Access profile

Students who come from bachelor's degree and master’s degrees in the area of engineering and physics and/or mathematics. Preferably industrial, mechanical and aeronautical bachelor's degrees and master’s degrees.

Output profile

Doctoral candidates who complete a doctoral degree will have acquired the following competencies, which are needed to carry out quality research (Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies):

a) A systematic understanding of the field of study and a mastery of the research skills and methods related to the field.
b) An ability to conceive, design or create, put into practice and adopt a substantial process of research or creation.
c) An ability to contribute to pushing back the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
d) A capacity for critical analysis and an ability to assess and summarise new and complex ideas.
e) An ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general as regards their fields of knowledge in the manner and languages that are typical of the international scientific community to which they belong.
f) An ability to foster scientific, technological, social, artistic and cultural progress in academic and professional contexts within a knowledge-based society.

The award of a doctoral degree must equip the graduate for work in a variety of settings, especially those requiring creativity and innovation. Doctoral graduates must have at least acquired the personal skills needed to:

a) Develop in contexts in which there is little specific information.
b) Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
c) Design, create, develop and undertake original, innovative projects in their field.
d) Work as part of a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
e) Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and make judgements with limited information.
f) Offer criticism on and intellectually defend solutions.

Finally, with respect to competencies, doctoral students must:
a) have acquired advanced knowledge at the frontier of their discipline and demonstrated, in the context of internationally recognised scientific research, a deep, detailed and well-grounded understanding of theoretical and practical issues and scientific methodology in one or more research fields;
b) have made an original and significant contribution to scientific research in their field of expertise that has been recognised as such by the international scientific community;
c) have demonstrated that they are capable of designing a research project that serves as a framework for carrying out a critical analysis and assessment of imprecise situations, in which they are able to apply their contributions, expertise and working method to synthesise new and complex ideas that yield a deeper knowledge of the research context in which they work;
d) have developed sufficient autonomy to set up, manage and lead innovative research teams and projects and scientific collaborations (both national and international) within their subject area, in multidisciplinary contexts and, where appropriate, with a substantial element of knowledge transfer;
e) have demonstrated that they are able to carry out their research activity in a socially responsible manner and with scientific integrity;
f) have demonstrated, within their specific scientific context, that they are able to make cultural, social or technological advances and promote innovation in all areas within a knowledge-based society;
g) have demonstrated that they are able to participate in scientific discussions at the international level in their field of expertise and disseminate the results of their research activity to audiences of all kinds.

Number of places

10

Duration of studies and dedication regime

Duration
The maximum period of study for full-time doctoral studies is three years, counted from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. The academic committee of the doctoral programme may authorise a doctoral candidate to pursue doctoral studies on a part-time basis. In this case, the maximum period of study is five years, counting from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. For calculating these periods, the date of admission is considered to be the date of the first enrolment for tutorials, and the date of submission the moment in which the Doctoral School officially deposits the doctoral thesis.

For full-time doctoral candidates, the minimum period of study is two years, counted from the date of an applicant's admission to the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited; for part-time doctoral candidates it is four years. When there are justified grounds for doing so, and the thesis supervisor and academic tutor have given their authorisation, doctoral candidates may request that the academic committee of their doctoral programme exempt them from the minimum period of study requirement.

The calculation of periods of study will not include periods of absence due to illness, pregnancy or any other reason provided for in the regulations in force. Students who find themselves in any of these circumstances must notify the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which, where appropriate, must inform the Doctoral School. Doctoral candidates may also temporarily withdraw from the programme for up to one year, and this period may be extended for an additional year. Doctoral candidates who wish to interrupt their studies must submit a justified request to the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which will decide whether or not to approve the request. Each programme will establish conditions for readmission to doctoral studies.

Extension
If full-time doctoral candidates have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, the academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year. In exceptional circumstances, a further one-year extension may be granted, subject to the conditions established by the corresponding doctoral programme. In the case of part-time doctoral candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

Dismissal from the doctoral programme
A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

Organization

• Perez Segarra, Carlos David

• Alvarez Florez, Jesus Andres
• Castro Gonzalez, Jesus
• Oliva Llena, Asensio
• Perez Segarra, Carlos David
• Ramis Juan, Xavier
• Velo Garcia, Enrique

• Department of Heat Engines (PROMOTORA)
• Department of Heat Engines

Agreements with other institutions

Agreement between the Heat and Mass Transfer Technological Centre (CTTC) and the Institute for Mathematical Modelling of the Russian Academy of Science Moscow (IMM) to establish a framework of cooperation between both groups. The agreement is particularly relevant for the exchange of scientific knowledge and collaboration between doctoral programmes (research visits of students in both countries, research projects, visiting lecturers, etc.).

