The highly competitive fund supports researchers and postdoctoral researchers to design, develop and deliver their own energy and net zero-focused events. Esther Mgbemeje was awarded the maximum grant available to organise a one-day workshop introducing doctoral and postdoctoral researchers to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using ANSYS Fluent.
Welcoming 40 participants, the event will take place on the Loughborough campus and use a practical waste-to-hydrogen case study to demonstrate how CFD can be applied to energy and net zero challenges. Alongside developing practical modelling skills, participants will gain insights into how advanced simulation tools can support the transition to more sustainable energy systems. The workshop will comprise expert contributions from the ANSYS team and an overview of Esther’s work on sustainable hydrogen production from waste. Participants will then engage in a guided hands-on session using a biomass combustion reactor model developed as part of the research project. Throughout the day, attendees will explore the key stages of CFD modelling, including geometry creation, meshing, solver setup, simulation and results visualisation, before applying the techniques independently with support from ANSYS specialists and the event team.
Esther’s research focuses on green hydrogen production from waste using advanced simulation tools such as ANSYS Fluent. Her work aims to address waste management challenges and the limited availability of abundant, sustainable energy, particularly in countries such as Nigeria, where waste is in abundance, waste segregation is not widely practiced and over 90% of the population are without constant power supply. By designing and optimising efficient waste-to-energy technologies, Esther seeks to develop cost-effective and scalable solutions for sustainable power generation.
Speaking about receiving the funding, Esther said:
“Special thanks go to my supervisors, Dr Richard Blanchard and Dr Simon Kondrat, who were incredibly helpful and supportive throughout this process and gave me valuable mentorship and guidance. I would also like to thank Martin from the ANSYS team who provided industrial support data for my application. I am looking forward to collaborating with the ERA team as we work together to bring the event to fruition.”
The event forms part of the Energy Research Accelerator's commitment to supporting collaboration, skills development and innovation across the UK's energy research community.
Learn more about Energy Research Accelerator