stillingsbetegnelse:
PhD position: Low Friction Non-fouling Coatings for High Fuel Efficiency at Low Speed

jobbeskrivelse:
The Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at DTU seeks a PhD student to work on the project: Low Friction Non-fouling Coatings for High Fuel Efficiency at Low Speed. Background The accumulation of living organisms on the hulls of ocean going ships (biofouling) is unwanted since it increases hull roughness, causing increased drag-resistance. Heavily fouled ships may need to increase shaft power with up to 86% to compensate for the speed loss induced by the increased drag. Antifouling coatings applied to the ship hull release biocides to combat biofouling and polishing of their outer-most layer ensures that the biocide-release is stable. Since the polishing rate follows the water flow rate along the hull, the coatings polish slowly when the ship is slow steaming. Slower polishing means that the leached layer (left behind by dissolved biocide) builds up, and ultimately lowers the effective biocide flux at the very surface. This compromises the efficacy of the biocide and ultimately increases the likelihood of biofouling settling while the vessel is idle or sailing in coastal waters. Therefore, slow-steaming vessels pose a particular challenge for the antifouling system on the hull. Scope of the project This project sets out to identify and quantify the key coating parameters important for the fuel efficiency of coatings for slow steaming vessels. The project goals are as follows: •Prediction of fuel efficiency as a function of the condition of the hull coating Accumulation of biofouling, mechanical damages and polishing behaviour of the coating are all factors influencing the roughness. These will be combined into a tool that predicts the fuel efficiency of a hull coating in a given condition. Model surfaces mimicking different aging profiles (biofouling, and mechanical condition) will be prepared and their impact on drag measured. In parallel these surfaces could be modelled using CFD, and the correlation between the roughness induced, the corresponding water flow pattern and the induced drag-resistance will be used to model the fuel-efficiency of the coating as a function of it’s condition. •Correlation between coating formulation and fuel-efficiency of in out-docking condition The coating formulation is designed to prevent fouling over the course of its lifetime (3-5 years). However, the coating system itself impacts the fuel efficiency of the vessel, by defining the roughness of the hull when free from biofouling. In this part of the project, the principles behind coating systems will be scrutinised with the aim to identify how a smooth hull is most effectively obtained. The aim is to arrive at novel formulation principles that will allow for better coating smoothness and/or improved levelling properties, whichever is most relevant for the fuel-efficiency. •Prediction of fuel performance of slow steaming vessels over the course of the hull coatings service period This part of the projects aims at providing a tool to accurately predict the total cost of ownership for a given coating when applied to a slow steaming vessel. In order to do so, a small scale set-up that can continuously monitor the performance of a submerged coating must be designed. And the result of the two other parts must be combined into a finalised calculator. This calculator will provide a valuable tool for ship owners when identifying means to save fuel, save CO2 emissions and save money in the process. The project is multidisciplinary and may require application of technologies such as polymer chemistry, coatings technology, fluid mechanics (e.g. CFD), mathematical modelling, 3D scanning and printing, and mechanical engineering. The project is funded a.o. by BlueInnoship, a research collaboration between leading Danish Maritime institutions, and this PhD project is part of a work-package that involves DTU, Hempel A/S and Maersk Maritime Technology. Supervisors at DTU: Professor Kim Dam-Johansen and Associate Professor Søren Kii

Arbejdsgiver Navn: Danmarks Tekniske Universitet

Arbejdsgiver telefonnummer: 45252525

Arbejdsgiver faxnummer: 45881799

Job kort beskrivelse:
Undervisning og forskning på universiteter og højere læreranstalter

land: Danmark

region: Hovedstaden

Kontrakt varighed: Fast

Kontrakttype: Fuldtid

krævede uddannelse: Ikke angivet

Kilde til jobtilbud: AMS, Offentlige arbejdsformidlinger, Danmark