Senior Thermal Hydraulic Test Engineer

 

TerraPower is a nuclear technology company based in Bellevue, Washington. At its core, the company is working to raise living standards globally through a more affordable, secure, and environmentally friendly form of nuclear energy along with innovations in medical isotopes to improve human health. In 2006, TerraPower originated with Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who evaluated the fundamental challenges to raising living standards around the world. They recognized energy access was crucial to the health and economic well-being of communities and decided that the private sector needed to take action and create energy sources that would advance global energy deployment. TerraPower’s mission is to be a world leader in new nuclear technologies, while developing innovators and future leaders in the nuclear field. As a result, the company’s activities in the fields of nuclear energy and related sciences are yielding significant innovations in the safety and economics of nuclear power, hybrid energy and medical applications – all for significant human health benefits.

TerraPower is seeking to hire highly motivated and forward-thinking professionals who are interested in focusing on advanced nuclear reactor research and development and influencing change within the nuclear power landscape and bringing forward the critical production of medical isotopes. TerraPower is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. 

Senior Thermal Hydraulic Test Engineer  

Reporting to the Manager of Thermal Hydraulic Testing, the Senior Thermal Hydraulic Test Engineer is responsible for designing and conducting thermal hydraulic tests supporting the Natrium Demonstration Plant.  The successful candidate will support all aspects of thermal hydraulic testing activities including planning, testing, document review, engaging with external vendors, and generating documents. The successful candidate will have experience with one or more testing methods, including: scaled water or oil flow loop operations, sodium or molten salt handling experience, or mechanical stress or vibration testing. 

Responsibilities

• Manage test campaigns from concept through execution and reporting. This includes test setup, system validation, and post-test analysis.
• Define, select, and validate measurement instrumentation including force, displacement, strain, flow and temperature sensors (e.g., load cells, LVDTs, encoders, RTDs, etc.).
• Coordinate cross-functional efforts including fixture design, control system integration, and lab space planning, leveraging technicians, designers, and facility personnel as needed.
• Assist in the drafting of test requirements
• Author the test design documents, test procedures, test report, and supporting documents
• Assist with data analysis and generate test reports.
• Perform calculations using first principles of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics to support and validate analysis results.
• Integrate with other engineering groups to fully include relevant aspects of component, system, fuel, and control system designs.
• Mentor junior engineers
• Vendor coordination including scope definition and technical specifications, quotation and schedule alignment, factory acceptance tests and site acceptance tests, witness testing as required, document and record collection, and resolution of nonconformances and corrective actions.
• Laboratory responsibilities including test loop build and assembly, rigging and safe handling of components, development and maintenance of P and ID drawings and procedures, hydrostatic and pressure testing, leak checks, commissioning and shakedown, pre job briefings and hazard analyses, lockout tagout, management of change, preventive maintenance, calibration cycles, consumables and spares control, housekeeping and 5S, and adherence to EHS and emergency procedures. 

 Key Qualifications and Skills 

• Bachelor’s or higher degree in applicable field of Engineering
• Greater than five (5) years of relevant experience in a testing / research and development environment preferred, or three (3) with a Masters degree
• Experience working in a laboratory environment
• Strong thermal-hydraulic analytical skills with one-dimensional hydraulic network analysis, system codes experience and transient analysis.
• Experience with post-processing and documenting experiments.
• Experience with multiple types of testing (R&D, Acceptance, Validation, Qualification)
• Ability to work with a multidisciplinary team of engineers.
• Ability to handle projects that include multiple objectives and ability to resolve conflicts between objectives.
• Ability to work on multiple tasks concurrently during a given work week.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Safety conscience.
• Ability to work with minimum direction to solve challenging research and development problems.