Senior Engineer, Thermal Hydraulic Analyses

Job Description Summary

This role is instrumental in advancing our nuclear thermal-hydraulic capabilities, with a particular focus on supporting fuel development and the associated system / subchannel analysis codes. The position requires a dynamic thermal-hydraulic engineer with expertise in core and fuel thermal-hydraulic analysis and methods development. Key responsibilities include developing and optimizing fuel design and performance, as well as advancing thermal-hydraulic methodologies including bundle critical power and pressure drop calculations. Proficiency in programming and coding is essential to support complex engineering and data analyses. Additionally, as part of the fuel development process, the role requires a strong understanding of single-phase and two-phase experimental programs, including the preparation of test matrices and supervision of component testing.

• Lead and conduct thermal hydraulic analyses to support BWR fuel design, optimization, and performance evaluation.
• Lead the technical development, application, and maintaining thermal-hydraulic system codes, correlations, and methodologies relevant to reactor fuel development.
• Develop, validate, and refine high-level programming tools or algorithms to support complex engineering analyses and simulations.
• Lead and provide the key technical direction in the area of thermal hydraulics while working with nuclear and mechanical engineering teams in the development of new fuel products / software in the area of thermal hydraulics.
• Plan, prepare, and supervise experimental test programs, including development of test matrices, interface with test personnel related to all testing activities, perform associated data analysis, and develop empirical correlations or mechanistic models..
• Analyze and interpret experimental data to inform fuel design improvements and validate analytical models.
• Provide technical consultation and support to cross-functional teams regarding thermal-hydraulic methodologies, system codes, and reactor safety evaluations.
• Document technical methodologies, analysis results, and test findings in clear, concise engineering reports and presentations.
• Work within a regulatory framework for nuclear software quality assurance for engineering programs.
• Interface with regulatory agencies (NRC, DOE, etc.) as necessary.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work in a team.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote knowledge sharing across the Thermal & Fluids Analysis team.
• Qualifications/Requirements:
• Master's degree from an accredited university or college in nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, computational methods or a closely related technical discipline AND minimum of 5 years of cumulative, relevant engineering experience. OR
• Ph.D. from an accredited university or college in nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, computational methods or a closely related technical discipline with a thesis or substantial coursework with thermal-hydraulics and two-phase flow and analysis AND minimum of 3 years of cumulative, relevant engineering experience
• Desired Characteristics:
• Ph.D. in nuclear engineering, computational methods, thermal-hydraulics, or a related field.
• Deep understanding on experimental and analytic aspects of two-phase flow fundamentals and two-phase flow phenomena during BWR and PWR steady-state operations, transients, and accidents (e.g., void fraction, two-phase pressure drop, two-phase flow regime transition, boiling and condensation heat transfer, critical heat flux or annular film dryout, post boiling transition heat transfer, rewet, counter-current flow limitation, critical flow, flow instability) as well as two-phase flow analysis methodology (e.g., the drift-flux model and two-fluid model)
• Experience with nuclear fuel design and optimization
• Experience with thermal-hydraulic methods such as COBRG, PANAC, TRACG, , PANAC, RELAP, and ISCOR.
• Experimental background in two-phase flow
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, MATLAB, and Fortran,
• Competency in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using tools like ANSYS-Fluent.
• Experience with software Commercial Grade Dedication as per NQA-1 standards.
• Familiarity with nuclear reactor core licensing, technical specifications, safety margin bases, and related federal regulations.
• Demonstrated decision-making skills with speed and accuracy.
• Strong organizational skills and a track record of achieving goals and overcoming challenges.
• Eligibility Requirements
• Comfortable with less than 10% travel
• This role requires access to U.S. export-controlled information. If applicable, final offers will be contingent on ability to obtain authorization for access to U.S. export-controlled information from the U.S. Government.