Then, the Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng) programme Maintenance is very interesting for you. This PDEng programme at the University of Twente is a 2-year Post-Master technological programme with a focus on technological design. It contains an educational part that will be followed at the University, and a design project that will be carried out at Shell Global Solutions. The educational programme (~50%) will have an in-depth and broadening character with ample attention for professional development and will be partly tailored to the large design project (~50%) for the company. In collaboration with Shell Global Solutions, high level, creative and new designs for complex issues will be aimed at. 

Background and Goal:
The next step in oil and well exploitation is highly dependent on the success of MOno-Diameter drilling (MOD). This technique uses a down-hole expansion process, which is done by pulling a solid cone through a solid pipe under harsh down-hole conditions up to kilometers of depth. A hydraulic piston on the drilling rig typically delivers the pulling force through the drill pipe. To increase the robustness of this process Single Engagement Top Anker (SETA), tools and down hole tools such as cyclic grippers are important components to ensure a successful expansion process. Mainly the gripper tool, attached to a down-hole hydraulic jack could be a robust solution in the future. The safeguard the future and reliability of the MOD technology tools should operate at all times and the life span is preferably more than one well construction. If these tools show to be successful this would enable the use of smaller rigs to place MOD wells, greatly expanding the possibilities of this technique for further implementation.

In the current gripper, the internal friction at the contact surface between the wedge and the segments influences the deactivation process, and the teeth on the outer surface of the segments should be optimized for higher friction. The goal of this PDEng project is to design, manufacture and test a gripper that has 200 ton grip capacity.

We are searching for the best MSc graduated candidates (or graduates with several years of experience) in the field of Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline. Candidates should have a demonstrable affinity with designing and multidisciplinary assignments. Besides, you must have the ambition and talent to accelerate in finding solutions/creating designs for complex technological issues with a multidisciplinary character. Important professional skills are, communication and interpersonal skills, teamwork, initiative and self-reflection, English language skills. You need to provide IELTS test results (minimum score 6.5), TOEFL-iBT (minimum score 90) or Cambridge CAE or CPE. An interview will be part of the selection procedure.

Please send your letter of motivation, with a curriculum vitae, a list with grades of courses attended, references and, if applicable, a list of publications before 15-06-2017 through the link below.

If you have any further questions about this vacancy of the PDEng programme in Maintenance, please contact R. Bosman

• Email: r.bosman@utwente.nl
• Telephone: +31 6 18341056
• General information about PDEng programmes you can find at our website.

We offer a contract for 24 months. During these two years you follow a tailor made post-master design programme with a combination of education (~50%) and working on a design project (~50%). The salary will be € 1.803 gross per month. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development, a holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus.

On successfully completing the programme, you will receive a certified degree. You will be entitled to use the academic degree Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng) and will be registered as a Technological Designer in the Dutch register kept by the Royal Institution of Engineers in the Netherlands (KIVI). 

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which drives change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research.

The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) is one of the five faculties of the University of Twente. ET combines Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. Our faculty has approximately 1800 bachelor and master students, 400 employees and 150 PhD candidates. The departments of the faculty cooperatively conduct the educational programmes and participate in interdisciplinary research projects, programmes and the research institutes: MIRA, CTIT, SBE and IGS.