Research Engineer for HarbourCraftSafe: Fire Resilient Battery Room Design for Next-Gen Electric Harbour Craft

The primary responsibility of this role is to deliver on an academic research project funded by MPA, where you will be part of the research team under the project titled: HarbourCraftSafe: Fire Resilinet Battery Room Design for Next-Gen Electric Habour. The project is in collaboration with two local industry collaborators.

Under this job title, you will develop a CFD modelling platform to evaluate the combustion, flammable and toxic gases emission and dispersion characteristics resulted from battery fires/thermal runaway in the battery room and beyond, considering the various common battery chemistries in eHC and atmospheric conditions. You will also need to experimentally characterise the heat release rate (HRR), flammable and toxic gases emissions of various types of batteries potentially deployed in eHC through reduced scale testing. Lastly, you will also need to evaluate the various gas monitoring sensors performance in detecting the battery gas releases for remote monitoring and early detection, and evaluate the potential fire suppression strategies on battery fires.

Job Responsibilities:

• Participate in and manage the research project with Principal Investigator (PI), Co-PI and the research team members to ensure all project deliverables are met.
• Undertake these responsibilities in the project:

1. Assists in co-supervision of final year projects (FYP) or capstone projects students under the Project PI.
2. Meeting the deliverables by carrying out the computational simulations and experimental studies planned for under the scope of work of the projects within the timeframe to meet the deliverables.
3. Assists the PI in drafting of reports, conference proceedings and journal articles based on the outcome of the projects.
4. Prepares and shares fortnightly report of results from the computations with the PI.

• Carry out Risk Assessment, and ensure compliance with Work, Safety and Health Regulations.
• Coordinate procurement and liaison with vendors/suppliers.
• Work independently, as well as within a team, to ensure proper operation and maintenance of equipment.

Job Requirements:

• Master or Ph.D (preferred) in Mechanical Engineering, Marine and Offshore Engineering or related fields.
• Strong knowledge and experience in battery fire simulation is high advantageous.
• Hands on experience on experimental studies
• Familiarity with CFD applications working on industrial related projects using high performance computing clusters would also be advantageous
• Strong foundation in Fluid Dynamics
• Strong prior experience in CFD – particularly in battery fire combustion and spread.
• Strong skills in turbulence modelling, CFD mesh generation in complex 3D geometries.
• Proficient in handling large data sets and the ability to analysis and interpret results.
• Experience in commercial CFD package such as ANSYS package and FDS is preferred. Candidate preferably should be familiar and have sufficient experience in using ANSYS FLUENT and FDS, Meshing tool and post-processing software.
• Able to work independently with strong data analytical skills, communication and interpersonal skills.

Key Competencies:

• Proficient in Ansys Fluent or FDS Simulation
• Strong foundation in Fluid Dynamics
• Able to work independently with strong data analytical skills, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Able to build and maintain strong working relationships with people within and external to the university.
• Self-directed learner who believes in continuous learning and development
• Proficient in technical writing and presentation
• Possess strong analytical and critical thinking skills
• Show strong initiative and take ownership of work