Research Associate - Aviation Fuel Cell Integration and Thermal Management for Hydrogen Propulsion

The role

We are seeking a motivated interdisciplinary researcher to join the University of Bristol, as part of the Aerospace Technology Institute/IUK funded AFCAD project.

The work involves the development of state-of-the-art thermal management techniques to provide highly efficient cooling solutions for high temperature fuel cell stacks. The shape of the cooling structure will be optimised for different positions of deployment under various temperature operational conditions. A CFD based geometric optimisation will be performed and demonstrated upon a number of different stack integration configurations.  

This project is funded by Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme “AFCAD (Advanced Fuel Cells for Aviation Decarbonization)” No. 10097017, led by ZeroAvia. As part of the role it would be expected that the candidate works closely with the main industrial partner and partners from other Universities, making regular presentations, writing progress reports and completing project deliverables.  The successful candidate will be part of a team of researchers working on different aspects of the AFCAD project. This is a great opportunity for individuals to develop expertise in the thermal management techniques and fuel cell design & system integration.

What will you be doing?

1. Development of CFD based geometry optimisation approach to improve the cooling performance at cell component level.
2. Assessment of the methodology on a number of different configurations of stack integration.
3. Investigation of the sensitivity of the power output performance to changes in the cooling
4. Undertake technical discussions with other partners in AFCAD and researchers across the University of Bristol.
5. Present results from this work at regular progress meetings.
6. Produce written technical reports to meet the required deliverables of AFCAD and also publish conference and journal papers arising from this work as appropriate.

You should apply if

• Experience in using CFD packages for thermomechanical analysis of fuel cell stacks including hydrogen simulation in fuel cell systems.
• Experience in geometric stack optimisation & integrations.
• Experience in the analysis & interpretation of numerical data sets including numerical simulation for flow behaviour and heat transfer of hydrogen in fuel cells.
• Experience in support electrochemical analysis, i.e., TEM, FIB, SEM, XPS, and XRD
• Experience in using simulation software for design & optimisation, i.e., COMSOL Fuel cell simulation or ANSYS Fluent and additional coding skills to integrate UDF and UDS for CFD modellingExcellent oral and written communication skills.
• Are a self-starter and proactive; able to define & produce new processes & procedures
• Inquisitive nature with an interest & skills in problem-solving.
• 1^st class undergraduate degree in Chemical/Mechanical Engineering or related engineering domain.
• Candidates for the I Grade position should have or be working towards a PhD in Chemical/Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering domain.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills & the ability to communicate scientific principles to a variety of audiences.
• Able to pass on knowledge and disseminate findings.
• Able to work independently or as part of a team.

Additional information

For informal queries please contact:

Dr Bo Li, +44 117 455 7910 / bo.li@bristol.ac.uk

To find out more about what it's like to work in the Faculty of Engineering, & how the Faculty supports people to achieve their potential, please see our staff blog:

https://engineeringincludesme.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/

Contract type: Open ended (Fixed funding for 12 months)

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