PhD Studentship - EPSRC - Liquid Immersion Cooling for Hybrid Aircraft Electrical System

This 3.5-year PhD project is fully funded and only home candidates are eligible. The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend of £25,518 p.a. and tuition fees will be paid. We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before the deadline.

The project is an exciting opportunity to undertake industrially linked research in partnership with Rolls-Royce (RR) at the
RR University Technology Centre (UTC) in Electrical Systems at the University of Manchester. The UTC researches a wide range of underpinning electrical technologies for applications in future gas-turbine engines, and on-board power systems for aircraft and ships. The increasing capacity and complexity of the electrical systems in these applications is creating a range of challenges at equipment and system levels, such as reducing weight, operating in extreme environments, ensuring fault tolerance, optimising system operation and minimising energy use. These challenges drive the UTC’s activities.

The University of Manchester lies in the heart of Manchester and has been created by bringing together the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST, two of Britain’s most distinguished universities, to create a powerful force in higher education and research. Its Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has approximately 95 academic staff, split across a number of research groups and is one of the largest departments of this type in the country, with a particular strength in power engineering.

The increasing use of liquid cooling in aerospace electrical machines introduces direct interaction between liquid insulation and solid insulation systems, the long‑term implications of which are not yet fully understood. While liquid immersion can deliver significant performance and thermal management benefits, both the liquid insulation and solid dielectric materials are subject to degradation over time, leading to potential reliability and safety risks.

This PhD project will investigate the short‑term and long‑term interactions between liquid insulation and representative solid insulation materials used in high‑voltage aerospace electrical machines. The scope of work will focus on developing controlled thermal ageing methodologies for both insulation systems, recognising that solid insulation materials are typically qualified to operate at significantly higher temperatures than the cooling fluid.

Based in the Rolls-Royce UTC in Electrical Systems at the High Voltage Group at University of Manchester, you will be responsible for undertaking the relevant laboratory based and computer based research under the guidance of Prof. Qiang Liu and his colleagues and in collaboration with relevant Rolls Royce staff.

We are particularly interested in students with a strong understanding of insulating materials, ageing assessment and electrical machines for aerospace application. A strong interest in direct liquid immersion cooling of electrical machine is also desirable. Additional knowledge on material characterisation and/or laboratory experimentation with insulation ageing is welcome.

Starting date of the PhD is flexible, but ideally we are looking for someone to start as soon as possible.

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s (or international equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering related discipline.

To apply, please contact the main supervisor Dr Liu - qiang.liu@manchester.ac.uk. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.