Participation in the Scientific Computing Advanced Training (SCAT) project, co-funded by the ALFA Programme of Europaid. The aim of the project is to obtain the collaboration of recognised education and research institutions in Europe and Latin America, to develop scientific computing in Latin America.

Agreement between the Heat and Mass Transfer Technological Centre (CTTC) and the Hunan Key Laboratory for Computation and Simulation in Science and Engineering (LCSSE) of Xiangtan University (XTU), China, to establish a framework of cooperation between both groups. This is particularly relevant for the exchange of scientific knowledge and collaboration between doctoral programmes (research visits of students in both countries, research projects, visiting lecturers, etc.).

Access profile

Students who come from bachelor's degree and master’s degrees in the area of engineering and physics and/or mathematics. Preferably industrial, mechanical and aeronautical bachelor's degrees and master’s degrees.

Access requirements

Applicants must hold a Spanish bachelor’s degree or equivalent and a Spanish master’s degree or equivalent, provided they have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on the two degrees (Royal Decree 43/2015, of 2 February)

In addition, the following may apply:

• Holders of an official degree awarded by a university in Spain or any other country in the European Higher Education Area, pursuant to the provisions of Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, which establishes official university course regulations, who have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on official university degrees, of which at least 60 must be at the master's degree level.
• Holders of an official Spanish bachelor’s degree comprising at least 300 credits, as provided for by EU regulations. Holder of degrees of this kind must complete bridging courses unless the curriculum of the bachelor’s degree in question included research training credits equivalent in value to those which would be earned on a master's degree.
• Holders of an official university qualification who, having passed the entrance examination for specialised medical training, have completed at least two years of a training course leading to an official degree in a health-sciences specialisation.
• Holders of a degree issued under a foreign education system. In these cases, homologation is not required, but the UPC must verify that the degree certifies a level of training equivalent to an official Spanish master's degree and qualifies the holder for admission to doctoral studies in the country where it was issued. Admission on this basis does not imply homologation of the foreign degree or its recognition for any purpose other than admission to doctoral studies.
• Holders of a Spanish doctoral qualification issued under previous university regulations.

Note 1: Doctoral studies entrance regulations for holders of an undergraduate degree awarded before the introduction of the EHEA (CG 47/02 2014)

Note 2: Governing Council Decision 64/2014, which approves the procedure and criteria for assessing the fulfilment of academic admission requirements for doctoral studies by holders of non-homologated foreign degrees (CG 25/03 2014)

Admission criteria and merits assessment

The natural route into the doctoral programme is via the master’s degree in Energy Engineering (specialisation in Thermal Energy) at the UPC. In this case, it is not necessary to take additional master’s degree subjects.

In general, the admission criteria are based on the academic background of applicants. Specifically, their academic record and university of origin will be assessed according to their potential tutor, associated with the subject area that is initially proposed for the thesis.

Students who come from other master's degrees must demonstrate basic knowledge of fundamental subjects in the thermal field, such as: thermodynamics, fluid dynamics and heat and mass transfer. Students should have certain knowledge of programming (Fortran, C, C++, etc.), although this is not essential, as specific sessions are organised for students who require assistance in this aspect. Specific knowledge of technology subjects is not required, such as heat exchangers, solar energy, energy accumulation, etc.

To facilitate the task of assessing an applicant’s academic background and suitability for the doctoral programme, and to start previous orientation, candidates should fill in some questionnaires and some exercises. These reveal more about their ability and possibility of successfully preparing a doctoral thesis.

The weighting of admission requirements is:
I. Academic record and assessment of the university of origin (75%).
II. Personal contact through questionnaires, exercises and telephone interviews (25%).

If students who are accepted on the programme need to take additional master’s degree subjects, these will not be worth over 30 credits in total.

Training complements

The academic committee for the programme may require that doctoral students pass specific bridging courses. In this case, the committee will monitor which bridging courses have been taken and establish suitable criteria to limit their duration.

