PostDoctoral position offer: Transfer intensification in micro/milli-scale shear flow of complex suspensions

Public establishment belonging to IMT (Institut Mines-Télécom), placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, IMT Nord Europe has three main objectives: providing our students with ethically responsible engineering practice enabling them to solve 21st century issues, carrying out our R&D activities leading to outstanding innovations and supporting territorial development through innovation and entrepreneurship. Ideally positioned at the heart of Europe, 1 hour away from Paris, 30 min from Brussels and 1h30 from London, IMT Nord Europe has strong ambitions to become a main actor of the current industrial transitions, digital and environmental, by combining education and research on engineering and digital technologies.

Located on two main campuses dedicated to research and education in Douai and Lille, IMT Nord Europe offers research facilities of almost 20,000m² in the following areas:

-             Digital science,

-             Energy and Environment,

-             Materials and Processes.

The position is vacant within the Centre for Energy and Environment of IMT Nord Europe.

In the context of the challenges posed by energy and industrial transitions and decarbonation, the miniaturization of thermo-fluidic and electronic components has become a critical priority, particularly regarding the environmental impact of cooling embedded electronic components. While miniaturization offers several operational advantages, it also introduces significant challenges. The increase in power densities locally reaching up to 1 kW/cm2 dramatically heightens the risk of mechanical and electrical failure, making efficient temperature and energy management essential. However, the associated geometric confinement tends to increase pressure losses in cooling fluid circulation, requiring more power for operation, and results in extremely low flow rates (low Reynolds numbers) poorly efficient in terms of heat transfer. Enhancing thermal exchange and optimizing heat dissipation under these conditions presents a scientific and technological hurdle : how can chaotic behaviors, which typically promote thermal exchanges, be induced in these milli- or micro-channels without significantly increasing energy consumption ? To address these issues, it is crucial to employ heat transfer fluids with superior thermal properties while also maintaining effective convective conditions in the micro- and millimeter-scale flows typical of these systems. Several promising avenues are emerging, including enhancing the thermal performance of heat transfer fluids using particle suspensions, inducing flow instabilities or particle migration to enhance convection, and topologically or geometrically optimizing heat exchangers. This project aims to address these challenges by focusing on three key strategies : utilizing advanced heat-transfer fluids with complex suspensions, controlling hydrodynamic instabilities in confined flows, and optimizing the geometrical design of heat exchange surfaces. The goal is to develop an innovative, environmentally friendly heat transfer fluid that, when combined with a specially designed micro-geometry, can promote the onset of flow instabilities and significantly enhance energy exchanges.

MISSIONS:

The postdoctoral fellow will conduct an extensive literature review on heat transfer enhance- ment in complex fluids and miniaturized systems, investigating how rheo-hydrodynamic instabilities can be leveraged by exchanger geometries to improve thermal performance. The candidate will employ advanced experimental techniques (e.g., microfluidics, flow visualization, temperature measurement) and/or numerical methods (e.g., direct numerical simulations), analyze the data, and develop strategies to optimize the design of compact heat exchangers using complex heat-transfer fluids.

We are looking for a Ph.D graduate in physics, soft matter, fluid mechanics or any related field, with solid basis in either experimental or numerical approaches applied to non-Newtonian and/or suspension flow dynamics and heat transfer. Prior experience with either microfluidic devices (experimental) or optimisation (numerical), and skills in image processing and programming (Matlab, Python) would be a plus. Strong analytical, organisation and communication skills, and abilities in English language are required (French language optional). A proven aptitude for team work is essential.