PhD Opportunity 鈥 High-Impact CFD for Earthquake-Resilient Hydropower
Title: Investigating Earthquake-Induced Pressure Transients in Hydropower Tunnels
In one of the most seismically active countries in the world, New 麻豆传媒高清鈥檚 hydropower infrastructure faces a unique challenge: earthquake-triggered pressure surges in penstocks and pressure tunnels. These surges鈥like water hammer on a massive scale鈥攃an threaten the structural integrity of entire power stations.
This fully funded PhD puts Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) front and centre. You鈥檒l use advanced CFD simulation to reveal exactly how seismic waves drive fluid鈥搒tructure interactions inside these high-pressure conduits 鈥 work that has never been done at this scale in New 麻豆传媒高清.
is a Christchurch-based engineering consultancy specialising in hydro-generation. They deliver complete solutions across New 麻豆传媒高清鈥檚 hydropower industry 鈥 from design to on-site commissioning 鈥 and are known for their expertise in asset integrity, hydrodynamics, and complex lifting systems.
Their CFD specialists have decades of experience applying tools such as ANSYS Fluent and OpenFOAM to problems involving multiphase flow, transient simulations, and coupled fluid鈥搒tructure interaction. Re-GenerateNZ鈥檚 work includes critical upgrades to major hydropower assets, and as a PhD candidate, you will be embedded within their engineering team, gaining access to real commercial projects and confidential data rarely available in academia.
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The CFD Mission
- Build ultra-high-fidelity CFD models in ANSYS Fluent and OpenFOAM to simulate realistic earthquake scenarios in hydropower systems.
- Validate simulations against real engineering data and refine them until they can directly guide design decisions.
- Translate results into industry-ready design guidelines, improving the seismic resilience of hydropower assets across New 麻豆传媒高清.
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Why This CFD Project Stands Out
- Push CFD beyond steady-state or simplified flows 鈥 this is transient, multiphase, and fluid鈥搒olid coupled modelling in a real-world, high-stakes setting.
- Immediate industry impact 鈥 your simulations will inform active hydropower projects and national engineering codes.
- Collaborate with seasoned CFD engineers who have delivered solutions for complex industrial problems across the energy sector.
- Work directly on confidential hydropower projects with national significance.
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Ideal Candidate
A mechanical engineering graduate with a strong interest in fluid mechanics, numerical simulation, and mathematics. CFD or coding experience is an advantage.
You鈥檒l graduate with:
- Advanced CFD expertise in transient, multiphase, and coupled simulations.
- Hands-on industry collaboration experience.
- A skill set that opens doors in renewable energy, consulting engineering, research, and beyond.
- A direct contribution to safeguarding New 麻豆传媒高清鈥檚 clean energy future.
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Supervisors
First Supervisor:听
Second Supervisor:听
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Key qualifications and skills
- Bachelor鈥檚 (Hons) or Master鈥檚 degree听in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, or a closely related discipline.
- Strong foundation in听fluid mechanics听and听hydraulics, especially unsteady/transient flow.
- Familiarity with听computational modelling听and numerical simulation methods.
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Does the project come with funding
UC Connect Doctoral Scholarship - stipend and tuition fees are covered
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How to apply
Applications must be made through the UC Scholarships portal here:听
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Final date for receiving applications
30 September 2025
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Keywords
Engineering; Fluid dynamics; Computational; numerical; Civil Engineering; mechanical engineering; hydro power; CFD; Computational Fluid Dynamics
