Postdoc Supercritical CO2 Power Cycle

Join our team at TU Delft to develop a 1–2 MW-class supercritical CO2 power-cycle test facility, design high-performance turbomachinery, and quantify windage losses in high-speed rotating flows

Job description

Supercritical CO2 power cycles enable compact, high-efficiency power conversion, but they pose major challenges for turbomachinery integration and loss control at high rotational speeds. In this project, TU Delft works with an industrial partner developing high-speed motors and generators. The aim is to design, build, and test a high-speed generator that will later be integrated into a hermetically sealed turbogenerator module.

In this postdoctoral position, you will lead the design of a 1–2 MW net-power sCO2 test setup and the optimization of the associated turbomachinery. In parallel, you will perform detailed CFD studies (using LES or DNS) to quantify windage losses in Taylor–Couette-type configurations with supercritical CO2 and strongly variable properties. Your outcomes will directly feed into loss estimations, design rules, and specifications for the demonstrator.

Key tasks include

• Designing a 1–2 MW-class sCO2 test setup (cycle layout, operating map, instrumentation, control and safety concept).
• Designing and optimizing the turbomachinery (mean-line / quasi-1D design, refinement with 3D CFD where needed).
• Defining interfaces between turbomachinery, generator, and the long-term hermetically sealed module, in close collaboration with the industrial partner and a PhD candidate developing the generator.
• Running high-fidelity CFD (LES or DNS) of rotating shear flows (Taylor–Couette-type setups) with real-fluid CO2 and variable properties to quantify windage losses and their scaling.
• Translating results into engineering models (loss correlations, uncertainty bounds, and practical design recommendations).

As a post-doc, you will join a multi-disciplinary team of specialists in the fields of energy technology, high performance computing for CFD and electrical engineering. You will work at the department of Process and Energy (Mechanical Engineering), within the Energy Technology group. You will work in close collaboration with prof. dr. Rene Pecnik and dr. ir. Jurriaan Peeters, who both enjoy working at the intersection of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics.

Job requirements

We seek an enthusiastic and motivated candidate with:

• A PhD (or equivalent) in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, applied physics, or a closely related field.
• Strong background in thermodynamics, turbomachinery, and fluid dynamics.
• Demonstrated experience with CFD; experience with rotating flows and/or LES/DNS is a strong plus.
• Solid programming skills (e.g., Python and C/C++); experience with HPC and/or GPU computing is beneficial.
• Ability to work independently and drive system-level design, while collaborating effectively in an interdisciplinary and industry-linked team.
• Good command of English, both written and spoken.

Additional information

recruitment-me@tudelft.nl

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology 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.

Faculty Mechanical Engineering

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach.