PhD Studentship: Left in the Wake: Assessing the Impact of Sediment Mobility in the Wake of Offshore Wind Infrastructure

Supervisor(s)

1. Dr Tim Marjoribanks, Loughborough University
2. Dr Charlie Lloyd, Loughborough University
3. Dr Robert Houseago, Loughborough University
4. Prof Rob Dorrell, Loughborough University
5. Amir Khan - Turbidites Research Group (TRG)
6. Adam McArthur - Turbidites Research Group (TRG)

Enquiries email: t.i.marjoribanks@lboro.ac.uk

Funding for: UK students

Subject areas

• Engineering & Technology
• Physical & Environmental Science
• Mathematics & Statistics 

Project description

Offshore wind is a core component of global solutions to net-zero. The increasing demand for renewable energy is driving the installation of larger offshore infrastructure at greater geographical extents, including into more morphodynamically active regions (e.g., the shallow southern Northern Sea).

Bottom-mounted offshore wind infrastructure increases bed scour and enhances vertical mixing, resulting in elevated suspended sediment concentration (water turbidity) and the generation of sediment plumes. Understanding the distribution and intensity of sediment plumes is critical given the impact of water turbidity on marine ecosystem functions. Hence, there is a need to understand the physical processes that enable the extent and concentration of these plumes around man-made infrastructure (e.g. monopiles, cables, bridges and geofluid extraction infrastructure).

Offshore sediment plumes are visible from space and trace the turbulent wakes in the lee of offshore wind infrastructure. Research to date has focused on field studies and remote observations to reveal sediment wake distributions and concentrations. These have evidenced that sediment from the seabed is drawn upwards from tidal flow interactions with sea-bed infrastructure through complex fluid-structure interactions. Critically, there is a poor understanding of the fundamental physics. Improving our understanding of these processes is complicated by their multi-scale nature and the simplifications made within current models.

This project will develop novel methods and data to enable advanced predictions of the spatial and temporal distribution and turbidity of the sediment plumes around offshore wind infrastructure via:

(1) Physical modelling experiments to resolve particle transport processes around fixed bottom offshore wind foundations,

(2) Computational fluid dynamics modelling based on Lattice Boltzmann (LB) framework to simulate sediment transport surrounding offshore infrastructure (working with industry partners TRG).

The project has some flexibility to complement the candidate’s expertise and desired skills development in fluid and sediment dynamics. There is potential to incorporate remote sensing of sediment plume distributions and correlation with infrastructure and hydroclimate conditions.

Project partner TRG (The Turbidites Research Group) is a Joint Industry Project run for over 30 years from the University of Leeds. It has specialised in academic-industry knowledge exchange, research and innovation on deep water sediment laden density driven flows with the global energy industry. Through the TRG, the student will have the opportunity to engage with a wide range of research and industry partners, including through biannual (international) workshops.

Eligibility requirements

If you have received or expect to achieve before starting your PhD programme a First-class Honours degree, or a 2:1 Honours degree and a Masters, or a Distinction at Masters level a degree (or the international equivalents) in physics, engineering, mathematics or environmental/earth science and have studied fluid mechanics/physical oceanography to a high level, we would like to hear from you.

This scholarship is only available to Home (UK) students.

Closes: 9 May 2025

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