About the Thesis

This master’s thesis focuses on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis for hydrokinetic turbine systems. The exact scope will be adapted to the student’s background and interest, and to SeaPattern’s ongoing needs. Each project involves defining requirements, building and running simulations, analyzing and visualizing results, and proposing design or configuration improvements. Example Areas:

• Turbine–Turbine Interaction in Canal Arrays
  Investigate the hydrodynamic interaction between multiple hydrokinetic turbines arranged in series or cross-patterns in confined canal environments. Includes simulating flow around two or more turbines at varying spacings, evaluating performance degradation, wake overlap, and recovery, and proposing optimal array configurations to maximize power output.
• Blade Profile Optimization for Canal-Based Hydrokinetic Turbines
  Optimize the blade geometry (chord length, twist) of horizontal-axis hydrokinetic turbines to maximize the power coefficient under given canal flow conditions. Includes conducting CFD simulations using ANSYS Fluent or OpenFOAM, performing parametric sweeps or surrogate-based optimization, and comparing optimized designs to baseline in terms of efficiency and wake recovery.

Goal
The thesis will provide SeaPattern with insights on how design and positioning strategies can enhance turbine performance, supporting design, operational efficiency, and strategic planning. Suitable for one student or two students.

Your Profile

• Analytical, curious, independent, able to turn complex simulation data into actionable insights.

• Strong interest in fluid mechanics, turbine design, and renewable energy.

• Experience with CFD, numerical methods, and programming.

Educational Background

• Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering, Energy Technology, Applied Physics, or related field.

• Background in fluid mechanics, CFD, and numerical modeling.

• Scope: 30 credits per student.

• Thesis expected in English.

Additional Information

• Start of assignment: 2026-01-19 or by agreement.

• Location: Linköping, Sweden.

• Deadline for application: 2025-11-10

• Contact person: Olivia Ytterell, olivia@seapattern.com.

Why Join SeaPattern?

Impact: We are enabling a world where the full potential of hydropower is unlocked, enabling the full transition to green energy.

Innovation: Join a team of scientists and entrepreneurs working together on building a new solution.

Growth: You will join a team where you will be expected to bring ideas, seek and share knowledge and where you will be trusted with responsibility and as a consequence will grow fast.

We believe you share our values and demonstrate the following behaviours:

Own it and make it happen - We take ownership, act proactively, and turn opportunities and ideas into reality.

Passion drives us - We act with curiosity, commitment, and a mindset to continuously improve our way of working and make things better.

We are knowledge seekers - We are always exploring, questioning, and pushing the limits of what we know. We actively ask questions, share knowledge, and push boundaries. Curiosity fuels our progress, and learning is at the heart of everything we do.

Department

Engineering

Locations

SeaPattern HQ - Linköping

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