Three students from Instituto Superior Técnico were awarded prizes in the master’s theses category at the REN Awards ceremony, on December 4 at the Ritz Hotel, in Lisbon. Catarina Cartaxo (Engineering Physics) won 2nd prize, Pedro Marques (Mechanical Engineering) was awarded 3rd prize, and Miguel Tavares (Civil Engineering) received an honourable mention. The REN award recognises the best master’s and doctoral theses on energy-related topics.
According to Catarina Cartaxo, who won 2nd prize for her master’s thesis Numerical study of a fixed oscillating water column, “this award recognises the hard work and dedication involved in this master’s thesis”. Regarding motivation, she shared that she wanted to “showcase the potential of wave energy, particularly through fixed wave energy plants of the Oscillating Water Column (OWC) type”.
Catarina Cartaxo’s study focuses on “electricity production from fixed OWC plants as a source of renewable energy in coastal areas”, which can be “fed into the electricity grid or used in local microgrids, making it relevant for urban energy planning, especially in coastal areas or islands”. Additionally, it can “be part of the electricity supply at charging stations”.
The work aimed at “developing a new tool capable of performing the numerical model of a fixed CAO wave power plant, allowing the user to select the air turbine, generator, valves, and control system”. This tool can also “optimise the plant and, therefore, maximise electricity production”. It can be applied “both to fixed CAO plants already in operation and in the planning phase, helping to identify the ideal combination of turbine, generator, valves, and control system before the plant is built”.
The third prize was awarded to Pedro Marques for his master’s thesis Development of computed axial tomography techniques to evaluate mixing processes between natural gas and H2. His application for the REN Awards was driven by “a search for academic recognition”, a curiosity to see how his work compared with “the best projects in the energy field”, and a wish to determine whether his research could have “practical applications in the industry”.
The award “represents a very important validation of the effort invested throughout the dissertation” and “translates into increased visibility and credibility”. Pedro Marques adds that the award “opens doors in the energy sector” and represents a critical acknowledgment at the start of his career.
His work aimed at “developing and testing, in a laboratory environment, a system capable of creating a kind of ‘CT scan for gas pipes’”, allowing to see how hydrogen mixes with natural gas inside gas pipelines. “This ability to detect separations, concentration gradients, or accumulation areas is essential to ensure safety and efficiency in the injection of hydrogen into existing networks”, he adds. In this way, it is possible to “identify the areas with the highest hydrogen concentration in near real time, thereby supporting network operators in responding and enhancing safety”.
Miguel Tavares received an honourable mention for his master’s thesis Hybrid optimised energy solutions based on pumped-storage-hydro and surge-free-surface flow analysis.
“On a professional level, this achievement is very rewarding, as it means that my work has been recognised and valued, especially coming from a panel of judges with extensive experience and knowledge in the energy sector”, he shares.
The research focused on “optimising a reversible hydroelectric system with pumped storage”. The main objective of the project was to “determine the best operating periods for pumps and turbines in order to maximise the economic component, through a multi-objective optimisation approach”. In this way, it is possible to “provide clean and affordable energy to the population, with lower tariffs, ensuring better regulation of the electricity grid, and supporting decentralised energy production”.
Additionally, the integration of batteries not only “absorbs excess production, helping to mitigate fluctuations in energy prices throughout the day and contributing to more consistent consumption”, but it also “increases system security, preventing sudden voltage spikes in the power grid, which can lead to consequences similar to those witnessed during the blackout on April 28 in Portugal and Spain”, he adds.
The REN Award is given annually to the best master’s theses on energy developed at Portuguese universities, with the aim of contributing to the development of the energy sector in Portugal and strengthening the interaction between REN and academia in Portugal.
