Vasco Batista
PhD
Wind farm wake flows under marine conditions
Host Organisation
University of Porto, Faculty of Engineering, Portugal.
Company
Natural Power, France.
Project Description
The PhD research focuses on enhancing an existing meso-microscale coupled model. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model will provide boundary conditions to drive a time-dependent Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) computational fluid dynamics model. The research aims to include the wake effect of future wind turbines with tip heights up to 300 m, focusing on offshore marine environments. Key areas of investigation include boundary layer height, low-level jets, atmospheric stability, gravity waves, complex land-sea interactions, and their impacts on high-fidelity wake models.
Supervisors
José Laginha Palma (U. Porto), Graeme Watson (Natural Power), Rozenn Wagner (Natural Power)
Background
I was born in Venezuela to Portuguese parents and moved to Portugal at a young age. I pursued a degree in Mechanical Engineering and earned my MSc at the University of Porto, during which I developed a keen interest in atmospheric flows and their modeling through computational fluid dynamics, as well as a newfound enjoyment in programming and scientific computing. These interests led to a short stint as a research assistant and, in 2021, to enrolling in a PhD program. Outside of my academic pursuits, I enjoy cooking and am an avid fan of cinema and video games.
Although my post-master's career has been entirely in academia, my objective has always been to be involved in a more industrial environment. This PhD project perfectly aligns with my interests and offers a unique opportunity to expand my research within an industrial setting, as well as to understand current needs, challenges, and develop solutions that can be implemented more quickly in the industry. Additionally, the extensive network of talented individuals involved in AptWind and the training provided in this program are invaluable, creating the perfect combination of opportunities for my personal and professional growth.