PhD Position Sustainable Steel Production Modelling Solid Pile Formation in Reduced Electric Furnaces

The objective of the “Groeien met Groen Staal” program, funded by the Dutch National Growth Fund, is to help and prepare the steel industry for a green transition. The transition towards sustainable steel production necessitates significant alterations requiring novel processes and equipment. However, the technology for novel equipment remains underdeveloped, and the processes occurring within them are not fully comprehended. Therefore, modelling should be enhanced to optimize furnace operations. This will be done by developing a framework of numerical models to gain insights into the complex phenomena within these furnaces.

This PhD project aims to describe solid pile formation in a Reduced Electric Furnace. This is a novel approach to producing high-quality green steel, but its large-scale applicability needs to be proven. Can you help achieve this? You will work on developing a Discrete Element Model that describes the feed of pellets in the furnace. The challenge lies in the complex interplay between feeding, melting, and multiphase particulate flow in the slag layer and in the molten hot metal layer. Ultimately, the resulting model will be integrated into larger computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models that encompass the entire furnace system based on your work and the work of other PhDs in the program. Collaboration with industrial partners and researchers from various universities is a key aspect of this project.

The position is available as of 1 October 2024 or later. You will be joining the group of Prof. Dingena Schott, working on Machines and Materials Interactions. The group has members with expertise on machine cargo interaction, modelling, experimentation, and simulation-based design in various transport related applications. There is a vivid interaction within and between groups in the Maritime and Transport Technology department to foster collaboration and knowledge transfer; specifically for this project, Dr. Geert Keetels will be involved for multiphase and multiphysics modeling.

Your project is part of the National Growth Fund-funded Growing with Green Steel programme. This position is in collaboration with Tata Steel Netherlands and will offer opportunities for collaborations with Dutch universities. There is also the opportunity to gain teaching experience in topic-wise related courses.

• A Master degree in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering or a comparable discipline.
• Experience with the Discrete Element Method (DEM).
• Knowledge of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a plus.
• Demonstrable affinity with industry-related research.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
• You gain energy from multidisciplinary collaborations and the combination of modelling and engineering.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft 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.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2770 per month in the first year to € 3539 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

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