Southwest Research Institute

ENGINEER - RESEARCH ENGINEER - Advanced Power Generation Cycles

About the Employer

Job Description

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.