Funding

Competition funded (UK/EU and international students)

Project code

SENE8740124

Department

School of Energy and Electronic Engineering

Start dates

April 2024

Application deadline

19 January 2024

Applications are invited for a fully-funded three year PhD to commence in April 204. 

The PhD will be based in the Schools of Energy and Electronic Engineering and Mechanical and Design Engineering, and will be supervised by Dr Lei Kang, Dr Edward Smart and Prof. David Sanders. 

Successful applicants will receive a bursary to cover tuition fees for three years and a stipend in line with the UKRI rate (£18,622 for 2023/24). Bursary recipients will also receive a £1,500 p.a. for project costs/consumables. 

 

The work on this project could involve:

  • Design, fabrication and characterisation of new electromagnetic acoustic transducers for unidirectional generation and reception of ultrasonic guided waves in pipes.
  • Formulation of the ultrasonic signals and devising signal processing methods for optimal generation and reception of ultrasonic guided waves in pipes.
  • Devising thickness measurement method based on optimal generation and reception of multi-mode guidance waves for pipes.
  • Investigating flaw detection methods based on optimal generation and reception of multi-mode guidance waves for pipes.
  • Developing ultrasonic inspection system(s) for thickness measurement and/or flaw detection of pipes.

 

Pipelines play a critical role in the energy industry, ensuring that energy products are transported efficiently, reliably, safely and environmentally friendly over long distances. Defects such as corrosion, wall thinning, and cracks can develop in the pipeline wall, significantly undermining their operational safety.

Ultrasonic-guided-wave (UGW) non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques have been traditionally utilised to measure wall thickness and detect defects of pipelines. UGW transducers typically generate guided waves forward and backward. When detecting defects on a pipe, two waves travelling circumferentially in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions will be generated, which can mix with defect signals and cause false detection. The unidirectional generation and reception of UGW can effectively solve this issue and therefore will be a game changer for the NDT of pipelines.

We have developed unidirectional ultrasonic transducers and a mathematical model for predicting the transducers’ unidirectional generation performance, and devised a method for optimal generation of two unidirectional wave modes simultaneously in desired directions. More recently, a novel thickness measurement method has been developed for plates, which has three-fold lower error compared with the conventional thickness measurement method. 

During the last three years, the unidirectional generation of guided waves have been extensively studied using plates as the test piece. We have published this research in 7 papers in top IEEE and Elsevier journals. The PhD student will investigate both generation and reception of unidirectional guided waves and expand the research from plates to pipelines whose ultrasonic measurement configurations are more versatile, resulting in a more significant scientific value and a greater potential for applications in the energy industry. 

 

Entry requirements

You'll need a good first degree from an internationally recognised university (minimum upper second class or equivalent, depending on your chosen course) or a Master’s degree in an appropriate subject. In exceptional cases, we may consider equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications. English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

  • Knowledge and experience of analogue and digital electronics.
  • Competent at digital signal processing technique.
  • Experience in finite element modelling and simulation analysis.
  • Experience in FPGA and micro-controller (ARM or Arduino).
  • Project development experience.

 

 

 

 

How to apply

We’d encourage you to contact Dr Lei Kang (lei.kang@port.ac.uk) to discuss your interest before you apply, quoting the project code.

When you are ready to apply, you can use our online application form. Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV.  Our ‘How to Apply’ page offers further guidance on the PhD application process.

If you want to be considered for this funded PhD opportunity you must quote project code SENE8740124 when applying.