Laser powder bed fusion of tungsten components for nuclear fusion
A key aspect to enable nuclear fusion as a cost-effective and reliable energy source is how to mitigate the heat load on the reactor wall and ensure its lifetime. A potential solution are liquid metal heat shields, where a liquid metal is captured in a capillary solid skeleton. High purity tungsten will be used as the structural skeleton material in liquid metal divertor components. The concept of additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, offers the geometrical flexibility required for these intrinsically complex components. Specifically, the laser powder bed fusion process offers a high geometrical accuracy for the required internal features. However, several of the outstanding properties that lead to the choice of tungsten as the material for the divertor components, at the same time make this material extremely difficult to process by additive manufacturing. A new laboratory for developing these Liquid Metal Shields for fusion (LiMeS-lab), is being jointly set up by DIFFER and TU/e, and includes a laser additive manufacturing facility specifically tailored for refractory metals has been installed at TU/e.
Vacancy for a PhD-student with an experimental focus
This project focuses on liquid metal heat shielding concepts, providing the required capillary geometrical substructures in refractory metals and tungsten in particular. For this purpose, the laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing process for the fabrication of these components are developed in close collaboration with the modelling work in a parallel project. For this purpose, you will:
Section Mechanics of Materials
You will work in the section of Mechanics of Materials (MoM) at the department of Mechanical Engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). The research activities of the MoM section concentrate on the fundamental understanding of various macroscopic problems in materials processing, forming and application, which emerge from the physics and the mechanics of the underlying material microstructure. The main challenge is the accurate prediction of mechanical properties of materials with complex microstructures, with a direct focus on industrial and societal needs. The thorough understanding and modelling of processes that can be identified in the complex evolving microstructure is thereby a key issue. The section has a unique research infrastructure, both from an experimental and computational perspective.
A challenging job in a dynamic and ambitious university in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network, with the possibility to present your work at international conferences. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:
About TU/e
The Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow.
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More information
More information about this PhD student position can be obtained from Dr. Hans van Dommelen (j.a.w.v.dommelen@tue.nl), Dr. Thomas Morgan (t.w.morgan@tue.nl), or Prof. Marc Geers (m.g.d.geers@tue.nl).
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Application
We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button.
Application documents (in PDF format) must contain:
We look forward to receiving your application. The vacancy is open until a suitable candidate has been found.