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

The enrolment period for new doctoral students is between September and April.

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

The standard enrolment period is between September and October.

More information at the general registration section

Procedure for the preparation and defense of the research plan

Doctoral candidates must submit a research plan, which will be included in their doctoral student activity report, before the end of the first year. The plan may be improved over the course of the doctoral degree. It must be endorsed by the tutor and the supervisor, and it must include the method that is to be followed and the aims of the research.

At least one of these annual assessments will include a public presentation and defence of the research plan and work done before a committee composed of three doctoral degree holders, which will be conducted in the manner determined by each academic committee. The examination committee awards a Pass or Fail mark. A Pass mark is a prerequisite for continuing on the doctoral programme. Doctoral candidates awarded a Fail mark must submit a new research plan for assessment by the academic committee of the doctoral programme within six months.

The committee assesses the research plan every year, in addition to all of the other activities in the doctoral student activity report. Doctoral candidates who are awarded two consecutive Fail marks for the research plan will be obliged to definitely withdraw from the programme.

If they change the subject of their thesis, they must submit a new research plan.

Formation activities

- Activity: Tutorial.
- Hours: 288.
- Type: compulsory.

- Activity: Seminars by guest lectures.
- Hours: 80.
- Type: optional.

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Activity: Specific tutorials with guest lecturers.
- Hours: 4.
- Type: optional.

- Activity: Preparation of articles for international conferences (defined as notable according to the UPC criterion) and indexed journals.
- Hours: 250.
- Type: optional.

- Activity: Research visits.
- Hours: 480.
- Type: optional

- Activity: Training in information skills.
- Hours: 10.
- Type: optional.

- Activity: Research methodology.
- Hours: 20.
- Type: optional.

- Activity: Innovation and creativity.
- Hours: 8.
- Type: optional.

- Activity: Language and communication skills.
- Hours: 30.
- Type: optional.

- Activity: Assessment based on doctoral student activity report (DAD) and research plan.
- Hours: 4.
- Type: compulsory.

Procedure for assignment of tutor and thesis director

The academic committee of the doctoral programme assigns a thesis supervisor to each doctoral candidate when they are admitted or enrol for the first time, taking account of the thesis supervision commitment referred to in the admission decision.

The thesis supervisor will ensure that training activities carried out by the doctoral candidate are coherent and suitable, and that the topic of the candidate’s doctoral thesis will have an impact and make a novel contribution to knowledge in the relevant field. The thesis supervisor will also guide the doctoral candidate in planning the thesis and, if necessary, tailoring it to any other projects or activities undertaken. The thesis supervisor will generally be a UPC professor or researcher who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience. This includes PhD-holding staff at associated schools (as determined by the Governing Council) and UPC-affiliated research institutes (in accordance with corresponding collaboration and affiliation agreements). When thesis supervisors are UPC staff members, they also act as the doctoral candidate’s tutor.

PhD holders who do not meet these criteria (as a result of their contractual relationship or the nature of the institution to which they are attached) must be approved by the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee in order to participate in a doctoral programme as researchers with documented research experience.

The academic committee of the doctoral programme may approve the appointment of a PhD-holding expert who is not a UPC staff member as a candidate’s thesis supervisor. In such cases, the prior authorisation of the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee is required. A UPC staff member who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience must also be proposed to act as a co-supervisor, or as the doctoral candidate’s tutor if one has not been assigned.

A thesis supervisor may step down from this role if there are justified reasons (recognised as valid by the committee) for doing so. If this occurs, the academic committee of the doctoral programme will assign the doctoral candidate a new thesis supervisor.

Provided there are justified reasons for doing so, and after hearing any relevant input from the doctoral candidate, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may assign a new thesis supervisor at any time during the period of doctoral study.

If there are academic reasons for doing so (an interdisciplinary topic, joint or international programmes, etc.) and the academic committee of the programme gives its approval, an additional thesis supervisor may be assigned. Supervisors and co-supervisors have the same responsibilities and academic recognition.

The maximum number of supervisors of a doctoral thesis is two: a supervisor and a co-supervisor.

For theses carried out under a cotutelle agreement or as part of an Industrial Doctorate, if necessary and if the agreement foresees it this maximum number of supervisors may not apply. This notwithstanding, the maximum number of supervisors belonging to the UPC is two.

