PhD Position Fluid Dynamics of Battery Recycling

Fluid dynamics of battery particles in flow: towards reducing the world's dependence on Critical Raw Materials

Job description

The rapid expansion in the use of batteries in recent years has created a critical issue: metals that are necessary for battery manufacturing (cobalt, nickel, lithium, etc) are scarce and their supply is constrained, creating insecurities about future supply and geopolitical frictions. As part of the CRM Lion consortium, TU Delft, in collaboration with several industrial partners, aims to find a solution to the problem by extracting metals from spent lithium ion batteries. The PhD project focuses on multiphase flow simulations to fundamentally understand the fluid mechanics and transport phenomena controlling the metal dissolution and extraction process.

Scientific context

The state-of-the-art method for battery recycling is hydrometallurgical dissolution, also called leaching dissolution. Leaching is a method for metal dissolution and separation that occurs in liquid solvent under mixing conditions. How can this method be optimised to make the process more environmentally friendly and reduce its cost, so that battery recycling can be a valid alternative to conventional mining? Answering this question requires an understanding of the convective and diffusive phenomena that occur at the solid-liquid interface of the battery particulate materials during leaching, and how these phenomena affect mass transfer at the level of the particulate suspension.

Project objectives

• To develop mathematical and numerical models of the coupled fluid and mass transfer that occurs during the process of leaching of the black mass, a particulate (multiphase) mixture that originates from crushed Li-ion batteries.
• To investigate the microscale physical processes that give rise to leaching, both in laminar and turbulent flow conditions.

Approach

To reach the above objectives, a PhD candidate with an interest in multiphase fluid mechanics and in the development of numerical methods will be supervised by Dr. Lorenzo Botto (TU Delft's Process & Energy Department), in collaboration with Dr. Shoshan Abrahami (TU Delft's Materials Science and Engineering Department). The selected candidate will work as part of a research team, and collaborate with experimentalists, specifically 1 experimental PhD student and 1 experimental postdoc who will provide data for validation and experimental insights. A Dutch industrial company that develops an innovative metal extraction method will also be involved in the PhD project, furnishing data, insights, and helping to develop relevant research questions. The ability of the PhD student to work in a team will therefore be valuable.

The numerical approach is based on an Eulerian-Lagrangian model of coupled transport of momentum, mass of leaching reactants and mass of leaching products, with experimentally measurable chemical kinetics parameters.

Job requirements

• MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering, Mathematics or related disciplines.
• An excellent track record in education and research.
• A strong educational background in fluid dynamics and transport phenomena.
• Research experience in theoretical or numerical fluid dynamics, as evidenced by academic reports, theses or scientific papers from previous research; experimentalists will be considered if they can prove their ability to handle mathematical models.
• An ability and willingness to learn to communicate effectively with different audiences.
• Excellent command of English (written and spoken).
• Interest in working in a team with close synergy between experiments and simulations.
• An open mind to collaborate with colleagues, project partners, and industry.
• An interest in investigating fundamental fluid dynamics processes with the aim of solving a practical problem.

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.

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

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1.5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months, followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3059 - €3881 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Lorenzo Botto, email: l.botto@tudelft.nl. Informal enquiries are welcome.