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11/01/2017
European Research Council

VADEMECOM ERC Starting Grant: PhD/PostDoc Position in turbulent combustion modelling

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  • ORGANISATION/COMPANY
    Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
  • RESEARCH FIELD
    Engineering › Chemical engineering
    Engineering › Mechanical engineering
    Engineering › Simulation engineering
    Engineering › Thermal engineering
  • RESEARCHER PROFILE
    First Stage Researcher (R1)
    Recognised Researcher (R2)
  • APPLICATION DEADLINE
    30/09/2017 12:00 - Europe/Brussels
  • LOCATION
    Belgium › Brussels
  • TYPE OF CONTRACT
    Temporary
  • JOB STATUS
    Full-time
  • HOURS PER WEEK
    38
  • OFFER STARTING DATE
    02/10/2017
  • EU RESEARCH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME
    H2020 / ERC
  • REFERENCE NUMBER
    714605

Introduction

VADEMECOM is an ERC Starting Grant, starting on April 1st 2017, for a duration of 5 years. 
 
VADEMECOM is based on the observation that combustion science will play a major role in the future quest for sustainable, secure and environmentally friendly energy sources. Two thirds of the world energy supply rely on combustion of fossil and alternative fuels, and all scenarios forecast an increasing absolute energy supply through combustion, with an increasing share of renewables. Thus, combustion will remain the major actor in transportation and power generation as well as in manufacturing processes, like steel and glass.
 
Nevertheless, combustion science will need profound innovation to meet future energy challenges, such as energy efficiency and fuel flexibility, and ensure future generations with affordable and sustainable energy and healthy environment. In this context, MILD combustion represents a very attractive solution for its fuel flexibility and capability to deliver very high combustion efficiency with virtually zero pollutant emissions. Such a combustion regime is the result of a very strong interaction between turbulent mixing and chemical kinetics. The fundamental mechanism of this interaction is not fully understood, thus justifying the need for
experimental and numerical investigations.
 
The overall objective of VADEMECOM is to drive the development of modern and efficient combustion technologies, by means of experimental, theoretical, and numerical simulation approaches. New-generation simulation tools for MILD combustion will be developed, to reduce the dependence on sub-grid models and increase the fidelity of numerical simulations. High-fidelity experimental data will be collected on quasi-industrial systems, to disclose the nature of the interactions between fluid dynamics, chemistry and pollutant formation processes in MILD combustion. Experiment and numerical simulations will be tied together by Validation and Uncertainty Quantification techniques, to allow the ground-breaking application of the developed approaches and promote innovation in the energy sector.
 

We seek candidates (PhD and PostDoc) with a strong background in the following field:

Turbulence chemistry interactions & combustion modelling. Expertise in Large Eddy Simulation is required. Experience in model reduction represents an asset. The positions is readily available and open to both researchers at the PhD (4 years contract) and PostDoc (3 years contract) level. The choice will be based on the candidates' profiles.

Job description - Turbulent combustion modelling for the simulations of MILD and oxy-MILD combustion

The objective of the study will be the development of novel approaches for turbulence/chemistry interactions in MILD and oxy-MILD combustion, using a model-reduction approach developed by the PI research group, that exploits Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to determine the most important variables controlling the behaviour of a chemically reacting system. The model will be initially validated in the framework of high-fidelity simulation tools such as DNS and later extended to LES, assessing the need for sub-grid models (i.e. potential for Implicit LES) and the impact of several sub-grid models (i.e. based on canonical reactors such as PSR and PaSR) on the results.

Additional Information

Benefits

PhD
 
Fellowship
  • EU Citizens and citizens from countries that have a bilateral social security agreement with Belgium: social security coverage including medical insurance, unemployment benefit, retirement pension, maternity leave and child benefit.
  • Non-EU Citizens from countries that have no bilateral social security agreement with Belgium: social security coverage including medical insurance, maternity leave and child benefit. 
  • Insurance against accidents in the workplace.
  • Tax exemption. 
  • Low-cost private hospitalization insurance.
  • On-site services at the ULB: medical centre, university hospital, sports centre, subsidized restaurants, cultural centre, crèche, activities for children… 
 
ULB Contract
  • Social security coverage including medical insurance, unemployment benefit, retirement pension, maternity leave and child benefit.
  • Insurance against accidents in the workplace.
  • Low-cost private hospitalization insurance.
  • On-site services at the ULB: medical centre, university hospital, sports centre, subsidized restaurants, cultural centre, crèche, activities for children… 
 
 
Postdoc
 
Fellowship (only for postdoctoral researchers arriving from abroad)
  • EU Citizens and citizens from countries that have a bilateral social security agreement with Belgium: social security coverage including medical insurance, unemployment benefit, retirement pension, maternity leave and child benefit.
  • Non-EU Citizens from countries that have no bilateral social security agreement with Belgium: social security coverage including medical insurance, maternity leave and child benefit. 
  • Insurance against accidents in the workplace.
  • Tax exemption. 
  • Low-cost private hospitalization insurance.
  • On-site services at the ULB: medical centre, university hospital, sports centre, subsidized restaurants, cultural centre, crèche, activities for children… 
 
ULB Contract 
  • Social security coverage including medical insurance, unemployment benefit, retirement pension, maternity leave and child benefit.
  • Insurance against accidents in the workplace.
  • Low-cost private hospitalization insurance.
  • On-site services at the ULB: medical centre, university hospital, sports centre, subsidized restaurants, cultural centre, crèche, activities for children… 
 

Eligibility criteria

For candidates holding PhD, the following condition applies:
 
  • Eligible ESR candidates may be of any nationality but must not, at the time of recruitment have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the host organization for more than 12 months in the last 3 years immediately prior to the reference date.
 

Selection process

The selection process is based on two steps:
 
  • Evaluation of the documents provided by the Applicant
  • Interview of each candidate having the eligibility requisites (evaluated through the first step). The interviews will be organized remotely via Skype.
 
 
List of Documents to be provided:
 
  • Letter of motivation (approx. 1 page)
  • Copies of degree and academic transcripts (with grades and rankings)
  • Summary of Master's thesis (approx. 1 page)
  • Short CV including a publication list (if any)
  • Two reference letters from academics1. Candidates must indicate the academics details when applying.
  • Proof of English language skills
  • Passport copy

Web site for additional job details

http://burn-research.be

Requirements

Offer Requirements

  • REQUIRED LANGUAGES
    ENGLISH: Excellent

Skills/Qualifications

Requirements

  • A MSc or a PhD degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Physics and Applied Mathematics, with a focus on either chemical kinetics, or fluid mechanics and combustion modelling.
  • A qualification equivalent to first-class honors degree is preferred.
  • A strong mathematical background.
  • Experience in numerical methods, excellent computational skills, experience with C++ programming, interest in CFD programming and turbulent combustion modelling.
  • Experience in model reduction (POD and related techniques) is an asset and will be very favorably considered for the position.
  • English language is mandatory.

Work location(s)
1 position(s) available at
Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
Belgium
Brussels
1000
50 Avenue F.D. Roosevelt

EURAXESS offer ID: 170710

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