Graduate Internship Electrical Engineering – Digital Twin & DC Power Systems

Organisation

At RH Marine, we are responsible for the system integration of electrical and automation systems on board naval vessels, submarines and superyachts. It is a complex yet fascinating field, driven by continuous innovation. Every vessel is tailor-made for our customer, and after delivery we remain responsible for maintenance and upgrades throughout its operational life. In other words, it remains ‘our baby’ throughout its entire lifecycle.

We offer an enthusiastic graduate student the opportunity to contribute to a research project that we are conducting in collaboration with TU Delft. As part of this research, you will develop a real-time digital model of a yacht’s electrical DC system and use this model to test various real-life scenarios.

Job information

Modern yachts increasingly rely on complex DC power systems, including diesel generators, battery systems, power converters and intelligent control systems. During Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), however, this heavy-duty hardware is not always physically available.

As a result, the control systems can be tested, but not always in combination with the actual dynamic behaviour of the electrical network. This means that certain issues may only become apparent during the commissioning of the vessel. This is exactly where your graduation research comes in.

You will develop a Modelica-based Real-Time Digital Twin (RTDT) of a yacht’s Low Voltage DC Shipboard Power System. This Digital Twin will be connected to the actual control hardware, creating a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test environment.

Your specific activities will include:

• Conducting research into DC shipboard power systems and real-time power system modelling;
• Developing dynamic models of power converters, diesel generators, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and the DC bus;
• Integrating these models into a high-fidelity model of the complete DC network;
• Implementing the model on a real-time simulator;
• Establishing a Hardware-in-the-Loop interface with the actual controllers;
• Simulating scenarios such as blackout recovery, dynamic loading and fault propagation;
• Investigating how this approach can contribute to earlier and more effective validation during Factory Acceptance Tests.

Job requirements

Above all, we are looking for a student who is genuinely interested in the technical challenge. You are currently pursuing a Master’s degree at a research university, for example in Electrical Engineering, Sustainable Energy Technology, Systems & Control or a comparable technical field.

You have an interest in DC power systems, power electronics, modelling & simulation and/or control technology. Experience with Modelica or Hardware-in-the-Loop is an advantage, but certainly not a requirement if you have a solid electrical engineering background and are eager to learn.

You enjoy independently getting to the bottom of a complex technical problem, while also actively collaborating with engineers and researchers.

Offer

A technically challenging graduation project where academic research and real-world engineering come together. You will work closely with specialists from RH Marine and TU Delft and have the opportunity to develop your expertise in technologies that are relevant to the ongoing electrification and digitalisation of ships.

And perhaps even more importantly: your model will not simply disappear into a graduation thesis. The research addresses a concrete challenge from our engineering and testing practice and may contribute to the way we validate complex electrical systems earlier and more intelligently in the future.

In addition, we offer an internship allowance of €500 per month based on a 40-hour working week.

Apply

You can apply directly using the application form. Interested, but have a question? Feel free to contact Natasja Dokter at +31 6 11010122 or natasja.dokter@rhmarine.com.

Recruitment agencies are kindly requested not to respond to this vacancy. No rights can be derived from unsolicited CVs submitted by recruitment or staffing agencies.