Masterthesis:»Development of drying process for the production of electrolyzers«

At the Fraunhofer IPT in Aachen, we work with more than 530 employees every day to make the production of the future more digital, more flexible and more sustainable.The department »Roll-to-roll technology« develops solutions for the series production of components for the hydrogen economy. These include proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells and electrolysers, the manufacturing costs of which are to be reduced in order to enable even faster market penetration and the associated widespread use of these. Drying the catalyst layer requires up to 47% of the energy and is currently realized by convection ovens. In the master’s thesis, a new drying process is therefore to be developed for which new near-infrared (NIR) dryers have been specially purchased. These can work very flexibly in terms of performance and spatial resolution. The aim of the master’s thesis is to find suitable parameter sets for fast, efficient or high-quality drying, which will then be tested in a scaled production machine.

What you will do

• After appropriate training: Independent development and validation of drying strategies. Either by changing the material composition or adapting the control of the oven with existing materials 
• Planning and carrying out tests with the new infrared dryers 
• Testing the correlation of drying processes with product quality
• Scaling up into a continuous process ready for industrial use
• Optional simulation for target parameter identification

What you bring to the table

• You are studying mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, computer science or a comparable (natural science) subject area
• Interest in new technologies and the reduction of global CO emissions2
• A high degree of initiative and problem-solving ability as well as a responsible and independent way of working 
• Good language skills in German and/or English

What you can expect

• Scientific processing of a current and practice-relevant topic 
• Professional supervision and specialist support in the preparation of your thesis
• Participation in innovative research and development projects with renowned industry partners
• Flexible working hours and working in a committed team

We value and promote the diversity of our employees’ skills and therefore welcome all applications – regardless of age, gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, ideology, disability, sexual orientation and identity. Severely disabled persons are given preference in the event of equal suitability. 

With its focus on developing key technologies that are vital for the future and enabling the commercial utilization of this work by business and industry, Fraunhofer plays a central role in the innovation process. As a pioneer and catalyst for groundbreaking developments and scientific excellence, Fraunhofer helps shape society now and in the future. 

Interested? Apply online now. We look forward to getting to know you!

For any further information on this position please contact:
Marlin Kersting M. Sc.
Head of »Roll-to-roll technology«
Phone: +49 241 8904- 259

Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT 

www.ipt.fraunhofer.de  

Requisition Number: 71038                Application Deadline: