Lead Thermal Hydraulic Engineer
Job Summary
This role is instrumental in advancing nuclear thermal-hydraulic capabilities, supporting fuel development and system code maintenance. The position requires an engineer skilled in core thermal-hydraulic analysis, methodology development, and testing. The lead will work within the Thermal & Fluids Analysis team to ensure the accuracy and reliability of analytical tools for reactor performance and safety.
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain thermal-hydraulic analytical methods
- Design and execute two-phase thermal-hydraulic test plans
- Collaborate on fuel product and software development
- Ensure regulatory compliance and software quality assurance
- Interface with regulatory bodies and provide technical support
Required Skills
- Nuclear thermal-hydraulic analysis
- Two-phase flow and reactor safety
- Regulatory environment experience
- Programming (Python, MATLAB, Fortran)
- Analytical and problem-solving skills
Job Details
Essential Responsibilities:
- Lead the technical development, accuracy, and uncertainty qualification, testing, verification, and maintenance of analytical methods for evaluating steady-state and transient core/fuel performance.
- Develop single-phase and two-phase thermal-hydraulic test plans, interface with test personnel, perform data analysis, and develop empirical correlations or mechanistic models.
- Work with nuclear and mechanical engineering teams in the development of new fuel products/software in the area of thermal hydraulics.
- Work within a regulatory framework for nuclear software quality assurance for engineering programs.
- Prepare, document, and present technical data to internal and external customers.
- Enhance team processes to drive efficiency and simplification.
- Communicate effectively with method users through support, documentation, and training.
- Ensure high-quality work in compliance with NRC regulations, customer requirements, and business quality standards.
- Interface with regulatory agencies (NRC, DOE, etc.) as necessary.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, computational methods or a closely related technical discipline with a thesis or substantial coursework in thermal-hydraulics and two-phase flow.
- 5 years of experience in a regulated nuclear engineering environment, with a focus on thermal-hydraulic codes, two-phase flow analysis, or reactor safety methodologies.
Desired Qualifications:
- Master's Degree with 2 years of experience in thermal hydraulics.
- Understanding of two-phase flow fundamentals and phenomena (BWR and PWR steady-state, transients, and accidents).
- Experience with thermal-hydraulic methods such as TRAC, TRACG, COBRAG, PANAC, RELAP, and ISCOR.
- Experience in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using tools like ANSYS-Fluent.
- Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, MATLAB, and Fortran.
- Familiarity with nuclear reactor core licensing, technical specifications, and safety margin bases.