Process Modeller (Fuel & Power)

An important aspect of a commercially viable fusion power plant is the integration between the Tokamak and the systems involved in supporting its operation. Two such systems are: the Fuel Cycle, supporting breeding, extracting and fuelling aspects of a power plant and the power generation cycle, realising the net energy output following the system power needs against the production capabilities.

Reporting to the Head of Plant Prediction & Simulation, the Power Generation and Fuel Cycle Modeller will be a member of the wider Science, Engineering and Technology group providing analytical and product development resource to the wider business towards, tokamak design and operation, business and investor insights, and Fusion Pilot Plant systems integration.

In this role, you will:

• Be the central point in the designs of, both:

o   A power generation and balance of plant, supporting plant layout

o   A fuel cycle system supporting, start-up tritium inventory, doubling time, residence times and fuel losses and efficiencies

• Develop and implement computational models for fusion fuel cycles, including tritium breeding, fuel production, and recycling processes.

• Integrate different primary loops and assess the options for different secondary loops configurations (steam, carbon dioxide, helium, etc.)

• Assess thermal and parasitic loads in systems such as, breeding blankets, divertors, first walls, limiters and, vacuum vessel.
• Assess the wider Balance of Plant energy use and system requirements (e.g. ultimate heat sinks).
• Conduct literature reviews and gather data on technologies, materials properties, and plant concepts relevant to the Power Generation and Fuel Cycle systems.
• Collaborate with team members to analyse and interpret simulation results, identify trends, and evaluate performance metrics.
• Support the validation and verification of fuel cycle and power generation systems through comparison with experimental data and benchmarking against established codes.
• Contribute to the documentation of modelling methodologies, results, and findings for internal reports and publications.

Requirements

• BSc or MSc in Chemical Engineering, Physics, Nuclear Science, or a related field.
• Computationally competent in fuel cycle and/or power generation analysis tools, or similar applications
• Proficient in the use of the Aspen suite (Aspen+, Aspen Custom Modeller, Hysys and, Heat Exchanger Tools).
• Experience in producing system design descriptions and system interface documentation
• Experience in analysis and research

Desirable:

• Knowledge of programming languages such as C++, Python, MATLAB, or FORTRAN

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays and 3 festive days to be used between Christmas and the New Year)
• Company pension scheme
• Eligible for company share option scheme
• Company bonus scheme, discretionary, dependant on performance
• A range of financial benefits including death in service and critical illness cover
• Cycle to work scheme