Contact Dr Patrick Verdin

Areas of expertise

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computing, Simulation & Modelling
  • Fuels
  • Oil and Gas
  • Process Systems Engineering
  • Renewable Energy

Background

Dr. Patrick Verdin is a Senior Lecturer in Energy Fluid Dynamics at Cranfield University. He has about 20 years of expertise in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applied to Aerospace (icing), Oil & Gas (multiphase flows, mixing, flow separation, droplet transport, sand erosion), and Renewable Energy (geothermal, wind, tidal). 

After his MSc gained from the University of Sciences and Technologies of Lille (France), Patrick joined Cranfield University and completed a Ph.D. on Aircraft Icing, working on the development of the numerical ice prediction code ICECREMO2. His research work involved a collaboration with the main aircraft companies in the UK: Airbus UK, BAE Systems, Dunlop Aerospace (Meggitt), Rolls-Royce, QinetiQ, and Westland Helicopters (now AgustaWestland).

Prior to his position as a Lecturer & Research Fellow in 2008, he has carried out post-doctoral studies in multi-phase flows for the oil & gas sector, working on the development of a CFD droplet transport model for ConocoPhillips (USA), in collaboration with Imperial College London.

Patrick became successively Senior Research Fellow, Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer. He has been involved in consultancy and research activities at National, European and International levels. Several of the recent and current projects he has been leading funded research in, include the European programmes SAFUEL (Safer Fuel System), and EMRP I & II (European Metrology Research Programme), UK-funded research on HOSE (Hydrodynamic Oil Sample Extraction), Forced Convection Heat Transfer in Unconventional Geothermal Systems, Oil-Water Slug Flow in Export Pipelines, and Wet Gas Flowmeter Performance by CFD modelling. He has also been involved in the development and the CFD verification of an innovative offshore wind turbine, has been working on the design of wind panels, on the design and CFD study of particle reduction, and on numerical studies of oxygen masks. 

Patrick has a broad knowledge and expertise in numerical models and code development. He has supervised 9 Ph.D. researchers to completion, 1 MSc by Research student, and more than 60 MSc students. He has been the Deputy Director of the 5 Cranfield MSc courses in Offshore and Ocean Technology (OOT) for 3 years and the Deputy Director of the Energy Systems and Thermal Processes (ESTP) for 6 months before being appointed Director of the Offshore Engineering MSc course in 2018. He has also been a visiting lecturer at ESTIA (Ecole Supérieure des Technologies Avancées - Biarritz, France) for nearly 10 years, and has been a visiting lecturer at Muscat University (Oman) for 4 years. He is currently a visiting Lecturer at Jiangsu University (China). 

Patrick is currently the Energy & Sustainability MSc Programme Director. He is looking after and coordinating the 5 courses within the programme:

  • Advanced Chemical Engineering (ACE)
  • Advanced Digital Energy Systems (ADES)
  • Advanced Heat Engineering (AHE)
  • Advanced Mechanical Engineering (AME)
  • Renewable Energy (RE)

 

Research opportunities

Dr. Verdin is currently accepting self-funded Research students (PhD. and MSc by Research) for CFD-based projects in the following  areas:

  • Renewable Energy 
  • Oil & Gas
  • Phase change
  • Numerical code development and optimisation
  • Multiphase flow

Patrick is also keen to develop further collaborations with academics, research organizations, and industrial businesses. Anyone interested can contact him directly at: p.verdin@cranfield.ac.uk


Current activities


Dr. Patrick Verdin is leading CFD research and consultancy projects related to: 

  • Renewable energy (geothermal, wind, and tidal). 
  • Single/multiphase flows (slug flow, flow separation, mixing); 
  • Sand erosion; 
  • Droplet transport; 
  • Aircraft icing (external surfaces, and fuel systems); 

Clients

  • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
  • Innovate UK
  • European Commission
  • ConocoPhillips
  • BP
  • Airbus UK
  • BAE Systems
  • Agusta Westland
  • Meggitt
  • Rolls-Royce
  • Seamach Energy 
  • Pietro Fiorentini
  • Particle Reduction Technologies Ltd
  • Katrick Technologies Ltd
  • Caeli Nova

Publications

Articles In Journals

Conference Papers

Books