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Online career workshop for young alumni (up to 5 years after graduation)

Online career workshop for young alumni (up to 5 years after graduation) 26 July 2022 20:00 till 22:00 - Location: Online via zoom | Add to my calendar Summer is here and this could be a good time to reflect on your (young) career. If you are questioning whether you are on the right career path, our upcoming online workshop can be of help. Am I on the right path? - navigating your career and finding fulfilment on 26 July from 20.00- 22.00 CEST . How do you know if you're on the right career path? Maybe that’s a question that pops up every once in a while, or maybe it’s at the forefront of your thinking. After all, many of us wonder: “Is this the right role for me?” “How come I’m not always feeling fulfilled in a job that seems great?” “Should I change organisations, or even fields, at the risk of making another choice that isn’t quite right?” “And how would I even begin to do that….?” This workshop provides you with tools to navigate these questions and your answers. Whether you are actively searching for your next challenge, considering to make a move but don't know how, or just feel stuck in your career. This workshop helps you move forward in the direction that’s right for you. Trainer Madeleen Stamm is a personal leadership and career coach with more than a decade of experience in coaching and recruiting engineers. Fee The fee for this workshop is 20 euros Register After you complete the registration form, you will receive a link to the payment webpage. Your registration is only final after we have received your payment.

New boiler in cogeneration plant brings TU Delft Campus step closer to sustainable heat supply

