Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) electrolysers aim to combine the best aspects of Alkaline and PEM technologies to achieve a lower cost of hydrogen production. AEM electrolysers use lower cost and more earth-abundant materials than PEM and, typically, have higher efficiencies than alkaline electrolysers. However, AEM electrolysers are prone to higher degradation rates, particularly the membrane, and are not yet able to match the current densities and, thus, H2 production rates of PEM electrolysers.
As part of the ~50 Mio€ ‘HyPRO’ project, the largest ever R&D project on green hydrogen in the Netherlands bringing together 58 partners from research and industry, we are looking for a PhD candidate to develop a hybrid physics-based and data-driven digital twin of an AEM cell. The goal of the digital twin will be to monitor the health and forecast the remaining useful life for predictive maintenance of an operating AEM cell developed by collaboration partner HyET E-Trol. A core feature of your work should be the inclusion of a neural network (NN) surrogate of a detailed physics-based and experimentally validated model of the AEM cell to provide access to unmeasurable internal cell parameters during operation. To twin the NN surrogate to a HyET E-Trol AEM cell in operation and track its health, recurrent neural networks, particle and/or extended Kalman filters, and inverse parameter estimation methods might be worth exploring. By uncovering the dependency between the cell health and the operating parameters, the remaining useful life for predictive maintenance and advanced control strategies to extend life under operation should also be explored. Finally, in addition to the modelling, you will also contribute to the experimental stability testing of the AEM cell at HyET E-Trol for data acquisition and model validation.
Information and application
Your application should include:
* a 1 A4 page cover letter, emphasizing why you would be a good fit for the position
* a detailed CV including the name and e-mail address for at least two references, and
* academic transcripts of B.Sc. and M.Sc. education.
An interview (or two) comprising of a scientific presentation followed by discussion will be part of the selection procedure. Following a pre-selection, short-listed candidates will be invited for interviews 1-2 weeks after the application deadline.
For more information and/or specific questions about the position, you are welcome to contact Dr. Aayan Banerjee (a.banerjee@utwente.nl). However, please do not send applications to this email address or via LinkedIn. They will not be taken into consideration.
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About the department
You will be a part of the Sustainable Electrochemical Engineering and Digitalisation SEEDlab. SEED is co-hosted by the research groups Catalytic Processes and Materials and Inorganic Membranes in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Twente. At SEED, you will join a team of 10 highly motivated PhD and Post-Doctoral researchers all working to accelerate electrochemical technology development for the low carbon energy and materials transition by bridging nano-scale physics to industrial-scale systems.
You will also frequently visit and closely collaborate with HyET E-Trol. HyET E-Trol is a fast-growing energy technology start-up based in the Netherlands developing next generation electrolyzer systems. Our mission is to accelerate the energy transition by making green hydrogen affordable to all. One of the technologies in our product portfolio is the high differential pressure AEM electrolyzer, that can directly output hydrogen at very high pressures.
About the organisation
The Faculty of Science & Technology (Technische Natuurwetenschappen, TNW) engages some 700 staff members and 2000 students in education and research on the cutting edge of chemical technology, applied physics and biomedical technology. Our fields of application include sustainable energy, process technology and materials science, nanotechnology and technical medicine. As part of a people-first tech university that aims to shape society, individuals and connections, our faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad, and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. Our research has a high profile both in the Netherlands and internationally and is strengthened by the many young researchers working on innovative projects with as doctoral candidates and post-docs. It has been accommodated in three multidisciplinary UT research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centre and Digital Society Institute.
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