PhD position in energy technology. Early stage researcher

6 Jun 2023
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Tallinn University of Technology, School of Engineering

Department

Department of Energy Technology

Research Field

Chemistry
Engineering » Chemical engineering
Engineering » Materials engineering
Engineering » Other

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Estonia

Application Deadline

30 Jun 2023 - 23:59 (Europe/Tallinn)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

40

Offer Starting Date

1 Sep 2023

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

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

No

Offer Description

Tallinn University of Technology School of Engineering, Department of Energy Technology offers a 4-year PhD position in chemical, materials and energy technology.
The proposed PhD thesis topic: "Enhancement of thermal properties of amine-based protic ionic liquids and their performance as LHTES materials"
Supervisors: Senior Researcher Oliver Järvik and Tenured Associate Professor Alar Konist (TalTech)

Abstract
The overall goal of the project is to synthesize, study, and find ways for improving the properties of amine- based protic ionic liquids (PILs) for their potential application as latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) materials. The project addresses the following research questions: How is the thermal stability of amine-based PILs affected by the structure? How does the structure affect some thermal properties (specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity) of amine-based PILs? To what extent is it possible to improve the thermal properties using additives? How is thermal cycling affecting the PILs? How do the PILs behave in a confined matrix?

Description
One of the keys for achieving the policy initiatives set by the European Commission is the successful combination of different energy resources and the reduction of thermal energy losses. Waste energy is a significant source of thermal energy losses. A promising technology for its reduction is energy storage and short-distance transportation to consumers utilizing latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES). More importantly, it can also be used to provide electricity and heat cogeneration in combination with Organic Rankine Cycle solutions and Stirling engines.

For successful application of LHTES the LHTES materials need to have favorable properties: high energy and power density, and low cost. Consequently, materials with favorable properties for LHTES have to be found. A class of “green” materials considered suitable for this is ionic liquids (IL). As trillions of ILs could be possibly created, the selection is further narrowed to amine-based protic ionic liquids (PILs). These materials are not well studied and the data about their properties is scarce. The proposed PhD project deals with the study of amine-based protic ionic liquids, with the main focus on the study of their thermal properties (thermal conductivity, heat capacity), the enhancement of these properties, the effect of thermal cycling on these PILs and the behavior of PILs when they are confined in porous matrices.

It is expected that the project addresses the following research questions: How is the thermal stability of amine-based PILs affected by the structure? How does the structure affect some thermal properties (specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity) of amine-based PILs? To what extent is it possible to improve the thermal properties using additives? How is thermal cycling affecting PILs? How do the PILs behave in a confined matrix?

Responsibilities and (foreseen) tasks

• Synthesis and analysis of PILs
• Characterization of PILs and measurement of properties of PILs
• Working with literature
• Design of experiments and experimental setups
• Giving recommendations for better organization of work
• Collaboration with other PhD students and colleagues in the department
• Supervision of BSc and MSc students

Requirements

Research Field

Chemistry

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Chemical engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Materials engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Applicants should fulfil the following requirements:

• a master’s degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, material science or other engineering subjects related to the project topic
• a clear interest in the topic of the position
• experience in the analytical techniques for the characterization of ionic liquids and analytical techniques for measuring thermal properties
• excellent command of English
• strong and demonstrable writing and analytical skills
• capacity to work both as an independent researcher and as part of an international team
• capacity and willingness to assist in organizational tasks relevant to the project

The following experience is beneficial:

• Interest in interdisciplinary research
• Programming in Python
• Knowledge in the machine learning

Specific Requirements

The information for the PhD admission is available at TalTech´s web-page: https://taltech.ee/en/phd-admission

Required application documents:

• CV
• Motivation letter
• Degree certificates as required by the university
• Copy of the passport
• The candidate should submit a research plan for the topic, including the overall research and data collection strategy and possible titles of at least three articles to be published on the project topic.The candidate can expand on the listed research questions and tasks.

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Good

Additional Information
Benefits

We offer:

• 4-year PhD position in the Department of Energy Technology in Tallinn University of Technology
• The chance to focus on a high-level research
• Opportunities for conference visits, research stays and networking
• In case of interest, the opportunity to participate in other project applications and projects

Additional comments

About the department

The Department of Energy Technology is a research-oriented department that has also strong connections with Estonian chemical industry and heat and power industry. The topics covered include chemical engineering, environmental engineering, thermal engineering, thermal power plants, heat economy and thermal energy.

For further information, please contact Senior Researcher Oliver Järvik oliver.jarvik@taltech.ee or visit https://taltech.ee/en/department-energy-technology

Website for additional job details

https://taltech.ee/en/phd-admission
https://taltech.glowbase.com/positions/636

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Tallinn University of Technology

Country

Estonia

City

Tallinn

Postal Code

19086

Street

Ehitajate tee 5

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://taltech.glowbase.com/

Contact

City

Tallinn

Website

https://taltech.ee/en/phd-admission

Street

Ehitajate tee 5

Postal Code

19086

E-Mail

oliver.jarvik@taltech.ee

STATUS: EXPIRED