Master theses / Diploma theses / Compulsory internship / Volunteer internship

Fine-grained solid particles from various industrial sources, which would otherwise be discarded, should ideally be processed to valuable products or inert residues. Among others, a) shredder fines from electronics and end-of-life vehicles, and b) flue dusts from non-ferrous metallurgical processes are of timely interest. They contain valuable residuals, such as metals, that can be returned to the industrial cycle instead of being landfilled. This is one aim of the Helmholtz project FINEST in which this work is embedded.
The different finest powders need to be mixed and agglomerated for further processing. Our work in the project deals with the granular mixing. One aim is to describe particle flow based on the rheology of the bulk good while describing the mixing process among the particles using a transport equation.
The particle bulk flow in a mixing apparatus can be modelled by CFD, using e.g. FEM. The particle flow field is then coupled with the transport equation to describe the mixing process among the particles.
We are looking for someone with experience in CFD or other modelling to tackle the implementation of this model. Expertise in the numerical development of in-house multi phase flow solvers is available [Lecrivain, JCP, 2021].

• Student of e.g. Process Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computational Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, …
• General interest in fluid mechanics and simulations
• Preliminary experience in CFD, ideally OpenFOAM
• Preliminary experience in code development (C++) optional

• Immediate start possible
• Duration of internship or thesis according to study regulations
• Remuneration available, scholarship holders (e.g. ERASMUS+) welcome