Innovation Engineer Esther Quaintmere has handed in her PhD thesis in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), seven years after beginning her doctorate studies.
Her work is entitled “Simulation and Design Optimisation Of Vertical Axis Hydrokinetic Gorlov Turbines” and is made up of 40,000 words over 200 pages.
Initially appointed to a fixed contract in February, Esther’s specialised expertise is already helping the company’s leading edge research into flush patterns.
Esther, who races and restores classic cars in her spare time, said: “CFD is a very niche subject and some people wondered why I chose to study it, but I was always fascinated by the movement of water and how it could be captured through mathematical equations.
“I’m so relieved to finish my thesis but it’s a little bit like when you’ve done an exam but you don’t have the results yet. It’s kind of over but it’s not over because I don’t have the feedback.
“At least now I don’t feel bad about doing nothing in an evening and I have more time for classic cars!”
Esther began working for Ideal Standard in 2018 after Product Development Director of Ceramics Michael Heaton approached Professor Phil Rubini, her doctorate supervisor at the University of Hull, over a short contract opportunity.
Her task was to see whether it was possible to use CFD to simulate urinal flushing patterns, which would then enable different shapes and sizes of urinals and different flushing patterns to be tried out during product development, without the need to create a physical model each time.
She was then appointed permanently as a Pre and Post Development Engineer and has recently taken up the post of Innovation Engineer within Innovation Director Kombiz Layeghi’s team.
Esther is now working on developing a flushing toilet simulation, modelling the flow of the water in a Contour 21 toilet before applying this theory to a toilet bowl which is currently in development.
The possible use of CFD within the company’s products does not stop there as in the future it could be used in investigating casting methods, reduction of splashing in products and more.
Esther first visited Ideal Standard as a girl during our centenary celebrations in 1996, when she toured the Hull factory. She said: “It was inspiring and interesting seeing engineering at work as a young person because you didn’t really see it then. Now there’s a lot of effort to get people into STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects but it wasn’t like that then.”
Esther’s thesis took seven years because she had to work multiple part-time jobs to fund herself through the programme.
She is keen on classic cars and owns a Citroen 2CV Burton kit car, a 1981 Porsche 924, a 1970 T2 Volkwagen Campervan and, as one of PDC Racing’s drivers and mechanics, she helps maintain several 1990 Vauxhall Nova GTEs, rebuilding engines and straightening out the extensive crash damage.
Esther has also become involved in her local Tourette’s support group, having been diagnosed half way through her PhD.