Internship | Fast conduction models fire

About this position

Fire safety on ships depends on understanding how heat spreads through structural components such as hulls, walls, and floors. In fire modelling, conduction can be described in different ways: using simple methods that estimate an average temperature of a structure or using more detailed numerical models that calculate how temperature varies throughout the material. Both approaches have advantages. Simpler methods are faster and efficient, while detailed methods provide more accurate results when local temperature differences matter.

In this internship, you will work within a team developing advanced fire models for ships to combine these approaches into a single framework, improving the accuracy and efficiency of fire simulations used to assess ship safety and design.

During this internship, you will develop a hybrid approach for modelling heat conduction due to fire in ship structures. You will determine when a simplified model is sufficient, when a detailed model is required, and how to switch between them without introducing large errors.

• Study existing methods for modelling heat conduction, including average (lumped) temperature models and finite difference approaches.
• Compare the behaviour of these methods under different conditions, such as constant temperatures or highly fluctuating temperatures.
• Identify situations where detailed temperature distributions are important.
• Develop criteria that determine when to switch between modelling approaches.
• Implement and test a prototype model (in Python).
• Evaluate the impact of the approach on both accuracy and computational performance.

• Master’s student in mechanical engineering, civil engineering, applied physics, applied mathematics or a related field.
• Basic understanding of heat transfer (conduction) and interest in physical modelling.
• Some experience with programming (e.g., Python).
• Interest in fire modelling.
• Interest in numerical methods and simulation.

The duration of the internship is typically 6–9 months, but it can be aligned with your study requirements. You will gain experience with heat transfer modelling, numerical methods, and translating physical insight into computational models.

• Professional and innovative internship environment with leading experts.
• Personal and dedicated supervision focused on learning objectives.
• Access to a laptop and necessary facilities.
• Monthly allowance of € 615 for full‑time students (MSc, BSc, MBO).
• Up to eight hours of leave per internship month.
• Contribution towards travel expenses (if eligible).
• Free membership to JongTNO, a network for young colleagues.