In the frame of the CLIMIBIO project, the Department of Atmospheric Sciences and Environmental Engineering (SAGE) of the IMT Lille Douai Engineering School and Research Center in Douai, France has ongoing research activities focused on the impacts of climate change on atmospheric composition and air quality in the north of France.
A 17-month postdoctoral position is available starting February/March 2019 at the department SAGE.
The position focuses on a statistical study of multivariate time series of air quality and meteorological data. It aims at describing and explaining the current links and trends between synoptic scale circulation patterns, local climate and atmospheric pollution in the last 15 years. This study should help to predict the potential future impacts of the expected meteorological changes, due to climate change, on the regional air quality in the north of France.
He/she will be in charge of updating the bibliography, developing the methodology, treating the available databases, looking for interesting supplementary data, checking the consistency of the results and publishing them in peer-review journals.
We are looking for a highly motivated researcher, holding a Master of Science or PhD level in meteorology or atmospheric sciences, with advanced knowledge in climatology, experience in statistical analysis and multivariate regression, with programming abilites (R, Python) and good writing skills in English language.
The salary will depend on the scientific degree and experience of the applicant.
The position is located at the Department SAGE, IMT Lille Douai, 941 rue Charles Bourseul 59500 Douai (30 km from Lille), France.
Applicants should send a motivation letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae and 2 recommendation letters to: - Dr. Aude BOURIN. - Dr. Esperanza PERDRIX
Review of applications will begin on January 2019 and continue until the position is filled.
Context
Laser induced fluorescence (LIF) is a laser diagnostic allowing in situ measurements of flame temperature. The technique relies on the excitation of several rovibronic transitions of a fluorescent molecule using a tunable laser source and to the subsequent collection of the fluorescence signal. Among the species used for thermometry, NO is a good candidate because this molecule can be seeded as a tracer in the reactive mixture, allowing the measurement of the complete temperature profile from the burner surface to the burnt gases. NO LIF thermometry was shown to be well suited for stationary flames from low pressure to high pressure and from non sooting to sooting flames.
Several procedures were proposed in the literature aiming to improve the accuracy of multi-line LIF thermometry while reducing the duration of the spectral scan. However we observed* in different investigations that we performed at PC2A** that this accuracy is very dependent on the selected spectral range and that this spectral range needs to be adjusted according to the kind of flames.
* Lamoureux et al. Combust. Flame 157(2010)1929 ; Bejaoui et al. Appl. Phys. B118 (2015)449; El Bakali et al. Fuel 211 (2018)548
Objectives
The objective of the postdoctoral position is to perform a thorough investigation of the performances of the NO LIF thermometry in order to tend towards a universal procedure that could be applied in a large range of combustion conditions. The postdoctoral researcher will have an already complete operating LIF thermometry set-up composed by a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG-seeded laser pumping a dye laser, an imaging spectrometer, a camera ICCD, a fast oscilloscope and a PMT. The experiment and data acquisition is driven through Labview program. Several burners and flame conditions will be available. Signal post-treatment and spectral simulation tools will be applied. The optimization of the experimental procedure will rely partly on the achievement of the best fit between the experimental excitation LIF spectrum and a library of simulated spectra calculated on a large range of temperatures.
The postdoctoral researcher will be supported by the laser diagnostics team. However he/she will take part in the combustion team, involved in various chemical flame structure studies. The temperature profiles being crucial data for flame modelling, the postdoctoral researcher will be associated in several projects in parallel.
Essential Education and Research Skills
Following is a list of skills being desired.
Ph.D. degree in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering.
- Experience in tunable laser metrology is required
- Basic knowledge of LIF, laser absorption, spectral simulation
- Working experience with photomultiplier tube, image intensifier ICCD camera, spectrometers
- Data post processing techniques will be considered an asset.
- Fluent english is required
Position details
his work is supported by CPER CLIMIBIO. Month salary depends on candidate experience. Duration: 12 months. Possibility of extension. Starting from March 2019.
Contact Person
Please send your application to Pascale Desgroux (pascale.desgrouxuniv-lillefr) and Nathalie Lamoureux (nathalie.lamoureuxuniv-lillefr) including a cover letter, CV, two references and publication list.
**Laboratory “Physicochimie des Processus de Combustion et de l’Atmosphère” (PC2A) is a joint laboratory between Lille University and CNRS.
