PhD Student position in Fluid Mechanics

Gas flow, heat transfer, combustion and particle formation modelling in reheating- and combustion furnaces.

At the division of Fluid Mechanics, Luleå University of Technology, analysis of heat transfer, gas flow and combustion is an active research area, which will be even further strengthened in the coming years in collaboration with one of the largest steel- and mining companies in the world. The available PhD-position is a part of this ambition.

In order to obtain profitability in the steel industry, a continuously improved product quality, productivity, and exchange of material are of certain importance. It is also of highest interest that new steel grades are developed and can be manufactured with high precision during continuous manufacturing and to lowest possible running charge. From an energy- and environmental perspective, small improvements give large impact considering that 3300 GWh per year are consumed within the areas of steel preheating and processing. During the reheating process, information of the temperature distribution in the steel slabs is important for the efficiency of the process. One key issue coupled to the profitability presented above, is to determine the heat transfer between the gas flow in the reheating furnace and the surface of the slabs, i.e. determine the boundary conditions. Another part of the steel manufacturing process involves regeneration of hydrochloric acid used in the pickling process. This is done in a regeneration furnace having a cylindrical main section and which is driven by four burners placed symmetrically around the circumference of the furnace. The regeneration process has to a large extent been a black box, with a known inflow and result after the regeneration. To increase the efficiency of the regeneration process the understanding of the process is vital.
Project description: The PhD project addresses numerical modelling of: i) gas flow and heat transfer for the reheating furnace application with main objective to determine the boundary conditions for the steel slabs, and ii) gas flow, heat transfer, combustion and particle formation for generation of hydrochloric acid. The work will mainly focus on numerical modelling but could include also some experimental work. Co-operation with colleges at LTU, other universities and industry is expected to be frequent.

Qualifications: Applicants should have 240 credits of which 60 credits on an advanced level within Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Applied/Engineering Physics or equivalent. Applicants should also be good (but not necessary fluent) in written and spoken Swedish and English. Previous experience of Computational Fluid Dynamics is a merit, especially experience of CFD modelling of gas flow in combination with heat transfer, combustion and particle formation. Good communication skills and social competence are important as well as engineering and theoretical skills.

The Division of Fluid Mechanics is a part of the Department of Applied Physics and Mechanical Engineering and Luleå University of Technology. We provide an exiting and stimulating environment of acknowledged experts, fellow PhD-students and state-of-the-art equipment. Strong international exchange and co-operation is also encouraged. The industrial demand for specialists (PhD) in the actual area is expected to maintain on a high level.

Related links:
http://www.ltu.se/tfm/fluidmechanics
http://www.ltu.se/polopoly_fs/1.29465!fluid_mechanics.pdf