More information at the PhD theses section

Permanence

The academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year for full-time doctoral candidates who have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, in the terms outlined in the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. In the case of part-time candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

International Mention

The doctoral degree certificate may include International Doctorate mention. In this case, the doctoral candidate must meet the following requirements:

a) During the period of study leading to the award of the doctoral degree, the doctoral candidate must have spent at least three months at a respected higher education institution or research centre outside Spain to complete courses or do research work. The stays and activities carried out must be endorsed by the thesis supervisor and authorised by the academic committee of the programme. The candidate must provide a certifying document issued by the person responsible for the research group of the body or bodies where the stay or activity was completed. This information will be added to the doctoral student’s activity report.
b) Part of the thesis (at least the summary and conclusions) must be written and presented in one of the languages commonly used for science communication in the relevant field of knowledge, which must not be an official language of Spain. This rule does not apply to stays and reports in Spanish or to experts from Spanish-speaking countries.
c) At least two PhD-holding experts belonging to a higher education institution or research centre outside Spain must have issued officially certified reports on the thesis.
d) The thesis examination committee must have included at least one PhD-holding expert from a higher education or research institution outside Spain who was not responsible for the candidate’s stay abroad (point a) above).
e) The thesis defence must have taken place on UPC premises or, in the case of joint programmes, at the location specified in the collaboration agreement.

List of authorized thesis for defense

Last update: 04/10/2023 04:45:29.

List of lodged theses

Last update: 04/10/2023 04:30:30.

List of defended theses by year

• CASTRILLO, PABLO: High-order finite volume method for solid dynamics in fluid-structure interaction applications
  
  Author: CASTRILLO, PABLO
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN THERMAL ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Heat Engines (MMT)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 24/02/2023
  Thesis director: RIGOLA SERRANO, JOAQUIM | SCHILLACI, EUGENIO
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: CORTÉS GRACIA, CRISTÓBAL
       SECRETARI: TRIAS MIQUEL, FRANCESC XAVIER
       VOCAL: FAVRE SAMARRA, FEDERICO DANIEL
  Thesis abstract: This thesis aims at developing a high-order finite volume method for solid dynamics on unstructured three-dimensional meshes. The adoption of high-order interpolation methods has a key importance in the efficient application of numerical methods for the resolution of real engineering problems where stress concentration occurs, and it helps to avoid the appearance of the well-known shear locking effect. Avoiding such a detrimental effect would be possible without adopting high-order schemes but with more costly and complex numerical simulations.This thesis has been developed within the Heat and Mass Transfer Technological Center research group, where structural analysis through numerical methods is a developing field of research. Besides, until now, there has been no development of the finite volume method with high-order interpolation on unstructured meshes. Hence, this thesis is the first attempt to develop this kind of methodology in the general field of study of computational solid mechanics. This work is developed into five chapters. The introduction presents a review of the bibliography, motivations, and objectives. The following three chapters reveal, through different examples, the validation and verification of the proposed mathematical formulation. It is worth noting that much of the content included in these three chapters has already been presented or published in international journals and conferences. However, some changes have been introduced with respect to the original documents. For instance, many validations and verification examples were created specifically for this thesis. The last chapter summarizes the main contributions and proposes ideas to expand this thesis in the future. In detail, this work starts by introducing the historical development of the finite volume method to solve solid problems, presenting an example where the shear locking phenomenon appears and may affect the solution of bending-dominant real problems.Next, the mathematical formulation is displayed with all the theoretical concepts needed to reproduce the method, from basic concepts of solid mechanics to the introduction of the two adopted interpolation methods: moving least squares and local regression estimators. In addition, the used spatial and temporal discretization are presented, as well as the resolution process through the Newton-Raphson method, and the nonlinear problems associated with geometric or material nonlinearities.Following the above, the verification and validation of the presented method are carried out. An exhaustive analysis of all the parameters involved in formulating both two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems is performed. Likewise, in all the examples, the results are compared with analytical solutions and with solutions obtained by other methods. Subsequently, the analysis of an industrial example carried out in collaboration with the Voestalpine company is presented. The objective of this collaboration was to characterize the behavior of the reed valve of a compressor in its cyclic operation. The company developed a custom-built impact fatigue test rig, from which displacement measurements were obtained and used to validate the method. The experiment measures the displacement of the valve as the compressed air opens and closes it by repeatedly hitting the seat, which leads to valve failure due to fatigue stresses. Therefore, this example involves several physics, such as the solid, the fluid, the interaction between them, and the impact between the valve and its seat. For this reason, it is an ambitious and essential example for the industry since it allows an understanding of the behavior of a valve before collapsing. Given its relevance, in this case, this example has been analyzed with the TermoFluids software, the finite element method, and the formulation presented in this thesis. Finally, the conclusions are summarized and exposed in Chapter 5.
  

