Internship | Flexibility Analysis of Chemical Plants

About this internship

Industrial chemical production is shifting from plants designed for constant power and feedstock inputs toward flexible systems that can operate under uncertain intermittent renewable power supply (e.g. solar and wind energy) and fluctuating feedstock availability. This new paradigm raises several questions: Can chemical processes operate within their physical and operational constraints under the range of uncertain inputs? How much uncertainty can be accommodated by a given process design? And how can designs be evaluated, or re-designed, to ensure they can handle a specified range of input variability? The area of flexibility analysis addresses these questions.

Internship | Flexibility Analysis of Chemical Plants

What will be your role?

There are two options for this internship:

A relatively short internship (at least 3 months) focusing on a use case. As an intern, you will work out and analyze chemical production process and apply the prototype tool under development at TNO for flexibility analysis.

A MSc thesis internship (at least 6 months) focusing on improving performance of the prototype tool. Uncertainty space is high dimensional which makes the flexibility analysis CPU demanding. You will research the following items that may improve performance

1. Efficient sampling. Investigate efficient sampling techniques to explore the uncertainty range that can be accommodated by the chemical process.
2. Surrogate modelling. Investigate best approaches for surrogate modelling of the chemical process to improve performance.

What we expect from you

For the MSc thesis on improving performance of the tool a strong mathematical background and solid Python skills to contribute to the development of a prototype tool are required.

For the shorter duration internship a (Chemical) engineering background with mathematical interests and python skills would also be a good fit.

Good communication skills (in English) and the right mix of curiosity-driven motivation and result-oriented mentality are required.

What you'll get in return

• A highly professional, innovative internship environment, within a team of top experts.
• A suitable internship allowance (615 euro for wo-, hbo- and mbo-students, for a full-time internship).
• Possibility of eight hours of free leave per internship month (for a full-time internship).
• A free membership of Jong TNO, where you can meet other TNO professionals and join several activities, such as sports activities, (work-related) courses or the yearly ski-trip.
• Use of a laptop.
• An allowance for travel expenses in case you don’t receive an OV-card.

TNO as an employer

At TNO, we innovate for a healthier, safer and more sustainable life. And for a strong economy. We find each other in wonder and ingenuity. We are driven to push boundaries. There is all the space and support for your talent and ambition. You work with people who will challenge you: who inspire you and want to learn from you. Our state-of-the-art facilities are there to realize your vision. What you do at TNO matters: impact makes the difference. Because with every innovation you contribute to tomorrow’s world.