Research
Research addresses the performance, structural design and reliability of wind and other renewable energy technologies, with a focus on modelling and engineering optimisation.
Research theme 1
Engineering reliable offshore wind systems calls for structural integrity, sound design under environmental loading and methods that account for uncertainty. Research in this area includes wind turbine support structures, structural reliability and optimisation.
Research theme 2
Research into vertical-axis wind turbines examines aerodynamic performance, blade design and structural response using computational and optimisation methods. Published research includes CFD comparisons, composite blade optimisation and fluid–structure interaction, alongside interest in innovative configurations and potential offshore applications.
Research theme 3
Computational design methods can help balance structural performance, material use and design constraints. Work in this area uses finite element modelling and optimisation approaches for turbine structures and components.
Research theme 4
Reliability assessment provides a structured way to evaluate uncertainty and failure risk in renewable energy structures. Published work includes reliability assessment and reliability-based design optimisation for wind turbine towers and offshore support structures.
Research theme 5
Fluid–structure interaction links flow behaviour with structural response. Research includes computational modelling of turbine blades and tidal turbine optimisation, combining CFD and structural analysis.
Research theme 6
Computational methods underpin this work, including CFD, finite element analysis, dynamics modelling and optimisation. Tools relevant to this portfolio include MATLAB, ANSYS Fluent, ANSYS Workbench, ANSYS AQWA and QBlade.
