Biography
Huw is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in the Department of Engineering Science, developing design optimisation methods for tidal stream turbine rotors in association with the CoTide programme. After graduating from Durham University with a Master of Engineering in 2021, he joined the Environmental Fluid Mechanics group as a DPhil student funded by the Wind & Marine Energy Systems & Structures (WAMSS) CDT, completing his doctorate in 2026. His doctoral research focused on the performance and loading of tidal stream turbines, investigating blade design methods and the effects of free-surface proximity.
Current Research Projects
CoTide: Co-design to deliver Scalable Tidal Stream Energy. A multi-disciplinary research programme bringing together four universities to develop a holistic co-design tool for tidal stream turbines, enabling scalable engineering solutions and reducing the cost of energy generation. https://cotide.ac.uk/
Research Interests
Huw’s research focuses on the hydrodynamics of tidal stream turbine rotor blades, aiming to minimise the cost of energy generated by tidal energy devices while maximising their annual energy yield. His work employs a variety of rotor modelling techniques, with a particular focus on the actuator line method as a medium-fidelity approach for discrete-blade CFD simulations. He is interested in multi-objective optimisation and its application to rotor design, and is developing new design methods for optimising the shape of tidal stream turbine blades. His research interests include:
Tidal stream turbine hydrodynamics
Rotor modelling techniques and tip correction methods
Actuator line CFD
Rotor design
Multi-objective optimisation
