PhD Studentship - Durability of Seals for High Pressure H2 Storage

We have a vacancy for an enthusiastic and self-motivated PhD student for a PhD project in the Leonardo Centre at the University of Sheffield funded by the John Crane Ltd.

About the Project

The transition away from fossil fuels has been rapid. Increasingly our energy comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar. These sources are intermittent which means we need to store and transport the energy they produce for use when and where it is needed. Hydrogen will also increasingly be used as an energy source for transport. To store high pressure hydrogen requires advanced rotating machinery with highly specialised mechanical seals.

This project is about supporting development of new seals for use in that high pressure environment. Mechanical seals have a rotating ceramic face pressed against a stationary face. They leak a tiny amount of sealed gas, a sub-micron thin layer, to make sure the faces do not contact and wear out. Amongst other things we’ll be conducting experiments to see how the surface texture can help this. You’ll also be researching to trial an ultrasonic sensor to try to measure the thickness of the tiny seal gap. The work is a combination of experimental and modelling activities. The project is funded by John Crane. You will be working closely with them and have the opportunity to work at their sites in Manchester and Slough.

About the Centre and Sponsors

The Leonardo Centre in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield is one of the leading tribology and machine element groups in the UK with 6 academic staff and over 50 PhD students. The Centre covers a wide range of fundamental and applied research and has a large group of industrial funders and collaborators. You will be joining a great team of supportive and social PhD students working in three well-equipped labs.

John Crane Ltd is a $1Bn industry and the world leader in mechanical sealing. They design, manufacture, install, and support sealing for all kinds of rotating machines for all industries. You would be working with the research center in Manchester and the manufacturing site in Slough.

For further information on the project please contact Prof Rob Dwyer-Joyce – r.dwyerjoyce@shef.ac.uk

The Leonardo Center: www.sheffield.ac.uk/leonardocentre

John Crane Ltd: www.johncrane.com

Requirements:

• 1^st or 2:1 degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Applied Mathematics or other Relevant Discipline.

Funding Details:

This studentship includes a fee bursary to cover the UK (home) rate, and an annual tax-free maintenance stipend at the standard UK Research rate (£19,237 in 2024-25) for up to 4 years. Overseas applicants will need to secure additional funding to cover the difference in fees, or with their own funds which is approximately £22,884 per year.

To apply, please use our on-line PhD application form and contact m.i.boulis@sheffield.ac.uk if you have any questions.

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