Graduation: Electrics - Battery Simulation Model

ABOUT US

The Research, Development & Innovation department is indispensable in the realization of Damen’s ambition to become the most sustainable and digitally connected shipyard in the world.

We give support to the business in the development of an innovative product portfolio and offer pro-active advice with the aim to further improve the quality and performance of the Damen products and services.

The RD&I department is divided in three functions, i.e. Research, Development and Enabling Technologies. The Development teams support the business with technical consultancy and expert advice and acts as technological conscience in commercial projects. Therefore, they build on the technical knowledge developed by the five Research teams that focus on strategically relevant technology domains.

Damen invests substantially in its own internal R&D programs to develop the required knowledge and technology. Moreover, to enhance our knowledge, skills and capabilities beyond the state-of-the-art, we are very active in collaborative R&D projects with other industry stakeholders as well as academia and knowledge institutes, both nationally and internationally.

THE ROLE

Batteries on board ships have several applications, such as ramp support, spinning reserve, peak shaving or fully electric power. Depending on the application, required optimal battery chemistry may also be different.

As an example, full electric ferries often have several charge/discharge cycles in just one round trip or a Dynamic Positioning system on mid-size vessels may have to deal with large peaks of discharge power in a very short time. Thus, it is important to have accurate simulation models of different types of cell chemistries, so that the dynamic behavior of batteries can be predicted during the design phase of the vessels. This includes accurate calculation of State of Charge (SOC), battery health degradation and thermal performance.

Therefore, this master thesis will involve in-depth research on developing different types of battery simulation models and comparing their accuracy based on actual ship operational profiles and conditions.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

As a Master’s student at Electrical and Automation department of Damen RD&I you will face multiple aspects of applying advanced measurement and simulation methods in various phases of electrical integration of battery systems of a ship.

To carry out these measurements and simulations various tools and equipment are available to achieve your research goal. You will be responsible from day one for the planning and execution of your thesis. You are expected to deliver a detailed in-depth analysis of your research problem and meanwhile be able to communicate the results and conclusions to other departments.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Masters student with a background in Electrical Engineering
• Proficient in simulation skills of MATLAB and Simulink
• A bit of practical experience with measurement equipment (like oscilloscope) and electrical systems.
• Good command of English, especially in writing.

WHAT WE OFFER

A monthly allowance will be paid for the duration of the assignment. Flexible working hours can be discussed and proper mentoring at academic level will be available throughout the internship.