PhD Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Details

These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying.

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a widely used technique to obtain the elemental constituents of a sample. The process uses a short pulse of focused laser light to evaporate a minute volume of a target substance by highly localized heating to temperatures greater than 5000 K. The plasma which is formed in the process emits spectra of light as it cools. This light spectrum can be used to identify the atomic elements present in the material and their abundance. The entire measurement takes less than one second and can be repeated at rates of 10 to 20 times per second. The proposed research will investigate extension of the LIBS process to deep water and down-hole scenarios.

While much study has been made of LIBS applied to surfaces covered in a thin film of water, very little has been published on the formation of a plasma and its development at high water pressures. The PhD project will involve both experimental and theoretical work to develop LIBS for deep sea applications.

The investigation will include the application of LIBS at high water pressures to the detection and possible quantification of corrosion in subsea pipelines and structures. The decommissioning of offshore oil and gas structures produces many by-products which arise from a range of oil and gas production activities. Quantitative identification of these by-products is essential to determine safe decommissioning procedures. LIBS is ideally suited to the detection and quantitative measurement of such products including inter alia lead and other heavy metals.

 Other applications this project can be extended to will include:

·      Detection of contaminants in water, this would include hydrocarbons which will be an indication of damaged pipeline

·      Identification of steels in structural components

·      Geological analysis of the sea floor

·      Monitoring of environmental properties at depth

·      Downhole measurements of rock structures, analysis of coal for underground coal gasification

Decisions will be based on academic merit. The successful applicant should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 (or equivalent) in Electrical/Electronic Engineering; Physics; Mechanical Engineering; Chemical Engineering.

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php.

You should apply for PhD in Engineering to ensure your application is passed to the correct team for processing.

Please clearly note the name of the lead supervisor and project title on the application form. If you do not include these details, it may not be considered for the studentship.

Your application must include: A personal statement, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, and clear copies of your educational certificates and transcripts.

Please note: you do not need to provide a research proposal with this application.

Informal enquiries can be made by contacting Dr T Thevar at t.thevar@abdn.ac.uk. If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at researchadmissions@abdn.ac.uk