An ECR in Stavanger

Written by Dr Carolina Font Palma from the University of Chester who received funding from the third call of the ECR International Exchange Fund to visit the University of Stavanger, Norway

I am Carolina Font Palma (Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, University of Chester) and was awarded the UKCCSRC ECR International Exchange Fund to visit the University of Stavanger (UiS), Norway in April. Previously I was a Research Fellow at the Energy Technology & Innovation Initiative (ETII), University of Leeds, where Karen Finney and Tom Best had earlier visited UiS to learn about their gas turbine test facilities. Since the research group of Mohsen Assadi –Professor in Gas Technology and Director of Center for Sustainable Energy Solutions (cenSE)– also has a vast experience in the modelling of gas turbines, I found this visit a great opportunity to discuss and compare modelling approaches.

Stavanger is located in southwest Norway with a beautiful coastal landscape and also linked with lakes and fjords. It is often referred as the oil capital of Norway since the discovery of oil in early 70s and the settlement of large companies and business parks, and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. The booming of the oil industry in the area is attractively described at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum. Old Stavanger comprises 18th- and 19th-century wooden houses and shops within the city centre. UiS is a relatively new university since 2004 with a strong Faculty of Science and Technology. By bus, it takes about 20 min to arrive to UiS from the city centre. 

I was based at the Department of Petroleum Engineering during my visit to UiS. The aim of my visit was to learn about their models developed and validated for a micro gas turbine and their integration with post-combustion CO₂ capture. I had very interesting discussions about the current status of this area and what they have learnt about innovative cycles such as humidified air turbine (HAT) during their tests work, and we expect to continue strengthening this collaboration. This trip exceeded my expectations, and I would like to thank Prof Mohsen Assadi for his welcoming, time and sharing ideas, Dr Mohammad Mansouri for introducing me to the city and university and showing me around the International Research Institute of Stavanger (IRIS), and Homam Nikpey for all his advice on gas turbines. In addition to the professional benefits of meeting researchers from another group, I had the opportunity to meet very friendly people.

Finally, I would like to thank the UKCCSRC for making possible my visit to the University of Stavanger by providing the UKCCSRC ECR International Exchange Fund.