The post-master designers program is a two-year salaried program in the field of technological design in Electrical Engineering. The program leads to a Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng) degree. For more information about PDEng, please check https://www.tue.nl/en/education/graduate-school/pdeng-at-tue/

Project description

To achieve a broader adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), fast-charging stations (delivering very high power) must be deployed in the charging infrastructure, which requires extracting higher peak power from the grid. This is not always available and can work out very expensive. Half the cost of a new charging station can be the cost of grid connection. This leads to a configuration using a local battery to reduce the peak power demands. We aim to use a novel alternative to a DC-DC converter, the Reduced Dissipation Converter (RDC) to integrate the local battery into the fast charging station: a cheaper solution that has much lower heat losses and requirements for cooling. RDC exploits a serial link between the local battery and the convertor and thus achieves high efficiency, high power density, high reliability at low cost.

To address the viability of the RDC concept and to mitigate potential risks, several research questions need to be addressed:

1. Techno-economic analysis of the different fast-charging solutions.
2. Optimized hardware design of the RDC with high efficiency, high power density, high reliability, and low cost.
3. Protection of the RDC and the battery under different fault conditions.
4. Control design of the RDC to achieve power balance, considering both steady-state and transient operations.

About the EES Group

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a world-leading research university specializing in engineering science & technology. The Department of Electrical Engineering is responsible for research and education in Electrical Engineering. The discipline covers technologies and electrical phenomena involved in computer engineering, information processing, energy transfer, and telecommunication. The department strives for societal relevance through an emphasis on the fields of smart sustainable systems, the connected world and care & cure. The TU/e is the world's best-performing research university in terms of research cooperation with industry
(#1 since 2009).

The EES group aims at transforming electricity grids towards a truly future-proof, sustainable energy supply. The research of the EES group focuses on methodologies for planning, design, and operation of smart medium-voltage and low-voltage networks with high amounts of renewable energy generation, storage, and flexible demand.

About Shell

The sponsor of this position is Shell, an international energy company. Shell is currently expanding their traditional hydrocarbon based fuel purchase points to provide a network of electric vehicle charging stations. . Shell  uses advanced technologies and takes an innovative approach to help build a sustainable energy future.

We are looking for candidates that match the following profile:

• Have an MSc degree in electrical engineering or any other relevant program.
• Have theoretical and applied knowledge of power electronics.
• Hands-on experimental experience on electrical circuit design and implementation.
• Experience on the high-current power converters is a big plus.
• Have excellent communication skills in English (written and spoken).
• Be a flexible team player, actively helping other team members, and see changes as an opportunity to learn and grow.
• Be a quick learner, able to and interested in acquiring new skills and competences.
• Show a hands-on attitude, taking responsibility for the process from specification to implementation and validation, including communication and alignment with peers.

• A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university with a close relationship to industry.
• A full-time employment for two years.
• To support you during your PDEng and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will have free access to a personal development program for PDEng trainees.
• A gross monthly salary and benefits in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• Additionally, an annual holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, plus a year-end allowance of 8.3% of the annual salary.
• A broad package of fringe benefits, including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, and savings schemes.
• Family-friendly initiatives are in place, such as an international spouse program, and excellent on-campus children day care and sports facilities.