PhD Position Flexibility in Nuclear Power

About this position

Can nuclear- and renewable energy play nice?

Job description

Both Europe and the Netherlands are committed to transitioning to a CO2-neutral economy by 2050. As part of this commitment, the Netherlands has built large-scale wind park, and a significant amount of energy comes from solar power as well. While wind and solar energy help to decarbonize power generation, it also comes at a cost.

Due to the intermittent availability of wind and solar energy, grid congestion can occur (which means that the grid lacks sufficient capacity to handle demand or supply of electricity). Therefore, the grid must be carefully managed. In many countries, gas power plants help manage the grid.

However, since natural gas counteracts decarbonization, the question arises: “which other technologies can help reduce grid congestion?

Small modular reactors (SMR) - nuclear reactors below 300 MWe – may be able to operate flexibly to help counteract grid congestion. As such reactors have less inertia, they are better suited to load-following than large-scale nuclear power plants. Even so, their ramp rates are much lower than other technologies.

Through smart design of the power cycle and the inclusion of thermal energy storage, ramp rates of SMR’s can be greatly enhanced.

In this thesis project, you will design advanced power cycles with or without energy storage for SMR’s to enable enhanced load-following. Using numerical techniques, you will couple transient power cycle modelling with nuclear reactor modelling to analyse any feedback to the reactor. You will run different load-following scenarios to ascertain technologically feasible enhanced ramp rates.

You will be assisted by an expert supervisory team during your PhD. As the Dutch Nuclear industry is growing rapidly, and the Dutch Government has announced a significant expansion of nuclear energy, your results may actively contribute to shaping the Dutch nuclear landscape.

Your Working Environment

You will join the Process & Energy (P&E) department at TU Delft’s Mechanical Engineering faculty.Our department works along the themes of Energy, Flow and Processes. You will work together with top researchers highly skilled in thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics. Moreover, we collaborate with researchers from the Reactor Institute Delft.

You will have opportunities for professional development through both technical and non-technical courses. We expect that as part of your PhD you will take the lead on interacting and collaborating with other researchers at TU Delft, with research groups at other universities, and with industry and other stakeholders.

Job requirements

We are looking for a candidate with

• ample experience in thermodynamic system modelling, in particular transient modelling; for example, heat pumps or power cycles. Any interest in nuclear is a plus.

Furthermore, we expect that you have

• A MSc. degree in either physics or mechanical engineering or similar field.

• Strong affinity with thermodynamics and transport equations.

• A keen interest in the nuclear industry and its future roles in society.

• Keen interest in transient modelling and analysis.

• Good communication skills and the ability to be a team player in a highly multidisciplinary setting.

For this vacancy, a knowledge embargo exemption is required. Please check the following website:

https://www.government.nl/themes/education/secondary-vocational-education-mbo-and-tertiary-higher-education/exemption-certain-engineering-or-nuclear-related-courses-of-study

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional.

Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty Mechanical Engineering

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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Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the