Sweden: PhD student position in Basic Spray Experiments

Deadline: 15 Feb. 2013

Job description
Most new engines will use direct injection of the fuel, making the fuel spray a critical part of the engine. Fuel spray behavior controls engine performance and emissions, and yet there is much that remains unknown about how a spray breaks up, mixes, evaporates and burns. This project will provide experimental support for the development of new computational models that are both efficient and more predictive than in the past. Without predictive models it will be impossible to optimize combustion computationally.

As a PhD student, you would start in the spring or summer of 2013. Your experimental research would be on the basic fluid mechanics of spray breakup, which is related to most forms of combustion engines. We will isolate basic breakup modes (e.g. turbulence, cavitation, shear etc.) in steady sprays and study them in significant detail. The group has advanced measurement capabilities that do not exist anywhere else, and our experiments will be tightly coupled to computational model development.

   You would:

• Design new spray experiments
• Perform detailed measurements (mostly laser based) on each spray
• Work with CFD model developers to help them improve their models

The project is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency but it is coupled to a much bigger grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) foundation. The grant from the energy agency will pay the student salary and associated costs, while the KAW grant will pay for a post-doctoral scholar who would provide support to you, a team of model developers, and serious investment in new experimental facilities. Chalmers has a unique laser diagnostic technique for imaging how a spray breaks up, and we already have a PhD student who works with that technique. You would partner with the existing student and the post-doc.

Qualifications
You should have a Master of Science (Swedish: civilingenjör exam; a four year US bachelor’s degree meets the minimum requirement), preferably in Mechanical Engineering or with a similar background. Knowledge fluid mechanics is considered essential. Knowledge of optical measurement methods is seen as an advantage. You will collaborate with several research partners, so the ability to cooperate is considered very important. 

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20120373 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as pdf-files, as below:

1. Application:  (Please name the uploaded document in ReachMee as: APPLICATION, family name, ref. number)
   - CV,
   - attested copies of education certificates, including grade reports and other documents, English language test, e.g. TOEFL score,
   - letters of recommendation from academic institutions and/or previous employers (optional),
2. A letter of application detailing your specific qualifications for the position (named: QUALIFICATIONS, family name, ref. number)
   - maximum one A4 page
3. Publications: (named: PUBLICATION, family name, ref. number)
   - relevant work such as bachelor's or master's thesis (or outline of a thesis under preparation).

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. The files may be compressed (zipped).

Application deadline: 2013-02-15

For questions, please contact:
Professor Mark Linne
Phone: +46 (0)31 772 8360
E-mail: mark.linne@chalmers.se