Rolls-Royce
Imperial College London

Euan is working with Rolls-Royce to develop a new monitoring system for complex components used in the nuclear industry. Nuclear components must be manufactured and maintained to very precise standards to guarantee safety, but these components are frequently monitored manually using a spot measurement ultrasonic probe.

To reduce inspection time, save costs and improve accuracy, Euan is developing a new Permanently Installed Monitoring System (PIMS) using guided waves – acoustic waves that propagate along an elongated structure while guided by its boundaries.

The proposed system would represent a step-change in the precise measurement of materials and components, known as Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE), allowing large volumes to be examined from a fixed point in a single location. To mitigate the loss in sensitivity that comes with using guided waves over large areas, Euan will develop and apply novel signal processing techniques.

Euan’s project has the potential to revolutionise monitoring of complex materials and large industrial components, representing significant cost savings for associated industries.

Euan holds undergraduate and masters degrees in engineering from Heriot-Watt University, for which he was awarded a scholarship from the US energy company Chevron. As a part of his studies, Euan designed and developed a dielectric elastomer energy harvesting device, publishing his results in the Elsevier journal Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, and presenting his work at the Workshop in Devices, Materials and Structures for Energy Harvesting and Storage conference in Oulu, Finland.