PDEng trainee- Process control design of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage triplet

Trainee SBC PDEng program
The SBC PDEng program wants to contribute to the transition towards smart, intelligent and sustainable cities where quality of life is high. This transition requires new solutions which can only be created through multiscale and transdisciplinary (design) approaches. This requires technical designers who are able to work in a multidisciplinary environment and know how to communicate with different disciplines and stake holders. Please note that this program is about technological design, i.e., the process of solving problems by means of a technological design, this in contrast to (PhD) research, which is the process of understanding problems. The trainee position leads to the degree of 'Professional Doctorate in Engineering' (PDEng). The program consists of two main parts running in parallel: Half of the program consists of post-master level education in the form of generic design projects and courses; The other half of the program is dedicated to an individual design project in collaboration with a company.

The company design project is to design the process controls for an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) triplet for nearly self-sufficient heating and cooling of buildings, i.e. heating and cooling without the input of energy from external electricity or gas. ATES systems normally use a heat demand-driven heat pump which uses a substantial amount of electricity. In the proposed ATES triplet system consists of three wells as opposed to the typical two wells. The required heat and cooling capacity will be all captured from the environment when available and stored in the subsurface at the temperature level desired for later use. This reduces the primary energy use of an ATES triplet well system to about 5% of a conventional space heating and cooling system. In this project, four researchers cooperate to develop a prototype design for the coupled subsurface/building hydraulic flows and control system of an ATES triplet.
You will assess the impact of design choices and assess the interaction with the building system, and design the control of the triplet wells, the interplay between the three wells and building system, and the combined control of wells and energy delivery to the building. You will design the building and control system to ensure that realistic usage of the wells is simulated. The PDEng trainee will be embedded in the Building Services group and work directly on a design project for a large company.

We are looking for candidates with:

• a MSc degree in Building Science, Informatics, Mathematical, Mechanical or Environmental Engineering, or equivalent. Interest in physical processes (heat, air and moisture transfer) in the built environment and computational building performance simulation is essential.
• an interest in developing new control technologies and applications for the built environment
• a design-oriented attitude.
• ability to work in a team and interested in collaborating with the industrial partners.
• an academic attitude in order to develop new technologies and perform applied research with an integral view on what is needed for the future built environment.
• an excellent command of the English language, both in speaking and writing.