Postdoc Appointee - Fuel/Chemical Production Technology Assessment
Argonne National Laboratory
Lemont, IL
Job posting number: #7126426 (Ref:415116)
Posted: February 22, 2023
Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
Job Description
The Systems Assessment Center (SAC) of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has been conducting assessments of conventional/emerging technologies for producing transportation fuels and chemicals, materials manufacture, advanced vehicle over the last 25 years. It has developed the GREET® (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies) model for estimating energy use, air emissions, and water consumption on a life-cycle basis for conventional vehicle/fuel systems, as well as for emerging technologies for energy production, H2 production, energy storage, CO2 capture and utilization, waste energy recovery, and chemical production (see https://greet.es.anl.gov for details). The GREET model has more than 50,000 registered users worldwide, including academia, industry, and regulatory agencies. The SAC has been working closely with energy industry, auto industry, utility industry, manufacture industry, universities, and governmental agencies to evaluate energy, environmental, and cost impacts of conventional/new transportation fuels, energy carries, and chemicals, as well as advanced vehicle technologies.
The SAC continues to assess conventional and advanced production technologies for fuels, chemicals, and energy carriers, in their energy consumption, environmental impacts and production cost. Current research efforts include examination of 1) electro-fuel production technology, cost and environmental impact by using waste CO2 sources and renewable electricity; 2) Regional analysis of waste CO2 sources, cost estimation for CO2 capture, compression, transport and sequestration. 3.) The production cost and environmental impact of green, blue, and grey H2. 4) Regional renewable electricity sources for green H2 production and storage; 5) A variety of new fuel/chemical production technologies from biomass, plastic waste, municipal waste, etc. 6). Analyses of decarbonization for various industrial sectors (fuels, chemical, materials, utility, etc.). 7) Analysis of crude recovery environmental impact and petroleum refinery operation as well as decarbonization potentials.
SAC is working closely with the energy, auto, utility, biofuel, chemical industry to examine next-generation fuels and chemicals derived from both conventional and alternative energy sources, for enhanced performance and reduced emissions.
A postdoc position is now open for candidates with expertise and experience in process modeling (preferably using Aspen Plus), technoeconomic analysis (TEA), or environmental life cycle analysis (LCA). The candidate will possess good understanding of petroleum fuels production, hydrogen production from various technologies, carbon dioxide capture, natural gas-based fuels, or advanced fuel and chemical production technologies (such as those converting biomass to liquid fuels, waste to fuels/chemicals), properties of fuels, chemicals, and other products. The candidate will possess system analysis including process modeling, technoeconomic analysis (TEA), environmental life cycle analysis (LCA) and regional analysis.
The candidate will extract energy and emissions data associated with fuel and chemical production technologies from U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) database, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency database (e.g., GHGRP, NEI), field data, process simulations, industry reports, the technical literature, and from interactions with other national laboratories, academia, industry, and stakeholders. The candidate will work with researchers within the SAC to expand the GREET model with the new data to enhance and expand the model’s capability of assessing the life-cycle energy use and emissions associated with various transportation fuels and chemicals.
Position Requirements
Doctor’s degree in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, petroleum engineering, or related fields.
Experiences in Aspen Plus process modeling with strong background in chemical engineering principles.
Experiences in life cycle analysis.
Knowledge in industrial processes (e.g., ammonia production, steel production, etc.) and emerging technologies for the production of fuels, hydrogen, chemical, materials, etc.; good knowledge in technologies of carbon dioxide capture, transportation and storage.
Skills in computer programming skills in Aspen, Python, MS Excel, Excel VBA, MATLAB, mathematical optimization tools.
Skilled oral and written communication skills at all levels of the organization.
A successful candidate must have the ability to model Argonne’s Core Values: Impact, Safety, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork.
Job Family
Postdoctoral FamilyJob Profile
Postdoctoral AppointeeWorker Type
Long-Term (Fixed Term)Time Type
Full timeAs an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. In support of this commitment, Argonne encourages minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities to apply for employment. Argonne considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.
Argonne employees, and certain guest researchers and contractors, are subject to particular restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation in the application phase for review by Argonne's Legal Department.
All Argonne offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes an assessment of criminal conviction history conducted on an individualized and case-by-case basis. Please be advised that Argonne positions require upon hire (or may require in the future) for the individual be to obtain a government access authorization that involves additional background check requirements. Failure to obtain or maintain such government access authorization could result in the withdrawal of a job offer or future termination of employment.
Please note that all Argonne employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. All successful applicants will be required to provide their COVID-19 vaccination verification as a condition of employment, subject to limited legally recognized exemptions to COVID-19 vaccination.
Argonne is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity in our workforce. As an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. In support of this commitment, Argonne prohibits discrimination or harassment based on an individual's age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.
