PhD on Compact modelling of Positive Energy Districts

Introduction

We are seeking a motivated PhD researcher to help drive the heat transition as an essential part of the energy transition. Join leading researchers and industry partners in developing novel strategies to this end.

Job Description

This research project is part of the EmPowerED project, which aims to accelerate and scale up the development of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs). PEDs are urban areas that generate more energy than they consume and carbon-neutral heating and cooling is a core element of their design. The design and realization of PEDs involves (complex interactions between) societal, technical, economical and regulatory factors. EmPowerED – Enabling Positive Energy Districts through citizen-centered socio-technical models for upscaling of the heat transition – seeks to tackle this challenge by involving key stakeholders (citizen groups, municipalities, housing associations, grid operators, technology/service providers) in the decision-making process by offering them a toolbox to explore and assess local heat solutions for PEDs. The EmPowerED project involves in total 11 PhD positions at several universities, focusing on different aspects of positive energy districts. The project also involves a large range of project partners, e.g. municipalities, building corporations and technology suppliers. At the core of the EmPowerED project are 4 case studies in different municipalities (the cities of Groningen, Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Tilburg).

The PhD project in this vacancy contributes to the development of the above EmPowerED toolbox by developing simulation models for individual physical components of a PED to be used as building blocks for integrated PED models, focusing on the residential heating system. This encompasses primarily thermal components like heat exchangers, heat-pumps, short-term (e.g. daily) and long-term (e.g. seasonal) heat-storage systems, aqua-thermal and geothermal heat sources and waste heat recovery (e.g., industrial waste heat reuse, sewage treatment plant) as components in a 5th generation district heating network. The key weakness of most models currently available and in use is their oversimplified description of physical, dynamic and nonlinear behavior. The principal goal of the PhD project is to develop component models with a greater physical accuracy and predictive capability by employing state-of-the-art methods for the following two modelling approaches:

• reduced-order models (ROMs) and input-output models derived from high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models;
• data-based models determined from training/calibration data by system/parameter identification and machine learning.

The key challenge is striking a balance between, on the one hand, modelling the physical, dynamic and nonlinear behavior of the components with sufficient physical accuracy to ensure high predictive capability and, on the other hand, keeping the models sufficiently “compact” (i.e. algorithmically small and computationally efficient) to enable incorporation in integrated PED models. The development of these compact models will involve collaboration with several partners within the EmPowerED project to address a range of issues including e.g. generating training/calibration/validation data for models, their implementation into integrated PED models, providing end-user feedback on functionality. The different sub-models will be integrated and validated based on data from the use cases and experiments.

Your Working Environment

You will be appointed to the Section Energy Technology of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). You will join a lively community of internationally renowned interdisciplinary energy researchers in a collaborative project with the TU/e and external partners. Our department hosts a diverse group of people from different countries and disciplines, and we welcome candidates that contribute to and enjoy this diversity. We expect that as part of your PhD you will assume a pro-active role in the interaction and collaboration with researchers both within and beyond the EmPowerED project, as well as with the other project partners involved in EmPowerED (mainly from municipalities and building sector).

Job Requirements

You need to have:

• Recent or impending Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Energy Sciences, Applied Physics, Scientific Computing or a related field.
• Strong affinity (e.g. via advanced courses or projects) with first-principles mathematical modelling of thermal systems, model reduction, system identification, machine learning.
• Programming skills for development and implementation of computational models.
• Strong analytical and systems-thinking abilities.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) in English and a team-work attitude.
• Passion for the energy transition and its multidisciplinary challenges (technology, economics, and policy).

Nice to have:

• Knowledge on energy transition and PEDs.
• Experience with working in a multi-disciplinary environment.
• Working knowledge of Dutch as a second language.

Conditions of Employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you: 

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment. 
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 3,059 max. € 3,881).  
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%. 
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process. 
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.  
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs. 
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

Information

Section Energy Technology

The mission of the section of Energy Technology is to advance heat & flow technologies for energy and high-tech applications. This encompasses research and development of new methods and tools (science), improving applied systems (technology), exchanging knowledge with our societal partners (valorization) and teaching & inspiring future generations of engineers (education). Click here to go to the website of the Section Energy Technology. 

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact associate professor dr.ir. Michel Speetjens (m.f.m.speetjens@tue.nl).

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HRServices.Gemini@tue.nl.

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references.

Doing a PhD at TU Eindhoven requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details, please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements. 

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. 

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.