The Department of Atmospheric Sciences and Environmental Engineering (SAGE) of IMT Lille Douai, France, has ongoing research activities focused on the impact of climate change on air quality and atmospheric composition. SAGE is currently composed of a staff of about 50 persons including 17 full-time faculty members. This fixed-term position is available for one year, with possibility of extension for another 6 months. The expected starting date is April 2019.
Project description:
The north of France is submitted to frequent episodes of high particulate matter (PM) concentrations, to which secondary organic and inorganic aerosols contribute largely. In the context of climate change it is predicted a possible increase in the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), known as effective precursor gases for secondary organic aerosol (SOA). This change may modify not only the availability and chemical composition of SOA, but also of secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA). Indeed, several laboratory studies have shown the influence of SIA precursor gases (e.g. SO2, NOx, NH3) on SOA formation yields and vice-versa. These interactions are still not fully elucidated. The main objective of this work is to investigate drivers leading to changes in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) composition and levels that are precursors of aerosol particles observed in northern France. A special focus will be put on the coupling of both VOCs and SIA precursor gases for the formation of secondary organic and inorganic particles.
The postdoctoral position will conduct an intensive field campaign in northern France during the summer of 2019 to measure aerosol and gas-phase species applying state-of-the-art techniques such as High-Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-AMS), Proton-Transfer-Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS), a Monitor for Aerosol and Gases in Ambient Air (MARGA), among others. The post-doctoral fellow is expected to present the findings in international conferences and lead peer-reviewed publications. The successful applicant will hold a Ph.D. degree in a relevant area of atmospheric sciences and will have a good knowledge of the field of research, as well as skills in mass spectrometry techniques (AMS and/or PTRMS). A previous experience of field measurements, as well as knowledge of the IGOR software and source-receptor models, will be assets for this position. Good proficiency in English is a prerequisite, as well as a valid driving license.
Applicants are invited to send their Curriculum Vitae, a cover letter, and two reference letters to:
- Dr. Joel F. de BRITO
- Dr. Sébastien DUSANTER
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
Post-doctoral position at University of Lille (France)
Context and objectives
Reducing soot emissions from combustion processes is a major issue for energy and transportation industries. Many experimental and numerical investigations of sooting flames have been investigated over the past decades and have contributed to significant improvements in the understanding of the soot formation processes. However the transition from the gas phase to the solid phase leading to soot formation is not yet understood and this step is the subject of many efforts at PC2A laboratory by developing highly sensitive diagnostics, PAH modelling and more recently sectional approach for soot modelling*. Particularly all our recent activity is focused on premixed “nucleation flames” which have the special feature of producing nascent soot particles which undergo only minor soot growth along the flames. Therefore these flames are an excellent tool to better understand the nucleation process and have led to new input in soot modeling.
In the continuity of this research we are currently interested in the study of the influence of some additives on the sooting tendency in premixed laminar hydrocarbon flame conditions. The main objective is to identify the impact of hydrogen and oxygenated molecules on both gas and particulate phase chemistry in a wide range of operating conditions (equivalence ratios and proportion of the additives) including near-nucleation conditions.
A recent soot code based on the sectional method has been developed and its association with our kinetic mechanisms has been successfully carried out using Cantera code**. Our group wishes to recruit a postdoctoral researcher to support the development of this new theme. The person hired will support modelling soot volume fraction and particle-size distributions. The candidate is expected to be able to make the necessary improvements to the soot code for predicting the effect of hydrogen and oxygenated compounds on soot nucleation and soot formation.
*Mouton et al. Appl. Phys.B 112,369 (2013) ; Betrancourt et al. Aerosol Sci. Technol. 151, 916 (2017); El Bakali et al. Fuel 211, 548(2018) ; Desgroux et al. Combust. Flame 184, 153 (2017) ;
**Aubagnac-Karkar et al., Combust. Flame 189, 190 (2018)
Essential Requirements
Ph.D. degree in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering.
The position requires skills in:
- Coding and software development skills (mainly C++/Python, other languages considered) in order to improve the existing sectional soot model implementation in Cantera;
- Detailed soot modelling (sectional or moment methods, stochastic approaches)
Application
For application, send a detailed CV which includes the list of publications, a covering letter and contact details to:
Abderrahman El-Bakali / +33.3.20.43.48.04
Pascale Desgroux / +33.3.20.43.49.30
Position details
This work is supported by CPER CLIMIBIO. Month salary depends on candidate experience. Duration: 15 months. Start: at the latest September 2018.
