Postdoc Blast Furnace Modelling: Bridging System and Particle Processes Delft • TU Delft

As part of Tata Steel’s decarbonisation strategy, the blast furnace burden is undergoing a transformation. Traditional materials like pellets are being replaced or supplemented with low-carbon alternatives such as HBI, DRI, and scrap. These changes introduce new challenges in maintaining furnace stability, gas flow, and productivity.

This PhD project focuses on developing and applying advanced Discrete Element Method (DEM) models to simulate the charging and formation of multi-component, poly-disperse burden mixtures in the blast furnace. The goal is to optimize burden structure and permeability, enabling reduced coke rates and improved operational efficiency.

In your role you will:

• Combine and extend existing burden charging models developed in previous projects.
• Apply DEM simulations to study segregation, packing structure, and gas-solid contact in diverse burden mixtures.
• Investigate the impact of new materials on burden formation and blast furnace performance.
• Collaborate closely with Tata Steel engineers and researchers.
• Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and present at international conferences.

The ideal candidate:

• Holds a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field.
• Has experience with Discrete Element Method in combination with AI tools relevant to the field
• Has developed advanced models for segregation in blast furnace context
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset.

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! 

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. 

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