Principal Core Thermal Hydraulics Engineer

About the role

TerraPower is a nuclear technology company based in Bellevue, Washington. The company focuses on advancing nuclear energy and medical isotopes to improve global living standards through affordability, security, and environmental friendliness. TerraPower was founded in 2006 by Bill Gates and a group of visionaries aiming to innovate in the nuclear sector.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical effort to develop and validate thermal hydraulic methodologies, software, and analysis for sodium-cooled fast reactor design
• Develop, qualify, and maintain the computer code to analyze the steady-state nuclear reactor core thermal-hydraulics
• Support the technical decision to address the critical challenges in reactor core design
• Support the project planning and define the work scopes for the critical path of the project
• Perform thermal hydraulic analysis and engineering calculation/assessment of nuclear reactor core components and structures in exploration of reactor architecture options including component selections, configurations, and sizing in support of the design of Natrium demonstration reactor system using in-house thermal-hydraulic software and/or hand calculations
• Work with cross-disciplinary teams to analyze the thermal and mechanical design considerations for the safety of the reactor and its components
• Provide technical presentations on analyses performed to the broader team
• Prepare informal and formal reports to document findings and make reasoned recommendations
• Support licensing activities related to the Natrium demonstration project by assisting in the preparation of licensing submittals
• Support design reviews as plant system and subsystem designs are established and refined
• Provide Support and oversight during test execution, evaluation of test results, and reporting of test results
• Establish and maintain system requirements and design basis documents for reactor core design and core thermal hydraulics

Qualifications and Skills

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D in Mechanical, Nuclear, or other relevant technical Engineering area from an accredited university
• A minimum of 15 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years of experience with demonstrated ability to perform the thermal-hydraulic analysis of nuclear reactor core components for simulation-based design
• 5+ years of technical leadership and/or project management experience
• Strong background in nuclear thermal-hydraulics analysis, with demonstrated expertise in evaluating and performing engineering calculations related to heat and mass transfer in nuclear reactor cores, and hydraulic characterization of reactor core components, as proven through university research, publications, and/or work experience
• Proven problem-solving skills and a willingness to apply those skills to a variety of engineering problems
• Ability to handle projects that include many competing objectives and design constraints, with ability to resolve conflicts between objectives
• Demonstrated expertise and experience with python programming and software development, qualification, and verification & validation. Proficiency in C++ programming is highly preferred
• Experience working with high-performance computing (HPC) environments preferred
• Experience in Software Quality Assurance (SQA) program and Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1) standards highly preferred
• Strong knowledge and experience in liquid metal thermal-hydraulics or experience with nuclear reactor analysis codes (subchannel analysis code or system thermal-hydraulic codes)

Benefits

• Competitive Compensation
• Medical
• Vision
• Dental
• Life and Disability
• Gender Affirmation Benefits
• Parental Leave
• 401k Plan
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Relocation Assistance
• Professional and Educational Support Opportunities