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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
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Use one form per project
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Please complete & submit to international@nuigalway.ie
as soon as possible, and by 27/11/2012
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In your email, begin the subject line with [SWB] (be sure to use square brackets) to ensure that your email is filed correctly. Emails will be automatically filed
PI name & contact details:
School:
Has project been agreed with head (or nominee) of proposed registration school?
Dr. Henry Curran
Chemistry
Research Centre / group affiliation:
Research group / centre website:
Combustion Chemistry Centre http://c3.nuigalway.ie
PI website / link to CV: http://c3.nuigalway.ie/people.html
Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max):
If you are already involved in relevant scholarly activities relating to Brazil, please mention them here.
The Combustion Chemistry Centre, C
3
is engaged in fundamental research on a molecular level on the combustion of fossil and biofuels as applied to the design of energy-efficient combustor systems and the impact of their use on toxic and greenhouse gas emissions, thus helping address the problems of urban air pollution and climate change. Although we have not formally worked together we are in discussion with Edimilson Jesus de Oliveira at
PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro ( edimil@petrobras.com.br
)
Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web):
The combustion of biofuels is important for a sustainable energy future, particularly for transportation fuels. In order to mitigate the formation of toxic and carcinogenic species generated from biofuels and to investigate their ability to reduce particulate emissions (including GHG emissions) it is extremely important to have a detailed understanding of the chemistry of biofuel combustion before new policies are framed and implemented. Fundamental scientific knowledge will facilitate evidence-based decision making in relation to target emission limitations, increased restrictions on energy providers, and the projection of suitable energy supply alternatives for
Ireland, leading to more environmentally tuned and efficient energy production.
This project will involve the experimental study of biofuels in our shock tubes and rapid compression machines at conditions relevant to engines and gas turbines. In addition, detailed chemical kinetic models will be developed to describe the oxidation of these fuels at a molecular level.

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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Unique selling points of PhD project in NUI Galway:
NUI Galway projects should emphasise features that are not typically available in Brazil – specific equipment, multi-disciplinarity, aspects of structured programme, links with industry, placements, links with other research groups etc.
Our experimental facilities can be viewed at ( http://c3.nuigalway.ie/facilities.html
). We have two twin opposed-piston rapid compression machines (RCM) which are used to simulate conditions similar to those reached in internal combustion engines and in gas turbines. An RCM is capable of compressing a premixed gaseous fuel in air to 40 atm in less than 20 milliseconds over a range of temperatures from 600 –1050 K.
We also have two shock tubes one which is used a lower pressure (≤ 5 atm) and another which is used at high pressure (5 –100 atm) over a temperature range of approximately 900–2000 K. Thus, combining experimental results obtained in our RCMs and in our shock tubes we can study a very wide range of temperature (600 –2000 K) using complementary facilities not present together in one laboratory anywhere else in the world.
My group includes researchers with both a chemistry and mechanical engineering background as we study fuels experimentally but we also understand the chemistry of combustion.
We have a number of active research projects funded by research agency awards from Science
Foundation Ireland (SFI), the Irish Research Council and with industry. We are funded by Science
Foundation Ireland under their Principal Investigator programme. In addition, we have a large-scale
EU FP7 grant (Energy-2008-TREN-1) and we also have industry-linked projects with Rolls –Royce
Canada Limited, the Saudi Arabian Oil Company and Alstom Power Ltd.
Our group collaborates with Princeton University, Stanford University, Imperial College London,
Texas A&M University, KAUST, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Argonne National
Laboratory, among others. Students have been travelled to these universities in the past for placements, typically of 3 –6 months duration.
Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above:
Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply:
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Chemistry
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Mechanical Engineering
Ciência sem Fronteiras / Science Without Borders Priority Area:
Please indicate the specific programme priority area under which the proposed PhD project fits- choose only one (tick box):
Engineering and other technological areas
Pure and Natural Sciences (e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry)/Physical Sciences (Mathematics,
Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geosciences)
Health and Biomedical Sciences / Clinical, Pré-clinical and Health Sciences
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Computing
Aerospace
Pharmaceuticals
Sustainable Agricultural Production

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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Oil, Gas and Coal
Renewable Energy
Minerals, Minerals Technology
Biotechnology
Nanotechnology and New Materials
Technologies for Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Disasters
Bioprospecting and Biodiversity
Marine Sciences
Creative Industry
New technologies in constructive engineering
Please indicate which of the following applies to this project (referring to Science Without Borders arrangements):
Suitable only as a Full PhD (Y/N): _ Y___
Available to candidates seeking a Sandwich PhD arrangement (Y/N): _____
Suitable for either/Don’t know: _____
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