New boiler in cogeneration plant brings TU Delft Campus step closer to sustainable heat supply The TU Delft cogeneration plant is the striking edifice that houses three powerful boilers which heat the entire campus. In the summer of 2021, a new high efficiency boiler weighing 50,000 kilos was installed in the plant. The whole operation went virtually unnoticed. Although having said that, the rare zebra fish in the Applied Physics building may have noticed that something was going on (more about this later). The new boiler brings TU Delft a step closer to a sustainable heat supply. The heat supply at TU Delft Boiler 8 (1973): 35MW Boiler 9 (1993): 15MW Cogeneration (2012): 4MW Boiler 10 (2021): 15MW The new high efficiency boiler Weight: 50,000 kilos (plus 40,000 litres of water) Supplier: Standard Fasel, Standardkessel factory Delivery: December 2021 Specifications: - pilot light setting of 1 MW - flue gas recirculation - economiser Unique building Building 43 on Leeghwaterstraat 36 is a unique, some would say mysterious, building. Everyone who works or studies at TU Delft is familiar with it, but very few have seen it up close. And fewer still have thought about the crucial role that this building plays in supplying the campus with heat. The cogeneration plant dates back to 1957. It initially burned coal to heat the area, which explains the unusual roof construction. There used to be a crane on the roof to lift coal from the ground into the shaft, which is why the roof is V-shaped. It could take some 200 cubic metres of coal. From coal to gas via oil Later on, the campus buildings were heated by oil. Later still, gas-powered boilers supplied the heat. Ever since the building was completed, every boiler has been given a number. Old boilers were regularly replaced by more efficient or more powerful models. The most powerful boiler (boiler 8) was installed in 1973 and is right behind the entrance. This boiler has a maximum capacity of 35 Megawatt (MW). Two cogeneration units are positioned to the right of it. The powerful motors with dynamo provide both electricity and heat: 4MW. Behind that, the heat leaves the power plant through four wide pipes and flows into the campus buildings along 16 kilometres of pipes. The highest water temperature is for the buildings that are oldest in terms of energy efficiency. Lower water temperatures (still around 80 degrees) are enough to heat the better-insulated buildings. Four pipes running side-by-side convey the cool water back to the plant, where it is reheated by the boilers. Boiler 9, which arrived in 1993, is further along in the building. The capacity of this boiler is 15 MW. The room next to it houses the very latest source of heat for the cogenerator, flashing blue and still only half unwrapped. Installed in 2021, high efficiency boiler number 10 generates 15 MW. Replacing old boilers Why did we need this new boiler? There are two important reasons. Firstly, the old boilers were no longer fit for purpose. The new boiler has been installed on the spot where boilers 5 and 6, dating from 1962 and 1963, stood. Boiler 5 was fairly quiet, but kept springing leaks. The manager of the cogeneration plant spent too much time trying to keep it going. Boiler number 6 worked well, but didn’t meet the latest standards for emissions so we couldn’t use it for more than 500 hours per year. It was only used as a back-up option. Ready for renewable sources of heat The second reason for this purchase concerns TU Delft’s sustainability goal. TU Delft is working hard to make its campus more sustainable and to minimise its impact on the environment. By 2030, TU Delft wants to be a carbon-neutral, circular campus. This means that in the future, the campus must be heated using renewable sources of heat. Although the new boiler is gas-powered, in the long term it should be compatible with renewable heat sources. Eventually, it will only be used for extra capacity during peak times, i.e. periods when the buildings suddenly need a lot of extra heat. Geothermal energy is promising The use of geothermal energy is a promising new development. Not only because a usable source of heat can be found at a depth of over two kilometres under Delft, but also because it gives TU Delft, as a university of technology, a unique showcase on its campus for contributing to developing knowledge on geothermal energy. The source is the subject of a large-scale research programme, which is focusing on safe and responsible options for scaling up the use of geothermal energy as a source of clean energy. There is a plot of empty land between the sustainable car park that was opened in 2021 and the cogeneration plant. Once the business case has been completed and the collaborative partners have agreed on the strategy, this piece of land could be used to drill for geothermal heat. This is renewable heat. The process involves pumping warm water to the surface, extracting the heat to heat the campus, and returning the cooled water into the ground, where it is reheated in a natural way. A space has been reserved next to the new high efficiency boiler in the cogeneration plant for installations that will be needed for geothermal energy. When the new boiler was connected, future compatibility with geothermal heating technology was also taken into account. A substantial energy system Making the heat source more sustainable is only one step towards making the heat supply to the campus greener. The buildings need to be insulated more efficiently so that less heating, at a lower temperature, is needed. There is a stronger focus on the facility management systems as a means of taking stock of what is happening in which building, and when. This is important as it determines the temperature that the cogeneration plants must send to the buildings. The new buildings, such as Echo, are already sustainable and work with thermal storage. In an additional move, pipe heat exchangers are being replaced with plate heat exchangers. Some sixty of these heat exchangers convey the heat from the grid to the building circuit. The new heat exchangers are much more efficient and so lower-temperature heat can be conveyed to the buildings and the temperature will only need to be raised slightly when it passes from the grid into the building. This will save energy. The pipes must also be fully insulated, to minimise heat loss. Luckily, the pipes in the campus heat grid are already well insulated. All in all, this is a substantial energy system, in which all of the elements are interconnected. Set of requirements for the new boiler Before purchasing the new high efficiency boiler, a team of staff from TU Delft Campus and Real Estate and the cogeneration plant asked themselves the following question: how much capacity do we need for the future, assuming that sooner or later, we will be able to add a renewable heat source? At least 10 MW, they decided. Together with the renewable heat source, the new boiler can heat all thirty of the buildings connected to the heat grid. Pilot light setting The team then drew up a detailed set of requirements that the new heat source would have to satisfy. One of the most important requirements was that the boiler must still work at a very low capacity of around 1 MW. This pilot light setting means that the boiler will be compatible with renewable sources of heat in the future, as extra heating. It is possible to control the amount of extra heat needed very accurately, so that this boiler never uses too much gas. Other boilers need a minimum capacity of 3 MW. Economiser and flue gas circulation Efficiency was another requirement. The new boiler must be the most efficient of its type. An ‘economiser’ helps in this respect. An economiser ensures that the cool water from the grid cools the excess flue gases. At the same time, the gases pre-heat the cold water slightly on its way back to the boiler. This will save energy. The latest generation of boilers are also fitted with a system for flue gas recirculation. Unburned flue gases are returned to the boiler and burned again. This reduces emissions. Standard Fasel The best supplier for the boiler was identified. Standard Fasel had the boiler built in the factory of the German Standardkessel. A delegation from TU Delft attended the Factory Acceptance Test. The boiler was ‘put under pressure’. It was subjected to a staggering 30 bars, for a long period. This was followed by the Site Acceptance Test, where the same test was repeated at the intended site. Any irregularities, such as untidy welds, can be repaired directly. This wasn’t necessary for this particular boiler and all in all, the development stage of the boiler went fairly smoothly. The tests carried out during the process guaranteed the safety. Complex nature of increasing sustainability Once the boiler had been installed, it was not simply a question of flicking a switch. The boiler is part of an expansive, particularly complex, energy system, in which everything is interconnected. To illustrate the complexity of the system: some of the pipes in the system had to be rerouted before the new high efficiency boiler could be installed. To do this, in the spring of 2021, the heat in the electricity grid had to be switched off for a few hours at the weekend. This prompted a flurry of emails to the cogeneration plant. They were sent by the Faculty of Applied Physics. Somewhere in their building, a number of very rare zebra fish were swimming around in an aquarium with water at a highly regulated temperature. They were needed for research purposes, but the temperature of their water was in jeopardy. This is just one example of how critical the heat supply to the campus can be. Step towards the future Most of the work was carried out in the 2021 long vacation. On 1 September, the heating system was up and running again. In late 2021, when the electrical parts of the boiler had been connected and the final adjustments had been made, the new boiler was finally switched on, representing a major step towards the heat supply of the future.

