DESCRIPTION :
The PhD position is offered under a standard track (30 months at IMT Atlantique + 3 months at University of Waterloo, Canada where the PhD student will stay 3 months at Prof. Ricardez' lab. + 3 months at a non-academic partner).
1.1 Domain and scientific/technical context
The creation of industrial ecosystems, including industrial parks, involves the exchange of resources and sharing of infrastructure among different production systems. In circular economy environments, intermediate systems have been developed to facilitate the processes of recovery, reuse, and recycling. However, in terms of energy systems, the processes of reuse, recovery, and reconditioning are not yet fully defined. This work proposes the application of mathematical optimization strategies for addressing phenomena associated with energy circularity. It leads to including factors such as distributed generation, interconnection, interaction among local grids and storage, with a particular emphasis on determining exchange prices for energy resources that can stimulate the development of sustainable energy circularity systems and focusing on the quality of thermal streams and the possible conversion process for obtaining power and biofuels as by products.
1.2 Scientific/technical challenges
It is proposed the application of mathematical programming techniques to identify strategies for coupling electricity and heat storage technologies as well as the use of waste heat to mitigate degradation or, if necessary, facilitate the conversion of thermal resources into electrical resources or implement auxiliary equipment. It focuses on minimizing system costs and heat waste, prioritizing local consumption. Compensation strategies consider the spot market, the levelized energy cost, and the average market price. The link between energy exchanges in industrial parks and the design of the network of individual companies will also be studied. The optimization model will encompass the modeling and implementation of several technologies, including steam networks, hybrid power systems, and auxiliary and storage technologies.
1.3 Considered methods, targeted results and impacts
The modeling applications consider three stages. In the first stage, energy generation and supply systems in an industrial ecosystem in France will be modeled to determine waste flows and generation surpluses. The model will make it possible to determine optimal policies for the exchange and recovery of resources, including auxiliary units for the reconditioning and recovery of energy resources. The second stage will address the inclusion of storage systems with an emphasis on determining exchange prices by linking factors such as the quality of the flows involved, including electrical and thermal services. This will enable outlining the overall cost-price relationships for all participants in the industrial ecosystem analyzed. Finally, local market strategies will be modeled to determine prices and resource exchange policies. To this end, continuous game theory will be implemented to generate compensation strategies among the actors associated with the industrial
ecosystem.
1.4 Environment (partners, places, specific tools and hardware)
As a case study, an industrial ecosystem in France is proposed, where data on energy demand, local grids, utilities generation and ambient conditions are available. French energy market conditions will be considered, including the availability of bioenergy resources. Bruno Lacarrière (GEPEA Laboratory - IMT -Atlantique) will serve as co-advisor for the project. Collaboration with the Toulouse INP - LGC in France (Marianne Boix), in the framework of the ACT-4-IE project PEPR SPLEEN, is proposed, for which a research stay is planned. Marianne Boix will also be co-advisor for the project. To develop the project, it is necessary to provide the PhD student with adequate computer equipment.
1.5 Interdisciplinarity aspects
Given that the project not only addresses the optimal design and operation of energy systems in industrial ecosystems, but also links them to pricing schemes and local analysis of energy product and by-product markets, the project can easily be linked to fields such as economic analysis to consistently address and validate pricing policies and compensation strategies for the energy services generated, as well as their derivatives., 2. Boix, M., Negny, S., Montastruc, L. and Mousqué, F. (2023). Flexible networks to promote the development of industrial symbioses: A new optimization procedure. Computers and Chemical Engineering, 169, 108082.
3. Ayele G.T., Haurant P., Laumert B., Lacarrière B., 2018, An extended energy hub approach for load flow analysis of highly coupled district energy networks: Illustration with electricity and heating, Applied Energy. Vol. 212, 850-867.
4. Fuentes-Cortés, L. F., Flores-Tlacuahuac, A. and Ponce-Ortega, J. M. (2019). Integrated utility pricing and design of water-energy rural off-grid systems. Energy, 177, 511-529.
5. Fuentes-Cortés, L. F., Ma, Y., Ponce-Ortega, J. M., Ruiz-Mercado, G. and Zavala, V. M. (2018). Valuation of water and emissions in energy systems. Applied energy, 210, 518-528.
6. González-Bravo R, Fuentes-Cortés LF and Ponce-Ortega JM (2017). Defining priorities in the design of power and water distribution networks. Energy, 137, 1026-1040.
7. Montastruc, L., Boix, M., Pibouleau, L., Azzaro-Pantel, C. and Domenech, S. (2013). On the flexibility of an eco-industrial park (EIP) for managing industrial water. Journal of Cleaner Production, 43, 1-11.
8. Ramos, M. A., Boix, M., Aussel, D. and Montastruc, L. (2024). Development of a multi-leader multi-follower game to design industrial symbiosis. Computers and Chemical Engineering, 183, 108598.
9. Sanchez-Bautista AF, Santibañez-Aguilar JE, Fuentes-Cortes LF, Flores-Tlacuahuac A and Ponce-Ortega, JM (2018). A multistakeholder approach for the optimal planning of sustainable energy systems. ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 6(7), 9451-9460.
10. Valencia-Marquez D, Ortiz-Munguia JA, Maldonado-López E, Quintana-Hernández PA, Louvier-Hernández JF and Fuentes-Cortés LF (2023). Multi-objective and machine learning strategies for addressing the water-energy-waste nexus in the design of energy systems. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 60, 103445.
2 Partners and study periods
2.1 Supervisors and study periods
* IMT Atlantique: Assoc. Prof. Luis Fabian FUENTES CORTES and Prof. Bruno Lacarrière, IMT Atlantique, Nantes, France
* International partner: Prof. Luis Ricardez, University of Waterloo, Canada The PhD student will stay 3 months at Prof. Ricardez' lab.
* Industrial partner(s) for short-term visits have not yet been determined. Existing cooperations with non-academic partners on similar topics will be harnessed., * SEED's unique approach of providing interdisciplinary, international and cross-sector experience is tailored to work in a career-focused manner to enhance employability and market integration.
* SEED offers a competitive funding scheme, aiming for an average monthly salary of EUR 2,000 net per ESR, topped by additional mobility allowances as well as optional family allowances.
* SEED is a forward-looking programme that actively engages with current issues and challenges, providing research opportunities addressing industrial and academic relevant themes., Eligibility criteria. In accordance with MSCA rules, SEED will open to applicants without any conditions of nationality nor age criteria. SEED applies the MSCA mobility standards and necessary background. Eligible candidates must fulfil the following criteria