CFD Expert

Role description

Thomas Thor are working in partnership with Morson Talent and Rolls-Royce SMR (Small Modular Reactor) to recruit a CFD Expert Technical Lead to join their team in Derby or Warrington, setting the strategic direction for the development of an in-house CFD capability for the SMR project by ensuring the coordination, delivery and quality of CFD analyses required to verify the reactor plant design.

The Company

Rolls-Royce SMR is a start-up joint special purpose vehicle (SPV) business, specifically created to design, construct and deliver a new fleet of Small Modular Reactors power plants that will be a critical and strategic player in the race to Net Zero carbon emissions globally. Spun out of Rolls-Royce with its pedigree in engineering excellence but also attracting world class inward investment this is an exciting new business with an optimistic opportunity to be a global player in the coming years. Their Intellectual Property and resource expertise has grown from an organization that has already designed and delivered over 35 nuclear reactors for use in the UK’s Royal Navy Submarine program. That’s combined with the knowledge and unique aerospace experience of manufacturing expertise, supply chain management and logistics.

SMR is an integrated power station, that takes well understood, existing nuclear technology and applies a factory-based philosophy to its fabrication and assembly to provide clean, affordable energy for all. Just one SMR can power one million homes for sixty years!

The role will involve working alongside the plant designers and reactor plant analysis teams to understand the technical nature of the reactor plant design and produce thermal hydraulic analyses which characterises system performance, informs intelligent design decisions and ultimately verifies the performance and safety of the final design during Generic Design Assessment (GDA) by the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR).

Key Responsibilities

• Work with the plant design engineers to understand the technical nature of the reactor plant as well as the evidence required to inform technical decision making verify plant performance.
• Apply technical expertise to lead and coordinate CFD analysis and validation activities. This includes the provision of technical supervision for in-house analyses as well the specification and management of analysis conducted in the supply chain.
• Define and manage requirement traceability from design through to analysis, models and method validation.
• Ensure appropriate quality is achieved in by the CFD analysis programme. Undertake local technical reviews and input to the main project technical review gates.
• Work alongside the method validation lead to ensure appropriate method validation is in place at each analysis stage, and provide technical expertise into the code validation programme and rig design programmes.
• Develop and deliver detailed plans for the assigned technical discipline.
• Act as technical authority for CFD analysis internal and external to the company.
• Understand and articulate technical and programme risks, managing them as appropriate with the Reactor Plant Performance Lead.
• Work with due regard to Health, Safety and Environment. Comply with corporate, business and legislative requirements. Champion company values, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Qualifications & Experience

• Qualified to degree level or equivalent in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Chartered Mechanical Engineer (or equivalent) with design experience including responsibility for technically leading systems design programmes.
• Nuclear process system design experience, including responsibility for technical and project leadership in a relevant field.
• Expertise in producing CFD analysis for Safety Class 1 (items most important for safety) reactor plant systems, as well as a strong foundation in nuclear safety principles and validating thermal hydraulic analysis methods.
• Sound knowledge of relevant design codes, including systems engineering.

Desirable

• Understanding of reactor system design, operation and safety cases, including specific domain knowledge of containment system design and operation.

Their commitment to inclusion

Central to their operations is the creation of an inclusive workplace with a colleague community that is representative of the diverse regions in which we operate. They are committed to equality of opportunity for all employees and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, and marriage and civil partnerships.