Postdoc Borehole Radar Response Modeling of High-Temperature Brine Filled Fractured Hard Rocks

Change: resolve up to meter scale heterogeneity from fast georadar forward solvers and image up to 100 m away from the borehole with advanced processing

Impact: Accelerating access to geothermal energy.

The GeoHEAT project has the ambition to enable a widespread, secure, and celebtrated exploitation of geothermal energy in Europe.

The GeoHEAT workflow comprises a low cost pre-drilling exploration of multiple prospects and continues to drill the most promising and socially accepted prospects. The following high-resolution borehole characterisation accelerates the drilling success. The georadar imageing of the fracture network is an important part of this last step.

The objectives of this project are to develop and validate a fast forward solver for borehole georadar reflection responses as well as a fast imaging method using advanced processing.

The first step is to establish a fast approximate model for the borehole radar radiation pattern and to use this to compute the radiated field. The radiated field will be propagated as plane waves to large distance and then coupled with the fractures includng full 3D wavefield interactions. After that they can be propagated back as plane waves and synthesized at the receiving antenna taking again the raidation pattern of the antenna into account.

The second step is to modify the modelling method such that it can be used for fast 3D imaging of the fracture network in hard rocks.

The methods and algorithms will be developed in cooperation with Dr Shakas from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. It is foreseen that a temporary stay for a couple of months at ETH will take place. 

The successful applicant:

• will hold a relevant PhD degree in Applied Geoscience and/or relevant engineering, with background in applied geophysics and wave propagation.
• has a strong numerical and programming skills for forward and inverse problems (must).
• is a good communicator, has a broad interest and has the proven ability to learn quickly.
• we work in an international and diverse team. Therefore the successful candidate should also possess excellent writing and verbal communication skills in English.  

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.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service . This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme  for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

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!

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science and supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.

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For more information about this vacancy, please contact Evert Slob ([email protected]) .

To apply, please complete the application form and add the following documents to your application:

Please, apply no later than 15th August, 2024.

After the first selection, video interviews will be held on (date to be agreed).     

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
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