ENGINEER - RESEARCH ENGINEER - Advanced Power Generation Cycles at Southwest Research Institute

Who We Are:

The Power Cycle Machinery group at Southwest Research Institute takes concepts for power cycles and technologies that support the electricity generation/storage, energy distribution, and industrial power applications of the future and turns them into working prototypes.

Objectives of this Role:

• Support the design, analysis, and testing of systems and components used in a variety of power generation and energy storage processes.
• Apply principles of machine design, piping/pressure vessel design, process controls and instrumentation, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer to develop designs and tests for components and systems.
• Apply knowledge of fabrication methods, assembly, and geometric dimensioning & tolerance (GD&T) to ensure components are designed in a way that can be manufactured and assembled.
• Utilize CAD software (Solidworks) to develop mechanical designs and drawings for components and assemblies.
• Develop and maintain system piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) and process flow diagrams (PFDs).
• Communicate ideas, results, and other information to coworkers as well as commercial and government clients.

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities:

• Provide analytical and experimental support to more than one project in a team environment.
• Typical tasks include literature reviews, design, analysis, and simulation development.
• Use commercial engineering software for design and analysis, such as ANSYS Workbench, NPSS, CAESAR.
• Contribute and be responsible for technical development of experimental test programs, including developing/operating a new test rig.
• Generate presentations and reports for internal and external customers to document and communicate the status of project work.
• Provide troubleshooting support for tests and simulations with a firm understanding of theories and concepts using a first-principles approach.
• Be a problem solver that exercises creativity and independent judgement in determining approaches to solve a wide range of technical problems.

Requirements:

• Requires a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or related engineering degrees.
• 0-5 years: Mechanical design experience applying tools like FEA to predict component/assembly stresses and evaluate fitness for service.
• 0-5 years: Design, commissioning, and testing experience with high pressure and/or extreme temperature process systems.
• 0-5 years: Experience with industry standards, such as ASME Pressure Vessel Code, ASME B31 Piping Codes, machine assembly, maintenance, and repair.
• A valid/clear driver's license is required.