Descriptif

The students will work in pair on one of the following topics:

1: The Green Pulse X100 project. This project aims to design a fully renewable system capable of supplying a continuous 100 MW electrical power to large data centers ensuring fully uninterrupted power delivery. It combines three complementary technologies: solar photovoltaic farms, wind turbines, and a pumped-storage hydropower station. Student working on this topic will focus on characterizing PV panels and micro-wind turbines under controlled conditions, will develop and test a benchtop pumped-storage model to study energy buffering and round-trip efficiency, and finally will integrate all subsystems and validate hybrid operation through control algorithms. Also, a 10 W demonstrator will be built.

2: Ship air-lubricated project to save energy. The project focuses on designing and evaluating an air-lubrication system capable of reducing hydrodynamic drag on a ship’s hull. By injecting a controlled layer of air the vessel can glide with lower resistance, improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. Students will start by investigating boundary-layer behavior and measuring drag forces on a small hull model. Next, they will develop and test an air-injection system. Finally, they will integrate the system and quantifies drag reduction under varying flow conditions. The project also includes building a functional demonstrator.

3: Plastic waste regenerator. Europe is facing more than eight million tons of plastic waste every year, and the Pays Basque region has decided to lead by example. Your challenge is to imagine an ambitious, science-driven project capable of drastically reducing plastic pollution at regional scale. You will explore innovative solutions such as advanced sorting, chemical recycling, biodegradable materials, and circular-economy loops. The goal is to design a system that could be replicated across Europe, combining technology, policy, and community engagement. You will analyze why current waste management strategies fall short and you will propose breakthrough improvements. The project invites you to model environmental impact, quantify potential reductions, and assess feasibility.

4: NanoCopper-X: turning CO₂ into polymer. A new nanostructured copper catalyst has opened the door to converting CO₂ into plastic precursors with unprecedented efficiency. Your challenge is to explore how this breakthrough could transform carbon emissions into a valuable industrial resource. You will investigate the electrochemical pathways that allow CO₂ molecules to be reorganized into complex hydrocarbons and analyze catalyst morphology, reaction selectivity, and energy requirements. You will evaluate how this technology could integrate into future low-carbon chemical plants. The goal is to design a conceptual process capable of producing sustainable plastics from captured CO₂.

5: Marine propulsion retrofit. Maritime propulsion retrofits are accelerating worldwide as shipowners seek cleaner, more efficient ways to modernize existing fleets. Your challenge is to explore how innovative technologies (like hybrid propulsion, advanced propellers, …) can transform aging vessels into high-performance, low-emission ships. You will analyze the engineering trade-offs between upgrading engines, integrating electric drives, and optimizing hydrodynamic components. You are asked to evaluate real retrofit scenarios and quantify gains in fuel efficiency, emissions reduction and operational reliability. The goal is to design a complete retrofit concept for a commercial vessel and assess its technical and economic feasibility.

6: New battery concept: ScaleCharge-X. A new laboratory-built battery is challenging everything we thought we knew about energy storage: the larger it is, the faster it charges. You will explore the physics and materials science behind this surprising breakthrough and investigate how electrode architecture, ion-transport pathways and nanoscale structuring can overturn conventional scaling laws. You will analyze why traditional batteries slow down with size, and how this new design escapes that limitation. You will evaluate potential applications and assess the feasibility of scaling the technology to electric vehicles or grid storage.

7: CryoMem-X: onshore Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) containment. China is so impressed by the performance of France GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz, a French company) maritime LNG-containment technology that they now aim to adapt it for a massive 10,000 m³ onshore storage tank. Your challenge is to explore how a system originally designed for the extreme conditions of LNG carriers can be re-engineered for land-based infrastructure. You are asked to compare maritime and terrestrial constraints and identify the engineering adaptations required. The goal is to design a conceptual onshore LNG tank using GTT-type technology and assess its technical and economic feasibility.

Numerus clausus: 12