Mobility experience with a research focus
PhD sandwich; Post Doc
Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering - PhD programme in Industrial Engineering - Research Area: Aerospace Propulsion
The use of nuclear reactors in space promises to boost manned and unmanned space exploration during the next decades. Fission reactors used for both nuclear propulsion and/or power generation have proven to overwhelm the propulsive capabilities given by the actual chemical propulsion systems and to ensure a constant supply of electrical power to the spacecraft, even in the most remote corners of the solar system. The research activities will involve the coupled reactor physics and thermal-hydraulic multi-physical analysis of a Nuclear Thermal Engine, using both deterministic transport or diffusion methods and continuous-energy Monte Carlo method for the neutronics calculations, and will be focused on a detailed modelling and study of the dynamics of the overall Nuclear Thermal Rocket in all its main components (feeding system, fission reactor, coolant channels, thrust chamber, etc.), with particular attention to the startup and shutdown transients.
Italian, English
Nice to have: lab experience, CFD experience, programming experience (Matlab, etc.)
PhD sandwich: 6-24
Post Doc: 6-12