Join the HyCARB programme and contribute to the future of sustainable chemistry by developing and optimizing electrified CO2 conversion processes together with leading academic and industrial partners.
This PhD position is part of the large Dutch research project ‘HyCARB: Green Hydrogen and Electrons for Carbon-based Chemistry’ set up with Industry, the Dutch research council (NWO), GroenvermogenNL, and academia. HyCARB brings Netherlands-based companies, SMEs, and knowledge and research institutes together to develop the technology base for industrial end users worldwide for carbon-based chemicals production using hydrogen, green electrons and captured carbon dioxide. Research using the latest generation of analytical equipment is combined with techno-economic and lifecycle assessments of a range of technologies to help the chemical industry to decarbonise.
Research Focus: Within HyCARB, this PhD position will focus on process design, optimization, and techno-economic assessment of technologies for direct use of electrons to heat up chemical conversion processes. More specifically, three different technologies will be researched and compared: resistive, impedance/inductive, and plasma heating. A specific challenge is to develop flexible heating technologies that can deal with energy supply fluctuations. The overarching objective of this PhD project is to facilitate and speed up the development of novel electrified technologies by providing key techno-economic insights from process and system level perspective. This will be achieved by developing and applying a model-based process and system optimization framework. The PhD candidate will apply, and where required develop, mathematical methods to support the design and the understanding of the critical phenomena inside and outside the proposed technologies. The process design will identify the spectrum of technologies that must be coupled to the core electrified technologies. The system design will co-optimize size and operation of the envisioned processes when connected to the external energy (electricity) and material (CO2, H2) feedstocks, while also identifying in terms of design and operation the energy system associated to the different production routes. Finally, a detailed techno-economic assessment will integrate the technical (mass & energy balances, equipment lists) and production cost information into a detailed bottom-up engineering-economic analysis. Therefore, in this PhD project, the optimal process synthesis and techno-economic analysis will be bridged to broader, time-discretized system-level evaluations.
Societal relevance: The transition to a CO2 net-zero society requires a major rethinking of the energy system, with coordinated, timely deployment of several technologies. Among the different sectors that need to become CO2 neutral, the chemical industry will be confronted with a daunting, yet existential challenge: to produce large amounts of carbon-based platform molecules starting from renewable energy and non-fossil material feedstocks. Given the scale of production and associated CO2 emissions, the large capital investments of plants, and the limited time available for the transition, the de-fossilization of the chemical industry is a cornerstone for a net-zero society. In this pursue, electrification of process heating is expected to play a major role in enabling the transition from a fossil-based to a renewable-based primary energy input. To ensure that the HyCARB results are broadly applicable and thus help achieve sustainability goals as soon as possible, the focus of the research is on products with large volume potential such as fuels for hard-to-electrify applications and widely used platform chemicals.
We are seeking an outstanding and highly motivated candidate with interest in the fundamental and applied aspects of process synthesis and optimization. The ideal candidate has a master degree in Engineering (possibly Chemical, Process, Mechanical, Energy or Electrical), Applied Physics, or related field.
Moreover, the candidate should:
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Possess excellent understanding of thermodynamics, reactor engineering, and chemical and energy conversion technologies coupled with good mathematical and programming skills (process system engineering);
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Have experience in process synthesis and techno-economic evaluation (e.g. from process design courses during master studies using Aspen Plus, gPROMS);
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Have experience in programming languages such as Python, Matlab, Julia (Jump);
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Have modelling experience with non-linear programming (nice-to-have);
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Have experience with machine learning, statistics and data analytics (nice-to-have)
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Have strong affinity with sustainable development;
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Have excellent communication skills;
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Have work proficiency in English;
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Enjoy working in an interdisciplinary and international, diverse environment.
You are not sure if you qualify for this position, but it triggered your interest? Contact us at the address given below.
We equally encourage applications from candidates interested in an academic and/or industry career.
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a position (1.0 FTE) for 1 year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
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a working week of 36 - 40 hours and a gross monthly salary between € 3.059 and €3.881 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
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8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
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a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.
In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development, various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities. You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.
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For more information about this position, please contact Matteo Gazzani at [email protected].
Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.
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