Research Associate in Gas Kinetic Simulation of Gas Flows in Porous Media (108083)
 

Salary range:  £31,604 - £38,833
FTE:  1.0
Term:  Fixed (3 years)  
Closing Date: 04 March 2018

The University of Strathclyde seeks to recruit a postdoctoral Research Associate for 3 years to investigate the behaviour of methane gas inside porous rock media using gas kinetic simulations. This is part of a joint research project between the University of Strathclyde, Edinburgh University, and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) on the dynamics of gas flows in underground reservoirs.

The Research Associate will join the James Weir Fluids Laboratory (http://www.jwfl.ac.uk/) based within the Department and work with Prof Yonghao Zhang and Dr Lei Wu. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde is one of the largest and most successful engineering faculties in the UK, and the largest in Scotland. The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is ranked No. 1 in Scotland by UK University TIMES Ranking 2017. As a leading international technological university, Strathclyde is recognised for its world class research, knowledge exchange and educational programmes.

In this project, we will utilize our recently developed high-performance simulation code based on discrete velocity method including lattice Boltzmann method to study gas transport inside ultra-tight pore networks. The computations will be performed on digital images of real samples and aim to provide essential information for the Darcy-scale simulations and enable reliable reservoir simulations. The research team has access to a range of HPC facilities including the University’s HPC (3500 CPU cores) and ARCHER, the UK national supercomputer.

The main objectives of the project are: to further develop the current gas kinetic code using the discrete velocity method for more heterogeneous porous media; to use the molecular dynamics results (in collaboration with Edinburgh University) as boundary condition for gas kinetic simulations at the pore scale; and to use the pore-scale data for upscaling simulations.

To be considered for the role you will be educated to PhD level in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics or computational science, or you have significant, relevant experience in addition to a relevant Degree. You will be able to work independently as well as taking a lead role within a team. You will have sufficient breadth or depth of knowledge in scientific computing and a developing ability to conduct individual research work, to disseminate results and to prepare research proposals. You will have an ability to plan and organise your own workload effectively and an ability to work within a team environment. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to listen, engage and persuade, and to present complex information in an accessible way to a range of audiences. As this is a joint project with KFUPM, applicant must be willing and able to visit Saudi Arabia for knowledge exchange and research interactions.

Whilst not essential for the role, applications are welcomed from candidates with expertise in discrete velocity method and parallel computing.

Initial interviews have been scheduled for 14 March 2018.

For informal enquiries, please contact Professor Yonghao Zhang, Weir Professor of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechani yonghao.zhang@strath.ac.uk 0044-141-5482854

Click here for full details.


Faculty
Faculty of Engineering
Department/School
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Staff Category
Research
Type of Employment
Fixed-term
Working Hours
Full-time
Vacancy Description
 
Salary range:  £31,604 - £38,833
FTE:  1.0
Term:  Fixed (3 years)  
Closing Date: 04 March 2018

The University of Strathclyde seeks to recruit a postdoctoral Research Associate for 3 years to investigate the behaviour of methane gas inside porous rock media using gas kinetic simulations. This is part of a joint research project between the University of Strathclyde, Edinburgh University, and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) on the dynamics of gas flows in underground reservoirs.

The Research Associate will join the James Weir Fluids Laboratory (http://www.jwfl.ac.uk/) based within the Department and work with Prof Yonghao Zhang and Dr Lei Wu. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde is one of the largest and most successful engineering faculties in the UK, and the largest in Scotland. The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is ranked No. 1 in Scotland by UK University TIMES Ranking 2017. As a leading international technological university, Strathclyde is recognised for its world class research, knowledge exchange and educational programmes.

In this project, we will utilize our recently developed high-performance simulation code based on discrete velocity method including lattice Boltzmann method to study gas transport inside ultra-tight pore networks. The computations will be performed on digital images of real samples and aim to provide essential information for the Darcy-scale simulations and enable reliable reservoir simulations. The research team has access to a range of HPC facilities including the University’s HPC (3500 CPU cores) and ARCHER, the UK national supercomputer.

The main objectives of the project are: to further develop the current gas kinetic code using the discrete velocity method for more heterogeneous porous media; to use the molecular dynamics results (in collaboration with Edinburgh University) as boundary condition for gas kinetic simulations at the pore scale; and to use the pore-scale data for upscaling simulations.

To be considered for the role you will be educated to PhD level in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics or computational science, or you have significant, relevant experience in addition to a relevant Degree. You will be able to work independently as well as taking a lead role within a team. You will have sufficient breadth or depth of knowledge in scientific computing and a developing ability to conduct individual research work, to disseminate results and to prepare research proposals. You will have an ability to plan and organise your own workload effectively and an ability to work within a team environment. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to listen, engage and persuade, and to present complex information in an accessible way to a range of audiences. As this is a joint project with KFUPM, applicant must be willing and able to visit Saudi Arabia for knowledge exchange and research interactions.

Whilst not essential for the role, applications are welcomed from candidates with expertise in discrete velocity method and parallel computing.

Initial interviews have been scheduled for 14 March 2018.

For informal enquiries, please contact Professor Yonghao Zhang, Weir Professor of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechani yonghao.zhang@strath.ac.uk 0044-141-5482854

Click here for full details.