Core Thermal-Hydraulics Methods Engineer

Santa Clara, CA or remote

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Core Thermal-Hydraulics Methods Engineer to join our team.

Position Description

Thermal-Hydraulics Engineers at Oklo are responsible for analyzing fluid flow and heat transfer within a reactor and associated systems. This work includes engineering analyses of thermal-fluid dynamics, clear and thorough documentation of the analyses, as well as interfacing with design teams. A Core Thermal-Hydraulics Methods Engineer will contribute to the development, qualification, and validation of methods for modeling coolant flow within reactor cores using one-dimensional models and intermediate-fidelity subchannel models.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Modeling core thermal-hydraulic behavior using
• subchannel codes such as DASSH, or MOOSE-Subchannel
• one-dimensional systems codes such as SAS4A/SASSYS-1 or SAM
• first principles approaches and in-house flow network models
• Developing methods to analyze core thermal-hydraulic behavior at steady-state and during transients
• Developing and utilizing analysis methods that efficiently and effectively build confidence in a design
• Automation, verification, and validation of modeling and simulation tools in support of analyses
• Collaborating cross-functionally to define design requirements, and providing technical feedback to quick-iterating design teams
• Document work using modern tools and techniques, and write well-written, thoughtful technical reports

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in a technical field, such as nuclear, mechanical, or aerospace engineering
• Proficiency with thermal-hydraulics (thermal fluids) analysis methods
• Core competencies in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics first principles
• Experience with low-fidelity and intermediate-fidelity (e.g., porous body and correlation-based) models for heat transfer and fluid flow
• Experience with numerical methods and software development for heat transfer and fluid flow problems
• Experience with data processing (e.g., pre-processing, post-processing, scripting)

Bonus Qualifications

• Fluency with Python
• Experience with CI/CD computing environments
• Experience with reactor systems codes, such as SAS4A/SASSYS-1, SAM, RELAP, TRACE, or GOTHIC
• Experience with qualification and validation of analyses
• Experience with subchannel analysis codes, such as DASSH, MOOSE-Subchannel, COBRA-TF, or similar
• Experience with high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics analysis

We are looking for a Thermal-Hydraulics Methods Engineer that is:

• Passionate about clean energy
• Passionate about making advanced fission a reality
• Willing and able to learn quickly
• Knowledgeable about the fluid physics related to reactor cores and subchannel-level thermal-hydraulic (thermal fluids) analysis
• Eager to work on a dynamic team, receive constructive feedback, and grow with us
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative environment
• Excited to think creatively, critically, and reflectively about the problems they are solving, while not leaning only on what has been done before
• An excellent writer who can write in modern active voice, so make your cover letter compelling and write it well!
• Able to communicate technical content and results verbally

A startup person:You aren't driven by titles or hierarchy, and prefer efficiency to excess process. You don't need or expect to have a lot of guidance but you enjoy working in a fast-paced team. If you prefer the culture and feel of a large organization, that is great, but you likely won’t enjoy working with us! There is plenty of important work and plenty of good opportunities with organizations like that.

Motivated: You are self-motivated. You bring an enthusiasm to the team, and imbue a sense of passion that goes beyond clocking in and clocking out. This isn’t about a fake or arbitrary “pieces of flair” mentality or lack of work-life balance! It is about being a part of the vision and feeling a part of reaching team goals.

A team-player: Oklo genuinely is a team. We aren’t about taking credit for ourselves, and we aren’t about pushing blame to others. We do incredible…