PhD Studentship: Optimising Air Source Heat Pump Placement to Minimise Community Noise and Vibration Impact

ASHPs are part of the UK Government’s strategy to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.  Noise has been identified as one of the main barriers for the wider adoption of ASHPs.  There is (international) concern that market growth may create new problems of noise exposure, especially where there are numerous ASHPs in close proximity.

Noise and vibration impacts due to ASHP operations might not be restricted to heating, but also cooling applications, especially if forecast climate change scenarios materialise.

The research question that the PhD will address is: "How can ASHP planning and placement be optimised to minimize noise impact on communities?"

Objectives

This PhD will develop the knowledge and guidance required to optimise the planning and placement of ASHPs with low acoustic impact on communities.  The specific objectives:

• Psychoacoustic assessment of ASHP noise for acceptability, with a focus on the effect of ambient noise, tonal and low-frequency noise, and interaction of multiple ASHP units.
• Model the acoustic impacts (auralisation) of ASHP noise in Virtual Reality scenarios to investigate optimum placement of ASHP units. This will be done in the framework of a collaborative effort on psychoacoustics research led by Dr Torija-Martinez in the IEA Annex 63, and therefore will bring access to other European centres with leading expertise.
• Share research outcomes with CIBSE stakeholders and make recommendations for existing and potentially new guidance documents.

The PhD will begin in September 2024 or January 2025. The Acoustics Research Centre at the University of Salford is a world-renowned institution with a vibrant research community. You will benefit from: expert supervision from leading academics in acoustics; access to state-of-the-art research facilities; the opportunity to collaborate with researchers from other disciplines, and a supportive, inclusive and stimulating research environment.

This PhD is funded in part by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).  CIBSE is the professional body that exists to support the Science, Art and Practice of building services engineering, by providing our members and the public with first class information. Their members are the engineers who design, install, operate, maintain and refurbish the energy using systems installed in buildings.

CIBSE is the sixth largest professional engineering Institution, with over 20,000 members, of whom around 75% operate in the UK and many of the remainder in the Gulf, Hong Kong and Australasia. As an Institution CIBSE publishes Guidance and Codes which provide best practice advice and are internationally recognised as authoritative.

In Autumn 2025 you will then join the new EPSRC CDT in Sustainable Sound Futures when it launches. The CDT is an unprecedented collaboration for doctoral training between four universities and over 50 project partners. The CDT will provide extensive training that goes far beyond what is normally available for standard PhDs in Acoustics. A mixture of week-long residentials, master classes, theme days and online training will develop technical skills for acoustics (simulation, measurement, machine learning, psychoacoustics, etc.) and key skills for research (project planning, entrepreneurship, public engagement, policy influencing, responsible innovation, etc.). Placements in industry or academic partners will play an important role in ensuring students learn about context and how to create impact.

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