Fluid Dynamics of Underground Hydrogen Storage

We seek a highly motivated and quantitatively gifted candidate to pursue a PhD in the fluid dynamics of underground hydrogen storage. 

Project Background: The project will provide a new mathematical and fluid dynamical understanding of the injection and withdrawal of hydrogen in subsurface porous layers. Australia has a vast capacity to generate renewable energy for its own needs as well as its neighbours if only the intermittency conundrum could be overcome. An exciting solution undergoing provisional testing is the large-scale storage of hydrogen in underground porous layers. However, there are major fluid dynamical questions about underground hydrogen storage that must be addressed. This project will build mathematical continuum models of increasing complexity to understand the combination of cyclic flow of hydrogen with a range of mechanisms that operate at different lengthscales.

Project Elements: Depending on the interest of the PhD candidate, the project will focus on some of the following:

• Determining how viscous flow instabilities respond to the injection and withdrawal of hydrogen.
• Developing a mathematical framework for the coupled processes of microbial growth, consumption and hydrogen flow.
• Upscaling pore-scale dynamics of biofilms to the macro-scale.
• Employing the mathematical continuum models above to optimize hydrogen storage in porous layers with heterogeneity.
• Laboratory experiments that explore the effect of alternating injection and/or biofilm growth.

The PhD candidate will be based at the School of Mathematics & Statistics, The University of Melbourne (Parkville Campus). The project will be supervised by Dr Edward Hinton (Melbourne, Principal Supervisor), A/Prof Anja Slim (Monash) and A/Prof James Osborne (Melbourne).

Essential Criteria:

• A First-class (H1 or equivalent) bachelor or masters degree from a high-ranking university in applied mathematics, physics, or engineering.
• Able to demonstrate experience with partial differential equations and numerical methods.
• A strong interest in fluid dynamics.
• Some experience of developing computer programs to solve problems arising in applied mathematics and/or fluid dynamics (this could be in python or MATLAB, for example).
• For candidates from countries where English is not the single official language, proof of English proficiency is essential. As a minimum you must meet the University’s requirements: https://study.unimelb.edu.au/how-to-apply/english-language-requirements/graduate-english-language-requirements

How to apply:

Interested candidates who satisfy the criteria above should email ehinton@unimelb.edu.au with the following put into a single word or pdf file:

1. A cover letter that briefly outlines your skills and experience and how you meet the selection criteria above (1 page maximum). Please indicate when you would be able to commence the project. If you do not explicitly address the Selection Criteria your application will be discarded.
2. A formal transcript of your academic record from your University that details the subjects you took, the grades you received and what the grading scheme means if it is not obvious (Transcripts should be translated into English if in another language). If you have a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, provide transcripts for both.
3. A brief CV.

Applications will be assessed on an ongoing basis until 31 August 2024.

Ideally, the candidate would start in November 2024 but commencing in early 2025 would also be possible.

Qualified candidates will be invited for further discussions about the position via zoom.