PhD student position in internal combustion engines

Information about the division
We are seeking an enthusiastic PhD student to work in a project concerning biofuels for diesel engines. The position is located within the division of Combustion at the Department of Applied Mechanics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg.

Applied Mechanics is leading the vehicle- and mechanical engineering research. The department has six different divisions and about 170 employees. The research at the division of Combustion covers a wide range of topics of both fundamental and applied character. The division has state-of-the-art facilities and the research is very often done in close cooperation with national and international industry.

Major responsibilities
Research: This project will contribute to the large and intensive research and development work within the transport sector aiming to decrease the use of fossil fuel and GHG emissions. Today there is a distinct trend of increasing demand for Diesel fuel. The properties of butanol are more suitable for Diesel engines compared with the corresponding for lighter alcohols like methanol and ethanol. This makes butanol to a highly interesting replacement for fossil Diesel fuel. There are many ongoing projects dealing with production of butanol from lignocellulose biomass in a sustainable way.

The aim of the project is to investigate how butanol-Diesel fuel blends effect performance and emissions in Diesel engines.

The project is based on experimental studies that will be carried out in single-cylinder engines of two sizes. By mixing Diesel fuel with butanol the Cetane number decreases and this will influence the combustion. The considered fuel mixtures in this study can be divided into two types. In the first type the Cetane number is compensated by adding a Cetane improver like DTBP (di-tertiary butyl peroxide) or oil with very high Cetane number like HVO (hydro treated vegetable oil). The second type will be binary mixtures of only butanol and diesel fuel. For the second type the combustion process will approach partially premixed combustion with long ignition delay. The project will also include experiments in a high temperature/high pressure spray chamber.

Results from LCA studies from other projects have to be taken into account for conclusions about the suitability of butanol as a biofuel in diesel mixtures in a broader perspective.

Your major responsibilities as PhD student is to pursue your own doctoral studies. You are expected to develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing, both in Swedish and in English.

Positions summary
The PhD student education lasts for five years and will normally include 20 percent departmental work, mostly teaching duties. The salary for the position is specified in Chalmers' general agreement for PhD student positions.

Qualifications
Applicants must have a Master degree awarded by an internationally recognized University in Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry Engineering or Physics. Knowledge in combustion engines, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics is considered essential. As a PhD student you are expected to work relatively independently, have ability to plan and organize your work, and be able to communicate your scientific results, both orally and in writing, in English.
The work will include a lot of collaboration within our division, the department and in other network inside and outside Chalmers, so the ability of teamwork and communication is very central. Analytic language ability: Understanding of complicated oral and written documents. Being able to write documents of high quality. You will collaborate and communicate with the industrial partners within the project so ability to cooperate is considered to be very important. The cover letter must also clearly describe the motivation for completing a PhD at Chalmers.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in Swedish and English. If Swedish is not your native language, you should be able to teach in Swedish after two years. Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Application deadline: 2013-08-15

For questions, please contact:
Prof. Ingemar Denbratt, Division of Combustion, denbratt@chalmers.se, +46 31 772 1393
Dr. Karin Munch, Division of Combustion, karin.munch@chalmers.se, +46 31 772 5273




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