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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
PhD Project Template
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Use one form per project
Please complete & submit to international@nuigalway.ie as soon as possible, and by 27/11/2012
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:
Dr Rory Monaghan
School:
Energy Systems Engineering
Has project been agreed with head
(or nominee) of proposed
registration school?
n/a
Research Centre / group
affiliation:
Member of:
Combustion Chemistry Centre (C3)
Informatics Research Unit for Sustainable Energy (IRUSE)
Research group / centre
http://c3.nuigalway.ie/
website:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/iruse/
PI website / link to CV:
http://c3.nuigalway.ie/staff/rory_monaghan.html
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=10194626&trk=tab_pro
Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max):
 Advanced numerical techniques (CFD & reduced-order modelling) for thermo-fluid energy
applications
 Analysis & modelling of sustainable energy pathways & technology options
Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web):
Dynamic Reduced Order Modelling of Gasification Systems
Gasification is a key enabling technology for efficient and cost-effective conversion of biomass
resources to energy. Advantages of gasification include its abilities to accommodate wide ranges of
feedstocks and products, and the fact that pollutant removal is more straightforward than for other
energy conversion technologies. For gasification to make an impact in bioenergy, it is essential to
understand the dynamic (time) response of gasifier designs to necessary changes in feedstock and
operating conditions. The dynamic response is especially important for technologies that handle
feedstocks of variable composition, such as biomass. Submodels to be modelled include: feedstock
mixture properties, fluid-solid interactions, chemical reactions, radiative heat transfer, ash-slag
behaviour, etc. The work will build upon the applicant’s modelling research at MIT (Boston, USA) to
produce a fully-validated, flexible, accurate and efficient means of assessing gasifier technologies,
feedstocks and operating strategies for biomass to energy applications. Refer to the following
publications for information on work previously performed in this are: Monaghan & Ghoniem, Fuel,
91, 61-80, Monaghan & Ghoniem, Fuel (2012), 94, 280-297, Monaghan & Ghoniem, Energy & Fuels
(2012), 26, 1089-1106.
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Unique selling points of PhD project in NUI Galway:
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Work with the Combustion Chemistry Centre, one of the world’s leading combustion research groups
Work as part of the Ryan Institute for environment, marine & energy research, one of the largest
interdisciplinary groups in this field in Europe
Very strong and active research links to global academia in this area, e.g. MIT, Politecnico di MIlano
Work will be performed in NUI Galway’s Engineering Building, the largest engineering education
facility in Ireland
Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above:
Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply:
Mechanical Engineering, Energy Systems Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science
and 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
Oil, Gas and Coal
Renewable Energy
X
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): N
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Suitable for either/Don’t know: N