Steam is a critical utility for industries such as manufacturing, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemical processing. In these industries the efficient use of steam is essential for optimising processes, reducing energy consumption, and ensuring product quality. Despite its importance, there is still no real-time sensor that can measure the steam’s quality (or ‘dryness fraction’) accurately and at scale, and so there is no reliable way to know the exact value of steam dryness along the system, which can lead to safety risks, energy waste, and quality issues. 

To address these issues the project will research, develop and demonstrate new optical sensors to characterise steam properties in high-pressure lines. This will provide a step change in steam metrology with the potential to deliver transformative improvements to a wide range of industries. 

The PhD candidate will work in close collaboration with the project partner: Spirax-Sarco Engineering, a FTSE 100 company and the world’s largest maker of steam control equipment. The team will install a new and unique high-pressure steam testing facility in our research laboratories at the University of Sussex. The test facility will then be used to research new sensors that are suitable for the harsh conditions found in steam lines, where high pressures, temperatures and humidity make measurements particularly challenging. We anticipate that the PhD candidate will build upon state-of-the-art optical and laser instrumentations that were developed and applied by the PhD supervisor to characterise highly complex multi-phase flows. 

The project offers a unique opportunity for the successful applicant to develop their independent research in metrology and experimental fluid dynamics. The successful candidate will be joining a team of multidisciplinary researchers in our Thermo-Fluid Mechanics Research Centre (TFMRC), work in close partnership with a global steam market leader (Spirax-Sarco), and under the guidance of an internationally recognised research team. This studentship will provide an outstanding training in optical measurement techniques, fluid dynamics and heat transfer, with many potential applications across the energy, transport and manufacturing sectors. 

Apply online for a full time PhD in Engineering (SEP2024) using our step-by-step guide.

Please clearly state on your application that you are applying for the Steam sensor technology scholarship under the supervision of Prof. Cyril Crua.  

Please ensure you application includes each of the following: 

• Degree certificates and transcripts. 
• 2 references, including a minimum of 1 from any institution studied at within the last 5 years.
• If your first language is not English you will need to demonstrate that you meet the University’s English language requirements, see here for details of our accepted documentation.