Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Asst/Prof Scott Draper

Assistant Professor
Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems

Contact details

Address

Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems
The University of Western Australia (M053)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 7400

Email

scott.draper@uwa.edu.au

Qualifications

BE W.Aust

Biography

Scott joined COFS in November 2010 following 3 years reading for a DPhil (PhD) in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. His DPhil thesis was on ‘Tidal Stream Energy Extraction in Coastal Basins’, and addressed how much energy can be extracted for human use from fast moving tidal currents – a topic currently receiving significant academic and commercial attention in the UK.
Scott graduated with first calls honours in Engineering (Civil) and a bachelor degree in Commerce (Finance) from the University of Western Australia in 2005. His undergraduate honours thesis was concerned with numerical simulation of seepage flow using a novel semi-analytical numerical method. Following graduation, but before commencing study in the UK, he worked as a structural engineer in Perth.

Key research

Marine Energy Resource Assessment (Wave and Tidal)

Shallow Water Flows

Finite Element/Finite Volume numerical methods

Sediment Transport, Morphodynamics and Scour

Publications

Journal papers

J1. Draper, S., Houlsby, G.T., Oldfield, M.L.G. and Borthwick, A.G.L (2010). Modeling Tidal Energy Extraction in a Depth Averaged Domain. IET Joun. Renew. Powr. Gen., Vol. 4, pp.545-554.
J2. Draper, S., Borthwick, A.G.L., and Houlsby, G.T. (2013) ‘Energy Potential of a tidal fence deployed near a coastal headland’, Phil. Trans. Royal Society A, 371:20120176
J3. Draper, S., Adcock, T. A. A., Borthwick, A.G.L, and Houlsby, G.T. (2013) ‘An electrical interpretation of the Pentland Firth Tidal Stream Energy Resource’, Submitted to Proceedings Royal Society A (March 2013).
J4. Adcock, T. A. A., Draper, S., Houlsby, G.T., Borthwick, A.G.L., and Serhadioğlu (2013) ‘The Available Power from Tidal Stream Turbines in the Pentland Firth’. Submitted to Proceedings Royal Society A (January 2013).
J5. Draper, S., Adcock, T. A. A., Borthwick, A.G.L, and Houlsby, G.T. (2013) ‘Estimate of the Extractable Pentland Firth Tidal Stream Power Resource’, Submitted to Renewable Energy (March 2013).

Conference papers
C8. Zhang, Q., Cheng, L., Draper, S. An, H., and Shi, H. (2013) Revisiting the mechanics of onset of scour below subsea pipelines in steady currents, 32nd International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering, Nantes, France, OMAE2013-11334.
C7. Epstein, R., Draper, S. and Cheng, L. (2013) Backfill of narrow subsea trenches: From experiments to depth-averaged models to advanced numerical models, 23rd International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference, Anchorage, Alaska. Paper No 2013-TPC-0902
C6. Draper, S. (2013) ‘On the optimum place to locate a tidal fence in the Severn Estuary’, 2nd Oxford Tidal Energy Workshop, UK.
C5. Adcock, T.A.A. Draper, S., Houlsby, G.T, and Borthwick, A.G.L. On the tidal resource of the Pentland Firth. 4th International Conference on Ocean Energy. Dublin, Ireland 2012.
C4. Draper, S., Houlsby, G.T, and Borthwick, A.G.L. Energy Potential of a Tidal Fence Deployed Near a Coastal Headland. 9th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference. Southampton, UK 2011.
C3. Draper, S., Borthwick, A.G.L, and Houlsby, G.T. Power Potential of an Enclosed Bay with Sloping Sides. Young Coastal Scientists & Engineers Conference, University College London, 2010.
C2. Draper, S., Houlsby, G.T., Oldfield, M.L.G. and Borthwick, A.G.L (2009). Modeling Tidal Energy Extraction in a Depth Averaged Domain. 8th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference. Uppsala, Sweden 2009.
C1. Draper, S., Deeks, A.J. and Cheng, L. (2006), ‘Application of the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method to Seepage Flow’, 10th East Asia-Pacific Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction, Aug. 3-5, Bangkok, Thailand.

Theses
Draper, S. (2011). Tidal Stream Energy Extraction in Coastal Basins, University of Oxford, UK.
Draper, S. (2005) Application of the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method to Seepage Flow, The University of Western Australia, Australia.

Technical Reports
1. Houlsby, G.T., Draper, S. and Oldfield, M.L.G. (2008). Application of linear momentum actuator disc theory to open channel flow. OUEL 2297/08.
2. Houlsby, G.T., Oldfield, M.L.G. and Draper, S. (2008). The Betz limit and tidal turbines. Expert report for Lunar Energy Ltd.

Industrial relevance

My research aims to inform marine energy device developers, the public and potential investors of the useful and sustainable quantity of energy that can be extracted from the ocean. More recently I have also started to work on sediment transport processes applicable to, for example, the stability of on-bottom subsea pipelines used to service offshore production facilities.

Honours and awards

2010 Science Scholarship, St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford
2006 Rhodes Scholarship (Australia-at-large)
2005 Civil Engineering Award for best Honours Project, UWA
Other UWA undergraduate awards: D.N. Foster Award in Coastal and Offshore Engineering (2005), Steel Institute of Australia Structural Design Award (2004), BSP Industry Award (2004), Hartley Poynton Prize for finance (2003)

Teaching

I supervise two final years students undertaking final year projects on sediment morphodynamics and shallow water hydrodynamics, respectively.

I also teach the contaminant transport section of CIVL4121 ‘Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering’, and some other topics in offshore engineering.

At the University of Oxford I was a college lecturer in Fluid Mechanics and Mathematics at St Catherine’s College 2008-2010

Research profile

Research profile and publications