Generating our own energy with 4,000 solar panels

Generating our own energy with 4,000 solar panels TU Delft ultimately aims to generate 50% of its energy itself. When it comes to electricity, solar panels (photovoltaic or “PV” panels) offer an attractive solution. It is easy to combine such panels with existing buildings and facilities. Solar panels are currently being installed on the flat roofs of buildings. However, the quality of solar cells – which can be integrated into walls, windows and window frames – is improving steadily, and they are getting cheaper. This means opportunities for the future. There are some 4,000 solar panels on the roofs of twelve buildings on campus. They have a joint capacity of 1.1 megawatts and generate an average of 900 megawatt hours a year. However, even if solar panels were installed on the roofs of all buildings on campus, it would still not be possible to achieve the ultimate goal of generating 50% of all required energy using PV panels alone. That being said, electricity from solar energy still appears to be the best approach to make TU Delft 50% self-supporting. As mentioned above, techniques for integrating solar cells into a range of materials and parts of buildings, such as windows, roof coverings and cladding, are constantly improving. The latest developments also mean that the cells no longer have to be south-facing; they can generate energy irrespective of which point of the compass they are facing. And panels are also ever getting cheaper. Check here to see how much energy the solar panels at TU Delft are currently generating. You can also see the lifetime yield and the corresponding CO 2 reduction. Developments are rapid, so it may be possible for TU Delft to introduce other sustainable technologies in the future. Generally speaking, more space is required for wind turbines, and that kind of space is not available on campus. However, research is being conducted into the introduction of small, efficient wind turbines. Since January 2017, it has been TU Delft policy only to purchase sustainable Dutch electricity, generated by wind turbines off the coast of the Netherlands . Pulse Solar panels are also installed on the roof of Pulse , the energy-neutral teaching building (building number 33a). The 490 panels (750 m2), generate 150,000 kWh per annum. They generate sufficient energy to supply the whole building with electricity.

Biodiversity on campus

Biodiversity on campus Early in 2000, as students tucked into their sandwiches sitting atop the TU Delft Library, the newly grassed roof of the building was a source of inspiration, providing impetus to make the campus even greener. More and more space was created for green areas, recreation and places to meet. The central road intersecting the campus disappeared and the parking spaces were moved to the rear of the buildings. In 2008, Mekelpark was added: a green space for staff and students to meet and relax. TU Delft is keen to connect the nature on its fringes with the green heart of the campus, with a focus on nature values. Plans for this are underway – plans that are seeing increasingly close collaboration between colleagues from Plants Maintenance and the Campus Development department. TU Delft is also working hard when it comes to biodiversity. Chemicals are no longer used to treat weeds on pavements. Flower seed blends are sown where possible, helping to support the insect population. Alongside roads including Leeghwaterstraat and Huismansingel, flower strips have been sown with varieties already naturally present in the area. Poppies for example, but also daisies, clover and certain types of thistle. All these flowers attract bees and butterflies. René Hoonhout, Plants Maintenance team leader: “More insects means more birds. Varieties naturally found here will flourish and will also help to improve biodiversity. And aside from that, it is of course nice to take a stroll in your lunch break and be able to enjoy the nature on campus.” On the outskirts of the campus, nature is being left completely to its own devices, and the management of these areas is as sustainable as possible. For example, to the south of the campus, a flock of sheep keeps the grass trimmed.

