PhD Position Fluid Dynamics of Battery Recycling

Fluid dynamics of battery particles in flow: towards reducing the world's dependence on Critical Raw Materials Job description

The rapid expansion in the use of batteries in recent years has created a critical issue: metals that are necessary for battery manufacturing (cobalt, nickel, lithium, etc.) are scarce and their supply is constrained, creating insecurities about future supply and geopolitical frictions. As part of the CRM Lion consortium, TU Delft, in collaboration with several industrial partners, aims to find a solution to the problem by extracting metals from spent lithium‑ion batteries.

The PhD project focuses on multiphase flow simulations to fundamentally understand the fluid mechanics and transport phenomena controlling the metal dissolution and extraction process.

The state‑of‑the‑art method for battery recycling is hydrometallurgical dissolution, also called leaching dissolution. Leaching is a method for metal dissolution and separation that occurs in liquid solvent under mixing conditions. How can this method be optimised to make the process more environmentally friendly and reduce its cost (so that battery recycling can be a valid alternative to conventional mining)? Replying to this question requires an understanding of the convective and diffusive phenomena that occur at the solid‑liquid interface of the battery particulate materials during leaching, and how these phenomena affect mass transfer at the level of the particulate suspension.

• Develop mathematical and numerical models of the coupled fluid and mass transfer that occurs during the leaching of the black mass, a particulate (multiphase) mixture that originates from crushed Li‑ion batteries.
• Investigate the microscale physical processes that give rise to leaching, both in laminar and turbulent flow conditions.

To reach the above objectives, a PhD candidate with an interest in multiphase fluid mechanics and in the development of numerical methods will be supervised by Dr. Lorenzo Botto (TU Delft’s Process & Energy Department), in collaboration with Dr. Shoshan Abrahami (TU Delft’s Materials Science and Engineering Department). The selected candidate will work as part of a research team and in collaboration with experimentalists.

Specifically, 1 experimental PhD student and 1 experimental post‑doc will provide data for validation and experimental insights. A Dutch industrial company that develops an innovative metal extraction method will also be involved in the PhD project, and will furnish data, insights, and help develop relevant research questions. The ability of the PhD student to work in a team will therefore be valuable.

The numerical approach is based on an Eulerian‑Lagrangian model of coupled transport of momentum, mass of leaching reactants and mass of leaching products, with experimentally measurable chemical kinetics parameters.

We are looking for 1 candidate with an MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering, Mathematics or related disciplines.

• Excellent track record in education and research.
• Strong educational background in fluid dynamics and transport phenomena.
• Research experience in theoretical or numerical fluid dynamics, as evidenced by academic reports, theses or scientific papers; experimentalists will be considered if they can prove their ability to handle mathematical models.
• Ability and willingness to learn to communicate effectively with different audiences.
• Excellent command of English (written and spoken).
• Interest in working in a team with close synergy between experiments and simulations.
• Open mind to collaborate with colleagues, project partners, and industry.
• Interest in investigating fundamental fluid dynamics processes with the aim of solving a practical problem.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world‑famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world‑class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges…