Single-turbine scale quantification of wake turbulence

This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience; a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. The successful applicant will undertake six-months of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at Loughborough University. 

Individual wind turbines produce turbulent wakes that have implications for maximum power generation from downwind turbines, increased fatigue loads and associated maintenance costs (Porté-Agel et al., 2020) . There are also associated environmental issues such as noise generation, and the introduction of large-scale flow structures to the atmospheric flow field. There have been a number of studies of these phenomena and Howard et al. (2015) and Kadum et al. (2019) have undertaken detailed studies of aspects of these dynamics. At the heart of this project is an attempt to develop deeper understanding of these phenomena in terms of the flow physics and to provide practical modelling methods that correctly represent these physics.

Of particular interest is the nature of the non-local energy transfers identified in the references cited above. Hence, this project will consider the non-equilibrium energy scaling for near-field wakes and how these effects can be captured in subgrid-scale models. Furthermore, we are interested in understanding how these non-local energy transfers relate to the behaviour of the flow’s pressure field, which provides another dimension to model development (Keylock, 2018).

Methodology

The project will have three key stages to it:

(a) direct numerical simulation of the Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible flow with a suitable forcing included to represent the turbines;

(b) analysis of the large datasets that result, extracting and summarising the physics from the stored quantities;

(c) formulation of large-eddy simulation parameterisations based on the outcomes of (a) and (b). A study making use of some of our concepts in this regard is that by Yu et al. (2021).

An aspect of the project will involve undertaking comparative numerical experiments with control for helicity/helicoidal wake generation (see Li et al., 2006).

An exciting potential dimension to this project is to link the numerical results to field experiments conducted at the University of Minnesota.

Training and development

You will benefit from a taught programme, giving you a broad understanding of the breadth and depth of current and emerging offshore wind sector needs. This begins with an intensive six-month programme at the University of Hull for the new student intake, drawing on the expertise and facilities of all four academic partners. It is supplemented by Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which is embedded throughout your 4-year research scholarship.

Application information

Applications are now open for October 2026 entry and will be considered on a rolling basis, and we therefore strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible. Shortlisted candidates may be invited to interview as applications are received and offers may be made before all applications are reviewed and any future scheduled interviews may be cancelled. 

We warmly welcome applications from all eligible candidates, and we particularly encourage applications from women, mature students, disabled applicants, and marginalised Black and Asian students with home fee status, who remain under represented in our cohorts.
If you need additional time to prepare your application due to disability, caring responsibilities, health related needs, or other circumstances linked to protected characteristics, you may submit a short Expression of Interest Form (EOI) to register your intention to apply. You will have 7 days from the date you submit your EOI to complete and submit your full application. This ensures you are not disadvantaged in our rolling process. An EOI does not provide priority over completed applications, and places may still be filled at any time. Application Guidance and access to the EOI can be found here.

Please note, you may only apply for ONE project offered through the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience.

As part of the recruitment process, we ask that you submit a short film of you delivering a presentation, of up to 5 minutes in length, on “How do your experiences and qualities provide a background to contribute to research and innovation for the project you have applied for”.

We also ask that you complete a Supplementary Application Form. This includes space for you to provide a link where the shortlisting panel may view your film.
Full application guidance is provided here Single-turbine scale quantification of wake turbulence - Aura Centre for Doctoral Training

With your application, you need to upload copies of the following supporting evidence:

• Complete transcripts (and final degree certificate(s) where possible). If your qualification documents are not in English, you will need to supply copies of your original language documents as well as their official translation into English.
• Your Curriculum Vitae (CV).
• A completed Supplementary Application Form (upload when asked to add a Research proposal).

Uploading the form

When you have completed the form, please save it as a pdf format and labelled as follows:

Last name_first name PhD application form

Upload the form as part of your application documents through the Loughborough University student application portal, when asked to add a Research Proposal. The Form replaces the Research Proposal and so you do not need to add a Research Proposal. Please do not send your form directly to the Offshore Wind CDT.