Providing reliable, affordable and sustainable energy for all campus buildings

Providing reliable, affordable and sustainable energy for all campus buildings Sander Snelleman - Head of Energy department At Campus Real Estate & Facility Management at TU Delft, Sander Snelleman is responsible for the energy systems on the campus. His aim is to provide reliable, affordable and sustainable energy for all buildings on campus. ‘If we want to succeed in the energy transition, it’s important not to rule any solutions out.’ So what is his strategy for the coming years? Heating: away from natural gas towards geothermal heating and thermal energy systems Currently, buildings on campus are mainly heated by gas. But we can reduce the amount of gas we consume to heat our buildings by focusing on sustainable energy sources. This will also reduce TU Delft’s carbon emissions. For example, there are plans for a geothermal heat source that could reduce gas consumption by at least 50%. The aim is to make maximum use of geothermal energy through optimisations. For example, the option of high temperature storage is being looked at so that in wintertime we can use residual geothermal heat left over from the summer. In the long run, we might only need to use gas in extreme weather conditions. New buildings are being developed with unprecedented levels of insulation, meaning they will need less heating than ever before. Those buildings are equipped with thermal energy storage. The advantage of this system is that in addition to providing sustainable heating, it can also provide cooling. Whenever buildings are due for large-scale renovation work, we will take a critical look at the best solution for heating. Since existing buildings increasingly need cooling too, the transition to thermal energy storage would be an obvious choice. The options being explored for sustainable cooling on campus include aqua-thermal heating. Once every building on campus has been renovated or modernized and they are all insulated to a high standard, no more high-temperature heat will be required, only low-temperature heat. That means that geothermal energy will be a good solution for the energy transition, helping to reduce our consumption of gas. This will create more opportunities for alternative fuels such as hydrogen. Electricity: demand is increasing, but so are the options for generating it sustainably TU Delft is predicted to see an increase in its electricity consumption in the years to come. This is due to increasing demand for cooling, electrical charging and research facilities. The heat and cold storage systems and other air-conditioning systems will also require electricity. TU Delft currently purchases sustainable electricity from Luchterduinen offshore wind farm, located 23 kilometres out to sea near Noordwijk and Zandvoort. More and more sustainable electricity is generated on campus too, but the growing demand for electricity on campus means that more generating capacity is required. The university could generate its own electricity in various ways. Firstly, it could expand the capacity of its solar panels. Roofs on campus often already have solar panels fitted, so the focus is on exterior walls and other smart solutions. Secondly, the options for generating wind energy on campus are also being looked into, together with scientists from the university. Wind turbines cause vibrations that could disrupt scientific research, so the challenge is to enable wind energy without disrupting research on campus. Collaboration between Campus Real Estate & Facility Management and university scientists will be crucial in this regard. In order to carry out a scan of the solar potential of the campus, there has been a successful partnership with scientists from TU Delft, as in several other projects. An independent and campus-wide energy network: affordable and reliable In addition to aiming for sustainable heat and electricity and thereby reducing carbon emissions – TU Delft is aiming to become a carbon-neutral campus by 2030 – energy reliability and affordability are also priorities for TU Delft. The turbulence of the energy market and increasing pressures on the energy network mean that it is important to develop an energy system that is as self-contained as possible and that it is campus-wide. That will maximize the availability, reliability and affordability of energy. If the campus had its own energy network, an energy-supplying building – such as Echo – could automatically supply energy to other users on the campus network without any involvement from third parties. The options for storing electricity in the network are currently being examined too, in order to absorb peaks in power production and respond to potentially variable energy prices on the market. The grid capacity would be expanded in the southern part of the campus to include the new developments taking place there, and energy could be exchanged between buildings there, too. A smart grid is a prerequisite for the ongoing development of the network and to enable energy exchange. Finally: never rule anything out When it comes to the energy transition, it is important not to rule any solutions out. After all, we are seeing one development and innovation after another in the field of energy. A solution that might seem unviable or too costly today could become a promising new avenue tomorrow. Furthermore, it is crucial to continue to take steps in the energy transition and keep working for societal impact and a better society.

