Postdoctoral position in Hydrogen Systems

Postdoctoral position in Hydrogen Systems

Are you interested in working with hydrogen solutions for the maritime sector, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a post-doctoral position at Uppsala University.

The Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering consists of three divisions: Quality Science, Industrial Engineering and Management, and Civil Engineering and Built Environment. The department has approximately 100 employees and has its research and education both at the Ångström Laboratory in Uppsala and at Campus Gotland. For more information, see the web of the department. This position will be located at the Division of Quality Science in Visby.

The Division of Quality Science works with both teaching and research and offers a wide range of programs and independent courses that are permeated by the goal of creating long-term sustainable companies and organizations. In the Division, several research projects, linked to sustainable development, are in progress. The entire Division is located at Campus Gotland in Visby, an international campus in the middle of the world heritage town of Visby, the “capital” of the island Gotland. For more information, see the webpage of the division.

At the Division of Quality Science we have over three years built up a research environment around the use of hydrogen and its supply system, the research is primarily focused on shipping and its conversion to fossil-free, but applications in road transport and work machines are also studied. The work is carried out in close collaboration with other universities and research institutes as well as with industry.

The research project

How to fuel 16 tons of hydrogen to a ship in 45 minutes? This is the core question in the upcoming research project and a post-doctoral position.

Hydrogen has a good potential to enable the transition to a fossil-free maritime sector for certain segments. Ferry operations are well suited to use hydrogen, however the low volumetric density requires high frequent refuelling of hydrogen. Furthermore, it is of importance to be able to refuel the hydrogen in short time.

We have identified the large-scale hydrogen filling as a main technical challenge in the maritime hydrogen supply system. There are numerous challenges including thermodynamical, safety, material science and handling. In addition, the hydrogen refuelling station are to be placed in a port with limited physical space and lot of passengers and gods in the area.

Our group are now to start and lead a research project focusing on the hydrogen refuelling, the research will be conducted in close cooperation with other universities and research institutes as well as with the industry. The case study for the project is the Gotland ferry system and the operator Rederi AB Gotland is the main industrial sponsor to the project.

The project is folded into three parts where the first step is to develop a conceptual solution to the large-scale hydrogen refuelling problem, 16 tons of hydrogen in 45 minutes. The concept shall include all the installations in the port, including buffer storage, refuelling station, handling and safety installations. The solution should be proven by calculations, thermodynamic simulations, hazard identification studies and other suitable means. This first part is to be ready in year 2026 and will be followed by an engineering part and a final step where a pilot- and demonstration system will be built.

Duties

The main duties of this position include:

• Conducting theoretical and applied research in the field of maritime large-scale hydrogen refuelling to develop a conceptual hydrogen refuelling solution for ferry operations. Optimize the refueling station set-up using thermodynamic simulations and hazard identification studies (hazids).
• Writing high-quality research papers suitable for publication in highly regarded journals and participating in top-tier international conferences in the area.
• Taking part in research dissemination through departmental seminars and conference presentations nationally and internationally.
• Contribute to applications for external research funds.

Requirements

PhD degree or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD degree in Physics, Chemistry or Engineering Science, with a specialization in Energy systems, Thermodynamics, or Hydrogen systems or similar areas. The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. Priority will be given to applicants who have completed their degree no more than three years before the deadline for applications. Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc.

• Strong analytical and mathematical skills, and good working knowledge of for example following topics: hydrogen refuelling systems, hydrogen supply systems, energy systems, thermodynamic simulations, maritime hydrogen systems, hydrogen production systems
• Good programming skills in MATLAB or Python
• Excellent knowledge in English, writing and speaking, is required
• Ability to carry out independent research as well as effectively collaborate with other team members and industrial partners

Additional qualifications

The knowledge of a Scandinavian language is considered a merit.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position of two years according to central collective agreement. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 250101 or as agreed. Placement: Campus Gotland, Visby

For further information about the position, please contact: Björn Samuelsson, +46 (0)70 370 3971, bjorn.a.samuelsson@angstrom.uu.se

Please submit your application by 8 November 2024, UFV-PA 2024/3463.

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