• ZHENG, JIAN: Application of experimental and numerical methodologies for the development of an absortion heat pump for solar-driven systems
  
  Author: ZHENG, JIAN
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN THERMAL ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Heat Engines (MMT)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 11/05/2023
  Thesis director: CASTRO GONZALEZ, JESUS
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: FERNÁNDEZ SEARA, JOSÉ
       SECRETARI: PEREZ SEGARRA, CARLOS DAVID
       VOCAL: REY MARTÍNEZ, FRANCISCO JAVIER
  Thesis abstract: The topics explained in this thesis are organized in different chapters. A summary of the contents is given below:Chapter 2. Details of working pairs and properties with numerical modelling and experimental validation. Some thermodynamical/thermophysical properties of working fluid pairs are experimentally measured or mathematically modelled. The related properties are specific entropy, specific exergy, activity coefficients, electrical conductivity, surface tension, contact angle, and properties of nanofluid working pairs.Chapter 3. Measurement of minimum wetting rate and dry patch method modelling.Minimum Wetting Rate (MWR) is measured on vertical tubes with various solid materials, and the effect of super hydrophilic coating surface and surfactant is studied. The content in this chapter is focused on the flow pattern of falling film and effect from surface treating, surfactants to it.Chapter 4. Theoretical and numerical solutions of vertical falling film in mass and heat transfer problem. The heat transfer in the vertical falling film is investigated with analytical solutions, numerical modelling, and experimental validation. Also, falling film absorption is simulated using the smooth laminar theory for the working pairs LiBr-H2O and Carrol-H2O. Moreover, the impact of nanofluid with Al2O3 is also studied. The content in this chapter is focused on the heat and mass transfer of the verticalfalling film.Chapter 5. Numerical studies on an air-cooled absorption machine. Steady-state and dynamic simulations for the absorption system with different working pairs (LiBrH2O and Carrol-H2O) are carried out. Energy and exergy analysis is employed to demonstrate the effect of the working fluid pairs on the absorption system. In this chapter, the work will be focused on the energy and exergy analysis of the absorption system to locate an optimal operating condition or strategy.Chapter 6: Air-cooled absorption machine simulation with performance enhancement. Heat and mass transfer performance enhancements are employed in the simulation to predict enhanced performance. Surface treating components, surfactants, nanofluid, and mechanical vibration are studied to predict their effect on the final system performance. In this chapter, the work will be focused on the various methods of enhancements to the absorption system performance to achieve better performance.Chapter 7. Integration of the air-cooled machine in a solar heating/cooling system.An FPC with TIM and aerogel is demonstrated for this work and described with experimental results. Then the solar collector is introduced to the absorption system as the heat source, and the whole system is simulated with the same platform. Meteorology data from Spain are employed to predict a long-term (5 days) real-time performance (winter and summer seasons) of the solar-assisted absorption system and the solar fraction.Chapter 8: General conclusions and future work.
  

Last update: 04/10/2023 05:01:11.

Research groups

• CREMIT-Center for Engines and Heat Installations
• CTTC - UPC-Heat and Mass Transfer Technological Center

Thermodynamics and Physical Chemistry Group (TERFIQ)

Development Cooperation and Human Development Research Group (GRECDH)

Teachers

• Alvarez Florez, Jesus Andres
• Calventus Sole, Yolanda
• Castro Gonzalez, Jesus
• Oliet Casasayas, Carles
• Oliva Llena, Asensio
• Perez Segarra, Carlos David
• Ramis Juan, Xavier
• Rigola Serrano, Joaquim
• Salla Tarrago, Jose M.
• Trias Miquel, Francesc Xavier
• Velo Garcia, Enrique