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Students Amos Yusuf, Mick Dam & Bas Brouwer winners of Mekel Prize 2024

Master students Amos Yusuf, from the ME faculty (Mick Dam, from the EEMCS faculty and graduate Bas Brouwer have won the Mekel Prize 2024 for the best extra scientific activity at TU Delft: the development of an initiative that brings master students into the classroom teaching sciences to the younger generations. The prize was ceremonially awarded by prof Tim van den Hagen on 13 November after the Van Hasselt Lecture at the Prinsenhof, Delft. They received a statue of Professor Jan Mekel and 1.500,- to spend on their project. Insights into climate change are being openly doubted. Funding for important educational efforts and research are being withdrawn. Short clips – so called “reels” – on Youtube and TikTok threaten to simplify complex political and social problems. AI fakes befuddle what is true and what is not. The voices of science that contribute to those discussion with modesty, careful argument and scepticism, are drowned in noise. This poses a threat for universities like TU Delft, who strive to increase student numbers, who benefit from diverse student populations and aim to pass on their knowledge and scientific virtues to the next generation. It is, therefore, alarming that student enrolments to Bachelor and Master Programs at TU Delft have declined in the past year. Students in front of the class The project is aimed to make the sciences more appealing to the next generation. They have identified the problem that students tend miss out on the opportunity of entering a higher education trajectory in the Beta sciences – because they have a wrong picture of such education. In their mind, they depict it as boring and dry. In his pilot lecture at the Stanislas VMBO in Delft, Amos Yusuf has successfully challenged this image. He shared his enthusiasm for the field of robotics and presented himself as a positive role model to the pupils. And in return the excitement of the high school students is palpable in the videos and pictures from the day. The spark of science fills their eyes. Bas Brouwer Mick Dam are the founders of NUVO – the platform that facilitates the engagement of Master Students in high school education in Delft Their efforts offer TU Delft Master Students a valuable learning moment: By sharing insights from their fields with pupils at high school in an educational setting, our students can find identify their own misunderstandings of their subject, learn to speak in front of non-scientific audiences and peak into education as a work field they themselves might not have considered. An extraordinary commitment According to the Mekel jury, the project scored well on all the criteria (risk mitigation, inclusiveness, transparency and societal relevance). However, it was the extraordinary commitment of Amos who was fully immersed during his Master Project and the efforts of Brouwer and Dam that brought together teaching and research which is integral to academic culture that made the project stand out. About the Mekel Prize The Mekel Prize will be awarded to the most socially responsible research project or extra-scientific activity (e.g. founding of an NGO or organization, an initiative or realization of an event or other impactful project) by an employee or group of employees of TU Delft – projects that showcase in an outstanding fashion that they have been committed from the beginning to relevant moral and societal values and have been aware of and tried to mitigate as much as possible in innovative ways the risks involved in their research. The award recognizes such efforts and wants to encourage the responsible development of science and technology at TU Delft in the future. For furthermore information About the project: https://www.de-nuvo.nl/video-robotica-pilot/ About the Mekel Prize: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/tpm/our-faculty/departments/values-technology-and-innovation/sections/ethics-philosophy-of-technology/mekel-prize

New catheter technology promises safer and more efficient treatment of blood vessels

Each year, more than 200 million catheters are used worldwide to treat vascular diseases, including heart disease and artery stenosis. When navigating into blood vessels, friction between the catheter and the vessel wall can cause major complications. With a new innovative catheter technology, Mostafa Atalla and colleagues can change the friction from having grip to completely slippery with the flick of a switch. Their design improves the safety and efficiency of endovascular procedures. The findings have been published in IEEE. Catheter with variable friction The prototype of the new catheter features advanced friction control modules to precisely control the friction between the catheter and the vessel wall. The friction is modulated via ultrasonic vibrations, which overpressure the thin fluid layer. This innovative variable friction technology makes it possible to switch between low friction for smooth navigation through the vessel and high friction for optimal stability during the procedure. In a proof-of-concept, Atalla and his team show that the prototype significantly reduces friction, averaging 60% on rigid surfaces and 11% on soft surfaces. Experiments on animal aortic tissue confirm the promising results of this technology and its potential for medical applications. Fully assembled catheters The researchers tested the prototype during friction experiments on different tissue types. They are also investigating how the technology can be applied to other procedures, such as bowel interventions. More information Publicatie DOI : 10.1109/TMRB.2024.3464672 Toward Variable-Friction Catheters Using Ultrasonic Lubrication | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore Mostafa Atalla: m.a.a.atalla@tudelft.nl Aimee Sakes: a.sakes@tudelft.nl Michaël Wiertlewski: m.wiertlewski@tudelft.nl Would you like to know more and/or attend a demonstration of the prototype please contact me: Fien Bosman, press officer Health TU Delft: f.j.bosman@tudelft.nl/ 0624953733

