Postdoc Molten Salt Degredation in Thermal Energy Storage

Join Our Team: Postdoc Molten Salt Degradation in Thermal Energy Storage

We are seeking a motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our team to work together with industrial partners to study degradation of thermal energy storage media using first principle modeling.

Job description

As a postdoctoral fellow in the Echoed project, you will play a key role in a multidisciplinary team of academic researchers and industrial partners working on thermal energy storage for high-temperature industrial applications. The project focuses on investigating molten salts for large-scale energy storage. However, at elevated temperatures, these salts are prone to degradation due to various factors, including maximum temperature, temperature gradients, wall heat fluxes, salt composition, pipe material, and turbulence intensity.

The primary goal is to develop a fundamental understanding of the key physical mechanisms and their characteristic time scales. This will be achieved using direct numerical simulations (DNS) of heat transfer to molten salts, incorporating scalar transport of reactants and their reaction kinetics. Insights from these high-fidelity simulations will then be used to develop improved engineering models suitable for practical design. Finally, these models will be validated against experimental data generated by our industrial partners.

In this position, your responsibilities will include:

• Extending and applying our in-house DNS solver to model turbulent heat transfer in media with compositional changes.
• Identifying and analyzing the dominant physical mechanisms and relevant time scales.
• Developing and improving low-order engineering models, such as boundary layer codes.
• Validating the models against experimental measurements.

Your research will provide critical insights for stakeholders on how industrial electrification can enhance sustainability, support the integration of renewable energy into the power grid, and improve the competitiveness of European and Dutch industries.

Your Working Environment

You will join the Process & Energy (P&E) department at TU Delft’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The department focuses on the themes of energy, flow, and processes. You will collaborate with leading researchers in thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and related modelling techniques. In addition to a vibrant research environment, you will have access to a wide range of opportunities for professional development through both technical and non-technical training.

We expect that you will take the initiative in fostering collaborations with other researchers within TU Delft, with partner universities, and with industrial stakeholders throughout the course of your postdoctoral work.

Job requirements

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who meets the following criteria:

1. A PhD degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, applied physics, or a closely related field.
2. A solid background in fluid dynamics and heat transfer, with a strong focus on turbulence and reactive flows.
3. Experience in high-fidelity numerical simulations (e.g., DNS) and modelling of scalar transport coupled with reaction kinetics.
4. Proficiency in developing or extending numerical solvers, and a good understanding of numerical methods for solving partial differential equations.
5. An interest in linking fundamental insights to reduced-order or engineering models, and validating them against experimental data.
6. Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary academic–industrial setting.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft 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. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

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.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 1.5 years.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Dr. Rene Pecnik (r.pecnik@tudelft.nl), dr. ir. Jurriaan Peeters (j.w.r.peeters@tudelft.nl) or dr.ir. Pedro Costa (P.SimoesCosta@tudelft.nl).