Air Cleaning for Fuel Cells in Aviation: Experiments and Modeling

Job description

This project is part of a large European consortium lead by Airbus that will develop a fuel cells based system to allow for CO2-emission free aviation.

The aviation sector accounts for 2% of the worldwide energy-related CO2 emissions. To meet the climate goals, aviation need to be decarbonized as well. One of the ways to decarbonize the aviation sector is by using a fuel cell propulsion system based on hydrogen energy. However, fuel cell systems are very sensitive to impurities and applications in aircrafts require contaminant-free air streams to prevent degradation of the fuel cell stack. For the hydrogen inlet stream this is relatively easy to control via the choice of fuel. However, the needed inlet air may, especially on the tarmac of the airport contains several impurities from exhaust gases from other airplanes, which can degrade the fuel cell stack. Therefore, it is very important to develop an efficient, light-weight, and low footprint air cleaning unit to remove such contaminants.

Your part within this larger European project, will be to design and optimize the air filtration unit for the fuel cell system. For this, you will perform a detailed modelling study, complimented by selected experiments, to design the filtration process. The filtration process can be modeled with specialized software like Aspen Adsorption or our in-house code Ruptura, while breakthrough and loading experiments can be run in our labs. In the project, we will actively collaborate with other consortium partners of the European project like Airbus and Liebherr. The modelling and design part of the project will take place in the Department of Process and Energy (faculty of ME, under the guidance of Asst. Prof. Mahinder Ramdin) and the experimental part in the department of Chemical Engineering (faculty of Applied Sciences, under the guidance of Assoc. Prof. Monique A. van der Veen).

Job requirements

The succesful candidate has the following qualifications:

• An MSc degree in either applied physics, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering or a similar field.
• Profound knowledge of chemical engineering fundamentals, including fluid flow, mass and heat transfer, and gas adsorption phenomena.
• Demonstrated expertise in process modeling and/or experiments for gas adsorption processes.
• Good collaboration and communication skills.

TU Delft (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 Mechanical Engineering

From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 14 months Temporary
• A job of 38 hours per week. 
• A salary based on Scale 10 of the CAO for Dutch Universities with a salary between €3546 - €5538 gross per month based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.  
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP. 
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year. 
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages. 
• Flexible working week. 
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget. 
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses. 
• Partially paid parental leave 
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program. 

Additional information

For more information about the application procedure, please contact Linda Starrenburg l.m.starrenburg@tudelft.nl.

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 20 October 2025 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV
• Motivational letter

You can address your application to Mahinder Ramdin.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.