PhD position Degradation modelling & health monitoring of fuel cell systems

The SH2IPDRIVE project develops zero emission power and propulsion solutions for ships based on hydrogen in a broad consortium across the Dutch maritime sector, from fleet owner to ship designer and from shipyard to start-up. In this project, Delft University of Technology performs applied and fundamental research into hydrogen storage in liquid organic carriers and metal hydrides, hydrogen bunkering, fuel cell systems, system integration, data collection and safety for ships. The researchers, consisting of 9 PhD positions, one postdoc position and an experienced supervision team of the M&TT and P&E department of the 3ME faculty, develop models, methodologies, algorithms and concept designs for hydrogen power and propulsion systems for ships.

In this position, you will investigate degradation and develop health monitoring approaches for maritime fuel cell systems. While fuel cells already achieve sufficient lifetime for light commercial vehicles, degradation is still a challenge for the demanding conditions and requirements of ships. The candidate will develop a (multiscale) modelling approach to predict fuel cell degradation for realistic operational conditions and duty cycles. Degradation rates will be quantified with experimental research at lab scale and operational data. The numerical model will be used to predict degradation and determine the state of health of fuel cells in practical operation. This will ultimately allow for improved system design and control to increase the lifetime of maritime fuel cell systems.

You will be working in the Marine Engineering group of the Ship Design, Production and Operation section at the Maritime and Transport Technology department. In addition, you will be working closely with other researchers working within SH2IPDRIVE and other related topics and projects, at TU Delft partner institutions and companies.