imperial College London and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai. Overall, the project as a whole will acquire quality benchmark data and, through modelling improvements, increase our understanding of and ability to predict departures from nucleate boiling and boiling heat transfer, as needed in support of the development of advanced nuclear reactors and in the evaluation of passive reactor systems.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: 

Professor Michael Fairweather, Professor of Thermofluids and Combustion 

Tel:0113 343 2419 or email: m.fairweather@leeds.ac.uk

Further information

The Faculty of Engineering is proud to have been awarded the Athena Swan Silver Award from the Equality Challenge Unit, the national body that promotes equality in the higher education sector. Our equality and inclusion webpage provides more information.

Location:      Leeds - Main Campus
Faculty/Service:      Faculty of Engineering
School/Institute:      School of Chemical & Process Engineering
Category:      Research
Grade:      Grade 6 to Grade 7
Salary:      £27,025 to £39,609
Post Type:      Full Time
Contract Type:      Fixed Term (Up to 24 months, available from 01 September 2019 (grant funding))
Closing Date:      Tuesday 27 August 2019
Downloads: Candidate Brief