A key solution to grid congestion

On behalf of the TU Delft PowerWeb Institute, researchers Kenneth Brunninx and Simon Tindemans are handing over a Position Paper to the Dutch Parliament on 14 November 2024, with a possible solution to the major grid capacity problems that are increasingly cropping up in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is unlikely to meet the 2030 climate targets, and one of the reasons for this is that large industry cannot switch to electricity fast enough, partly because of increasingly frequent problems around grid capacity and grid congestion. In all likelihood, those problems will actually increase this decade before they can decrease, the researchers argue. The solution offered by the TU Delft PowerWeb Institute researchers is the ‘flexible backstop’. With a flexible backstop, the current capacity of the power grid can be used more efficiently without sacrificing safety or reliability. A flexible backstop is a safety mechanism that automatically and quickly reduces the amount of electricity that an electric unit can draw from the grid (an electric charging station or a heat pump) or deliver (a PV installation). It is a small device connected or built into an electrical unit, such as a charging station or heat pump, that ‘communicates’ with the distribution network operator. In case of extreme stress on the network, the network operator sends a signal to the device to limit the amount of power. Germany recently introduced a similar system with electric charging stations. The backstop would be activated only in periods of acute congestion problems and could help prevent the last resort measure, which is cutting off electricity to users. ‘Upgrading the electricity network remains essential, but in practice it will take years. So there is a need for short-term solutions that can be integrated into long-term planning. We, the members of the TU Delft PowerWeb Institute, call on the government, network operators and regulator to explore the flexible backstop as an additional grid security measure,’ they said. The entire Paper can be read here . Kenneth Brunninx Associate Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Governance and Management, where he uses quantitative models to evaluate energy policy and market design with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions. Simon Tindemans is Associate Professor in the Intelligent Electrical Power Grids group at Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. His research interests include uncertainty and risk management for power grids. TU Delft PowerWeb Institute is a community of researchers who are investigating how to make renewable energy systems reliable, future proof and accessible to everyone.

25 year celebration of formal collaboration between Delft University of Technology and the University of Campinas

On 25 October 2024 we celebrated 25 years of formal collaboration between Delft University of Technology and the University of Campinas. What began as a project to exchange some students in chemical engineering has now grown to a multifaceted and broad academic collaboration which accumulated into 24 joint research projects (>20 M Euro); 16 advanced courses and 15 Doctors with a Dual Degree PhD. Patricia Osseweijer, TU Delft Ambassador Brazil explained, “We are proud to show and reflect on this special day the added value we created resulting from our joint activities. The lessons we learned demonstrate that especially continuity of funds and availability for exchanges has contributed to joint motivation and building trust which created strong relations. This is the foundation for academic creativity and high-level achievements.” The program presented showcases of Dual Degree projects; research activities and education. It discussed the future objectives and new fields of attention and agree on the next steps to maintain and strengthen the foundation of strong relations. Telma Franco, Professor UNICAMP shared that “joint education and research has substantially benefitted the students, we see that back in the jobs they landed in,” while UNICAMP’s Professor Gustavo Paim Valenca confirmed that “we are keen to extend our collaboration to more engineering disciplines to contribute jointly to global challenges” Luuk van der Wielen highlighted that “UNICAMP and TU Delft provide valuable complementary expertise as well as infrastructures to accelerate research and innovation. Especially our joint efforts in public private partnerships brings great assets” To ensure our future activities both University Boards have launched a unique joint program for international academic leadership. This unique 7-month program will accommodate 12 young professors, 6 from each university. The programme began on 4 November 2024 in Delft, The Netherlands.