Dingena Schott appointed professor of Machine Cargo Interaction Engineering
Dingena Schott has been appointed professor of Machine Cargo Interaction Engineering in the Department of Maritime and Transport Technology (M&TT) starting 26 April 2023. Schott’s research focuses on improving and developing tools for transporting and processing granular materials.
She and her team develop computer models that describe the interaction between individual grains. These models are used in different technological areas: ports and terminals, recycling and waste treatment, space mining, deep-sea mining and agro-food technology. In each of these areas, a variety of materials are transported and manipulated, ranging from iron ore for steel production, to the blending of powdered ingredients for cosmetics, food and other applications, to new sources of energy such as sodium borohydride, a solid hydrogen carrier, to raw material recycling. These are key processes that play an important role in sustainability and the energy transition at the machine level and for logistics systems as a whole.
Dr.ir. D.L. Schott
- +31 15 27 83130
- D.L.Schott@tudelft.nl
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34.B-4-300
Vision of the future
In addition to the numerical line, Schott will also establish an experimental research line to obtain better data for validating models, developing sensors and improving process control and application to new material flows. Better measurements and coupling with fast models are crucial for improving equipment and processes that involve the manipulation of granular materials such as powders and raw materials.
We have shown that we can create highly detailed models that can accurately describe the behaviour of granular materials and the interaction between materials and machines. We need this to create designs that are more energy-efficient, use fewer resources and have no negative impact on the environment. However, models alone will not get us there. We also need sensing techniques and sensors that collect real-time data to characterise materials and material behaviour in interaction with the devices. These are not available yet, and this is what we will be working on in the near future,
Dingena Schott
About Dingena Schott
Dingena Schott graduated in mechanical engineering at TU Delft in 1999 and obtained her PhD in 2004. In 2007, she started GranChaMlab@TUDelft to characterise, model, calibrate and validate granular materials to enable simulation-assisted designs for industrial-scale cargo handling equipment. Since then, she has worked on developing calibration frameworks and modelling granular systems in different design situations, including terminal designs for raw materials and an award-winning new grab design.
Since 2019, Schott has been programme director of the interfaculty MSc programme Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics, working to further strengthen the cohesion between research and teaching. In addition to her previous role as chair of the Mechanical Engineering programme committee, she has led the faculty-wide Focus Areas Mechanical Engineering (FAME) initiative for the repositioning of research in the 3mE faculty. As part of FAME, which was recently completed, Schott set the direction for the future. In addition, Schott has been an active member of the DEWIS platform, a network at TU Delft that connects and inspires female scientists.