Position Start Date: Subject to availability
Application Deadline: Open until filled
Job Category: M.S. Project
Description:
Forested landscapes strongly influence the structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), modifying wind speed, turbulence intensity, and shear. Understanding these effects is essential for wind energy applications, where forest-induced drag and turbulence can significantly alter local wind resources and wake recovery.
This M.S. project will focus on experimental studies of canopy flows in the wind tunnel, with the goal of quantifying how forest structure and density affect drag forces, velocity profiles, and turbulence characteristics. Scaled forest models will be designed and tested under controlled boundary-layer conditions.
Your responsabilities:
- Develop and characterize idealized forest canopy models representing different tree densities and arrangements.
- Perform wind-tunnel measurements using force sensors to quantify canopy drag and momentum absorption.
- Apply advanced Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) for spatially resolved velocity fields and turbulence statistics within and above the canopy.
- Use Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) for high-precision point measurements and turbulence profiling behind and on top of the forest.
- Analyze the results to determine shear distribution, turbulence intensity, and integral length scales relevant to ABL–forest interactions.
Depending on progress, a final phase may explore the interaction between canopy-modified flows and a model wind turbine, to assess implications for wind energy harvesting.
The project will provide hands-on experience in experimental fluid mechanics, wind tunnel testing, and data analysis for atmospheric and renewable energy applications, within the Wind Engineering and Renewable Energy Laboratory (WiRE) at EPFL.
Recommended Background:
Experience with experimental work, CAD/model design (e.g., SolidWorks), and coding (e.g., Python, MATLAB) and solid foundation in fluid dynamics are highly recommended.
To express interest and obtain more information about the project, please contact:
|
Dr. Amr Khedr |
Prof. Fernando Porté-Agel |