Context:
The post-doctoral position is part of a project funded by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region and the SAFRAN aeronautic company and led by the Institute of Research for Ceramics (IRCER, University of Limoges) and the Bordeaux Institute of Mechanics and Engineering (I2M) of the Bordeaux National Polytechnic Institute. This project aims at developing the digital twin of the deposition processes known as Suspension Plasma Spraying which is emerging at industrial scale especially for thermal barrier coatings deposited on aero-engine turbine blades. Part of this project is dedicated to develop advanced physical and numerical model of the electric arc and its motion in a non-transferred plasma torch used in the industrial application. This model will be then chained with other advanced models: (i) turbulence development of the plasma jet with the injection and hydrodynamic fragmentation of the suspension, (ii) treatment of the suspension droplets by the plasma and (iii) the impact of the molten particles on the substrate and the construction of the coating.
The torch model has been developed at IRCER and includes the simultaneous resolution of the Navier and Stokes equations coupled with the equations of electromagnetism under the Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) assumption or two-temperature (2T) assumption. The computational domain comprises the arc plasma channel but also it includes the electrode domain which is implemented into the open source CFD code Code_Saturne. Note that the post-doc will interact with the PhD students in charge of the other models to ensure data exchange between models (chaining, coupling).The work of the post-doc concerns the:
- Improvement of the 2-temperature (2T) Magneto-hydrodynamic (MDH) model applied to the Axial3+ torch to increase its predictivity;
- Adaptation of the 2T MHD model to the ternary plasma gas mixtures: the model, developed with the Code_Saturne open source parallelized code, will have to be adapted to the use of this ternary plasma gas mixture commonly used with this type of torch. This will require defining which species is responsible for ionization/dissociation, in order to include the correct reaction coefficient in the diffusion heat transport term of the conservation equations of electrons and heavy species;
- Study of the influence of various operating parameters and correlation with experimental measurements;
- Development of a platform for formatting and exchanging simulation data obtained by the post-doc and the three PhD students who are also working on this project and modeling the other parts of the process with the support of SafranTech engineers;
- Participation in the project steering committee
The candidate will be required to implement physical models into the Code_Saturne Open Source fluid mechanics/thermal code, and will be based in the IRCER laboratory. He/she should therefore have knowledge/skills in programming, numerical methods and physics. He/she will need to have particularly strong interpersonal skills in order to interact actively with the various players involved in the project including the Safran' company, in French or English.
Requirements and Skills
The candidate will have a PhD in plasma physics or physics engineering and must:
- be familiar with the field of plasma processes in the broadest sense.
- have a sound knowledge and experience in the field of numerical simulation of gas flows.
- have a relevant experience in the field of electric arcs will be an advantage.
- have good oral and written communication skills.
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who can work at the interface between laboratories and a company, and work independently.
Fluency in English is essential.Know-how:
- Mastery of physical environments such as fluid dynamics, fluid/structure interaction, thermodynamics....
- Knowledge of Unix/Linux operating systems
- Proficiency in programming languages: C, C++, Fortran, etc.
- Programming skills
- Experience in the development of numerical simulation applications, high-performance computing or finite element methods is a plus.
- Knowledge of plasmas is a plus
- Knowledge of electric arcs is a plus.
Soft skills :
- Autonomy and thoroughness
- Good organizational skills
- Ability to write scientific reports and articles
- Ability to work in a team
Net salary: 2170 euros/month
Starting date: April 1st, 2026
The applicant must have experience in physical modeling and CFD.According to French legislation, the applicant must have received a PhD degree no later than three years before the beginning of the contract. The final decision of recruitment will be under the approval of the French authorities.
Please send your application (CV + covering letter quoting the reference of the vacancy), by January 4, 2026 at the latest to all contacts below:
Gilles MARIAUX : gilles.mariaux@unilim.fr
Vincent RAT : vincent.rat@unilim.fr
Michel SENIMON, DGSA – DRH : drh-recrutement-recherche@unilim.fr
