Cleaner air transport, shipping and mobility in general are crucial to society’s sustainability drive. But the challenges related to the electric and power electronic systems needed to electrify long-haul aviation in particular are huge. Extreme operation temperatures for wide bandgap devices, pressure at high altitudes and, of course, the stringent safety requirements must all be considered. The on-board electricity distribution system of electric aircraft forms a microgrid since it contains distributed loads and energy sources. However, in DC microgrid, the source nodes are usually highly capacitive and the line inductances are relatively small, so the short-circuit current can rise to an excessively high value within microseconds. Therefore, the fault detection and following interruption have to be done in microseconds range, which makes the DC microgrid protection a challenge.

The goal of this PhD research is to design a reliable, fast and compact DC circuit breaker for electric aircraft. The research will focus on several aspects of DC protection systems including fault identification and localization, current limiter, circuit breaker topology, and circuit breaker multi-objectives-multi-physics optimization design. The redundancy design requirements and extreme operation conditions of electric aircraft have to be considered.

This is a four-years doctoral position. You will be jointly supervised by dr. Wenli Shi (assistant professor) and prof. Pavol Bauer (chair of DCE&S group). You will be a member of the section DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S) in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science (EEMCS).

About the department

The research in the Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy is inspired by the technical, scientific, and societal challenges originating from the transition towards a more sustainable society and focuses on four areas:

• DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S)
• Photovoltaic Materials and Devices (PVMD)
• Intelligent Electrical Power Grids (IEPG)
• High Voltage Technologies (HVT)

The Electrical Sustainable Energy Department provides expertise in each of these areas throughout the entire energy system chain. The department owns a large ESP laboratory assembling High Voltage testing, DC Grids testing environment, and a large RTDS that is actively used for real-time simulation of future electrical power systems, AC and DC protection, and wide-area monitoring and protection.

The DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S group is responsible for research and education in the fields of DC systems, high voltage technology, energy storage, electronic power conversion (power electronics), and electro mechanics. DC systems is a multidisciplinary field of research, exploring the integration of renewable energy sources and energy storage (electric vehicles) in DC networks and systems and future DC transmission grids. Y=the group is currently active in applications such as Direct Current distribution and transmission grids and microgrids, electrification of mobility (charging of electric vehicles), and renewable generation of electrical energy 9such as wind and solar energy).

Would you like to know more about the ESE department and the DCE&S group? Please take a look at the webpage www.tudelft.nl/ewi/ese.

To be considered for this PhD position you should have:

• A Master’s degree in Electric Engineering.
• Knowledge and interest in power electronic converters and DC power systems.
• Experience in hardware design and implementation.
• Appreciation of teamwork, good social skills, and the ability to function in international circles.
• A curiosity-driven mindset, the ability to learn new things and a passion for (doing) research.
• Good English language and communication skills (written and oral) in order to closely cooperate with colleagues and students as well as write project documents.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2770 per month in the first year to € 3539 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

From 1 September next, a salary increase of 3.7% applies due to a Collective Agreement amendment, followed by an additional 1% increase on 1 January 2025. 
In addition, most employees employed on 1 September 2024 will receive a one-off payment of €300 gross based on full-time employment.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Delft University of Technology

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 in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we all use in our daily lives. Technology such as the electricity grid, which our faculty is helping to make completely sustainable and future-proof. At the same time, we are developing the chips and sensors of the future, whilst also setting the foundations for the software technologies to run on this new generation of equipment – which of course includes AI. Meanwhile we are pushing the limits of applied mathematics, for example mapping out disease processes using single cell data, and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. In other words: there is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and have excellent labs and facilities that underline our strong international position. In total, more than 1000 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science.