PhD Position / Research Assistant Optimal control for large offshore wind turbines and wind farms

About us

Wind energy research at the University of Oldenburg has gained international recognition by its integration into ForWind – Center for Wind Energy Research of the Universities of Oldenburg, Hannover and Bremen and the national Wind Energy Research Alliance of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES) and ForWind. 

At ForWind, we maintain and value collaboration between our research groups and partner institutions such as the European Academy of Wind Energy members. In Oldenburg, our 50 researchers from physics, meteorology and engineering are collaborating at the WindLab centred on wind physics. Our mission is to develop an improved understanding of atmospheric and wind power plant flow physics required to serve the global demand for clean and affordable electricity. Therefore, we conduct laboratory experiments, free-field measurements and HPC-based numerical simulations. We have direct access to the DLR research wind farm WiValdi (https://windenergy-researchfarm.com). At this internationally outstanding infrastructure for wind energy research, the interaction of atmospheric wind fields with two utility-scale wind turbines can be investigated to an unprecedented extent.

The main topics include the description and modelling of wind turbulence, the analysis of interactions of turbulent atmospheric wind flow and wind energy systems, as well as control of wind turbines and wind farms. The covered scales range from small-scale turbulence up to meteorological phenomena. Our research facilities comprise three turbulent wind tunnels, various equipment for free-field measurements at on- and offshore wind farms and a high-performance computing cluster. Almost all our projects combine analyses at more than one of these infrastructures. For validation of control algorithms, we often perform wind tunnel experiments with fully-controllable and highly-sensorized model wind turbines, an active grid for reproducible generation of turbulent inflows, and different flow measurement techniques. Furthermore, control experiments are conducted on utility-scale wind turbines and at on- and offshore wind farms.

Your tasks

To fulfil the needs of sustainable power generation systems, the value of wind energy must be optimised. To facilitate this, new control and operational strategies for wind turbines and wind farms are required. This project focuses on the development of control algorithms that optimise the wind turbine and wind farm dynamic response. The control algorithms should adapt to the changing dynamics and structural health from individual turbines. Validation will be performed in simulations and experimentally in our turbulent wind tunnel with model wind turbines.

Your PhD project is integrated in the second funding period of the Collaborative Research Centre 1463 Offshore Megastructures (www.sfb1463.uni-hannover.de/en/) of the German Research Foundation. In the first funding period, a novel concept for extremely large wind turbines, the so-called hybrid-lambda turbine, was developed and validated by simulations and wind tunnel experiments. The main objective of your PhD project is to advance the concept to the next level. This includes the development of control algorithms for individual wind turbines and for wind farms that improve energy capture and limit structural loads, while adapting to changing conditions of wind inflow, turbine health status and power market.

Among others, your tasks will comprise:

• Development of a data-driven model for power output and structural loads in a wind farm consisting of hybrid-lambda turbines.
• Design of control strategies for compensating wake-induced power losses and loads under varying and uncertain conditions
• Development of a decision-making framework for choosing operating modes of individual wind turbines in the wind farm control context.
• Planning, preparing, conducting and analysing wind tunnel experiments for validation of control algorithms with model wind turbines and extensive measurement equipment.
• Cooperating closely with partners from the Collaborative Research Centre and international researchers.
• Assisting in the project organisation, funding acquisition, outreach and teaching. 

Your profile

Requirements for employment are:

• a qualifying university degree (diploma, master or similar) in Control or Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, Physical Sciences, Wind Energy, Renewable Energy or equivalent,
• aptitude and willingness to pursue a PhD with numerical and experimental aspects,
• profound knowledge of control engineering, preferably with experimental experience,
• extensive experience in programming with at least Matlab or Python,
• high motivation and ability to jointly work on applied research topics,
• very good English skills.

Desired (but not mandatory) qualifications include: 

• experience with wind energy: wind turbine dynamics, wind turbine control, wake interaction, wind farm control,
• experience abroad of several months during the school, study period or employment after graduation,
• and good German skills.

We Offer

We offer you the opportunity to develop your scientific career in a young and lively academic environment. You will be working in the WindLab – one of the university's most modern office and lab spaces – while you will also have the opportunity to do flexible and mobile work. Your pathway towards the PhD is actively supported by, e.g.,

• multidisciplinary cooperation with other researchers at ForWind and Fraunhofer IWES in Oldenburg,
• PhD network, trainings and cooperation with research groups within the Collaborative Research Centre,
• optional secondment at an international research institute
• development of personal, scientific, and teaching skills through an individual training programme and selected teaching tasks,
• opportunities to present scientific results at international conferences and through peer-reviewed publications to extend your specific network,
• structured supervision of PhD process.

Further, the university cares for a family-friendly working environment and offers a family service centre and children's daycare on campus.

The employment is initially limited until 31.12.2028. The payment is based on the collective agreement for the public service in the German federal states, TV-L E13, for a full position.

Our standards

The University of Oldenburg is dedicated to increase the percentage of female employees in the field of science. Therefore, female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. In accordance to § 21 Section 3 NHG, female candidates with equal qualifications will be preferentially considered. Applicants with disabilities will be given preference in case of equal qualification.

Further information

Further information is available at www.forwind.de/en/ and https://uol.de/en/physics/research/we-sys.

Contact:

For questions regarding this job opportunity, please contact Dr. Vlaho Petrović at +49(0)441/798-5062 or preferably by email at vlaho.petrovic@uol.de

Dr. Vlaho Petrović

vlaho.petrovic@uol.de