PhD position M/F : Design of an intensified reactor for methanol production using a process synthesis approach

27 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

CNRS

Department

Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés

Research Field

Engineering
Chemistry
Physics

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

France

Application Deadline

16 Feb 2024 - 23:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

35

Offer Starting Date

1 Apr 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

H2020

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

-------- The Reactions and Process Engineering Laboratory (LRGP) is a joint research laboratory of the CNRS and the University of Lorraine. It is located in Nancy, France's second largest student city. It is mainly located in the city centre, on the premises of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Industries Chimiques de Nancy (ENSIC). The research laboratory is a leading chemical and process engineering laboratory in France and worldwide (18 CNRS researchers, 82 teacher-researchers, 43 technical and administrative staff and 180 non-permanent staff: contract researchers, doctoral students, post-doctoral students and master's students).
The thesis is part of the European M2ARE project: (Maritime Methanol: Adaptable, Renewable, and Environmentally-friendly)

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/m%C2%B2are-project_this-week-on-the-5th-…

The project aims at, using process synthesis methods based on simulation tools such as Aspen or Prosim, to optimise the synthesis of methanol and the separation of the products (methanol and water) by condensation. Based on a process super-structure representing all the possible reactor and separator arrangements, and taking into account the thermal integration of the process, the optimum configuration will be sought, combining equipment dimensions, process architecture and operating conditions, offering maximum conversion per pass, before recycling the unconverted hydrogen. Optimisation will be based on cost criteria, OPEX and CAPEX, and overall energy efficiency, while looking for the simplest possible structures that can be easily built. A robustness study could be carried out based on a sensitivity analysis in static mode around the optimum operating points to assess the influence of variations in flow rate and input composition on the overall performance of the process. If necessary, a dynamic study of the final configuration can be carried out to ensure that the proposed solution can respond quickly to a variation in process input load (flow rate, composition of reagents). Based on the optimised process diagram, a design for the multifunctional reactor (reaction-separation) will then be proposed. A simplified (1D) model of the equipment, incorporating heat and mass transfer correlations to represent different possible technologies (tubes, plates, cushions, etc.), will be produced to describe the overall performance of the device. The purpose of the model is to enable the preliminary design of the geometry and size of the reactor. The aim is to choose the most appropriate geometry and technology for the design of a realistic 3D thermal reactor exchanger, guaranteeing efficient heat and mass transfer, which will be studied more specifically in the other project Phd thesis.

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Chemistry

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Physics

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Languages

FRENCH

Level

Basic

Research Field

Engineering

Years of Research Experience

None

Research Field

Chemistry

Years of Research Experience

None

Research Field

Physics

Years of Research Experience

None

Additional Information
Additional comments

M2ARE: Maritime Methanol:
Adaptable, Renewable, and Environmentally-friendly https://www.linkedin.com/posts/m%C2%B2are-project_thisweek-on-the-5th-a… ).

Website for additional job details

https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UMR7274-LAUFAL2-006/Default.aspx

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés

Country

France

City

NANCY

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Candidat/Offre/UMR7274-LAUFAL2-006/Candidater.aspx

Contact

City

NANCY

Website

http://lrgp-nancy.cnrs.fr

STATUS: EXPIRED