High-Temperature Solid Oxide Electrolysers (SOECs) are a promising technology with the potential to reduce the electrical energy consumption by 30% compared to conventional low temperature electrolysers. The elevated operating temperatures, typically above 600°C, also allow for synergies with industrial production processes (e.g. steel, ammonia, etc.) where waste heat or steam is available. However, key challenges remain for the successful deployment of the technology associated to costs, durability and scale up.
A potential option to address some of these challenges is enlarging the active cell area from the state-of-the-art of 100 cm², up to 1000 cm², as fewer cells are then necessary to produce the same amount of hydrogen, thereby reducing costs. 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 an electrochemical + thermomechanical cell and stack model of the large active area SOEC technology developed by project partner, TNO. The model will need to incorporate gas manifolds and hot-box design into a hierarchical modelling methodology developed previously for the integrated multiscale modelling of SOEC cells and stacks
The selected PhD candidate will then use the model to study the effect of various design factors such as electrode microstructure, layer thickness, and active area at the cell level, and rib and channel width for interconnect design, flow distribution and pressure drop through the gas manifolds, and sufficient mechanical stress on the interconnect and cells for effective sealing, at the stack level. The multiscale cell and stack model will then need to be coupled to process models developed by project partner University of Groningen, to perform a techno-economic analysis of the large active area SOEC technology for use cases selected by industrial project partners such as Bosal, Shell, and Lyondell Basell. The coupling of the multiscale multiphysics cell and stack model to the process model may require a model reduction step, e.g. via the development of a neural network surrogate of the multiphysics model.
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.
You can apply via the button below.
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.
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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