Dr. Jacob Ward

Advisor: Dr. Habib Dagher, Dr. Andrew Goupee, and Dr. Anthony Viselli

Dissertation

(Tentative) – “Optimization of Floating Wind Turbine Hulls to Reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy”

Education

B.S. Mechanical Engineering- University of Maine, 2015

M.S.E. Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering- University of Michigan, 2016

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering- University of Maine, PRESENT

Bio & Research Interests

I am a student working at the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. My research focuses on the optimization of floating wind turbine hulls to minimize the Levelized Cost of Energy. I first became affiliated with the Advanced Structures and Composites Center in 2009 as a high school student at Hampden Academy in Hampden, Maine. I began by working as a general laborer and providing assistance wherever needed. Before long, I was assigned to a project fabricating and testing the Modular Ballistic Protection System (MBPS) – a series of panels used to rapidly armor tents in combat zones. As work on the MBPS neared completion, I transitioned to working on the new offshore wind project. I continued working on offshore wind until my graduation from the University of Maine in 2015 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. At this point, I left the University of Maine to pursue a master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Michigan, being away from Maine put all the opportunities available that I had previously taken for granted into perspective. Thus, upon my graduation from the University of Michigan, I returned to the University of Maine to continue my education and begin working towards my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering.

My research focuses on the optimization of floating wind turbine hulls to minimize the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of offshore wind power. I will be developing robust and efficient numerical models of novel offshore floating wind turbines and validating them through experiments conducted in the Advanced Structures and Composites Center’s Harold Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Laboratory. The validated models will then be coupled with optimization algorithms in order to facilitate the design of platforms that minimize the LCOE while maximizing operational performance.

Publications

  • J.C. Ward, C. M. Harwood, and Y. L. Young, “Inverse Method for Hydrodynamic Load Reconstruction on a Flexible Surface-Piercing Hydrofoil in Multi-Phase Flow,” Journal of Fluids and Structures, 2017. Submitted.
  • C.M. Harwood, J. C. Ward, M. Felli, M. Falchi, S. L. Ceccio, and Y. L. Young, “Experimental Measurements and Inverse Modeling of the Dynamic Loads and Vibration Characteristics of a Surface-Piercing Hydrofoil,” Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Marine Propulsors,” Helsinki, Finland, Jun. 12-15, 2017.
  • Y.L. Young, C. M. Harwood, F. M. Montero, J. C. Ward, and S. L. Ceccio, “Ventilation of Lifting Bodies: Review of the Physics and Discussion of Scaling Effects,” ASME, Applied Mechanics Review, 2017, 69(1), pp. 010801, doi: 10.1115/1.4035360.
  • J.C. Ward, C. M. Harwood, and Y. L. Young, “Inverse Method for the Determination of the In Situ Hydrodynamic Load Distribution in Multi-Phase flow,” Proceedings of the 31st Symposium on Naval Hydrodynamics,” Monterey, CA, Sept. 11-16, 2016.
  • C.M. Harwood, J. C. Ward, Y. L. Young, and S. L. Ceccio, “Experimental Investigation of the Hydro-Elastic Response of a Surface-Piercing Hydrofoil in Multi-Phase Flow,” Proceedings of the 31st Symposium on Naval Hydrodynamics,” Monterey, CA, Sept. 11-16, 2016.

Memberships, Honors, Awards

Harold W. Alfond Graduate Research Assistantship – University of Maine, 2016.

Graduated with Magna Cum Laude Honors – University of Maine, 2015.

Francis Crowe Society – Engineering Honor Society, 2015.

Tau Beta Pi – Engineering Honors Society, 2014.

Pi Tau Sigma – Mechanical Engineering Honors Society, 2014.

Order of Omega – Greek Honors Society, 2014.

Directors Award – Advanced Structures and Composites Center, 2013, 2014.

Alton S. & Adelaide B. Hamm Scholarship Recipient, 2013.

Thomas P. Hosmer Mechanical Engineering Scholarship Recipient, 2011.

University of Maine Merit Scholarship Recipient. 2011.

Academic Pioneer Award – Energy Ocean International, 2011.

Olver Associates Engineering Scholarship Recipient, 2011.

SNAME & ASME – Student Member

Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity