Cardiff School of Engineering PhD Studentship: The future of Gas in a Low Carbon Energy System (PhD Studentship)
Reference Number: R845
Key Studentship Information
Project Title: The future of Gas in a Low Carbon Energy System
Project Description: This 3 year PhD studentship gives students an opportunity to become a part of the multi-disciplinary Institute of Energy team at Cardiff University, to contribute to research challenges through both theoretical study and technical demonstration via test facilities and to participate in a research programme involving several national and international industrial partners.
Currently a considerable amount of electricity is generated through gas-fired power plants. According to the World Energy Outlook 2010, worldwide gas consumption in the power sector in 2008 was 4,303 TWh. This is projected to increase to 7,600 TWh by 2035. Due to the rise in gas demand, gas network capacity will need to increase to supply fuel to new gas fired power plants. At the same time indigenous gas production in most European countries, is not increasing to meet the dramatic rise in demand. This compels these countries to continually increase gas imports via pipelines or in the form of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). The dependency on imported gas not only affects security of gas supplies, but also causes concerns regarding the security of the power system.
Gas networks and electricity networks are closely coupled through gas-fired power plants and this integrated energy systems are fundamental to infrastructure interdependence, as most infrastructure systems rely upon electricity and gas. The technologies for future energy demand, supply and infrastructure have been studied extensively in the UK, e.g. the UKERC Energy 2050 project. The implications of carbon emissions reduction policy and infrastructure life cycles for total national energy infrastructure over time, as a function of scenario, are understood in broad terms. However there is lack of understanding regarding what the role of each energy vector is, especially gas, in a future low carbon energy system.
The project will take a broad view of the future of gas in a world where overall CO2 emissions have to be dropped to 10% of their 1990 levels and the carbon intensity of electricity generation should be less than 35gCO2e/kWh. Previous research will be extended to provide the tools necessary to examine in more detail the technical solutions and policy options of the future gas infrastructure. The implications of technologies with distinctive temporal-spatial characteristics (e.g. biogas, shale gas, offshore wind farms, electric vehicles, and distributed generation) within this integrated gas/electricity networks need to be resolved.
The Combined Gas and Electricity Network (CGEN) model, which was developed in Cardiff, is a multi-time period optimisation tool to investigate the optimal operation of the gas and electricity networks as an integrated system. CGEN will be used to analyse the interdependencies between the gas and electricity network.
Supervisor: Dr J Wu
Start Date: 1 October 2012.
Funding
The award will cover tuition fees at the Home/EU fee rate and will provide a stipend at the UK Research Council rate (£13,590 in 2011/12). Please note that overseas candidates will be required to fund the difference between the Home/EU and overseas fee rate themselves.
Eligibility
Academic Criteria: Applicants should have a background in mechanical or electrical engineering or physical science. The candidate should also be able to supply evidence of a recent individual research project in an engineering or science discipline.
How to Apply
If you would like to submit an application, please apply online.
Please quote reference JW-EPSRC1-2012 on your application
Application Deadline: 1st September 2012
Further information
For further information please contact:
Dr J Wu
Email: wuj5@cardiff.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)29 2087 0668
