RESEARCH ENGINEER - SR. RESEARCH ENGINEER - PROPULSION

Company: Southwest Research Institute
Location: San Antonio
Posted on: May 16, 2022

Job Description:

Who We Are: We work in a wide range of applications aside from launch vehicle propulsion with a combination of computational/experimental projects. This includes oil & gas, air-breathing propulsion, & power generation. We empower individuals to go into research areas of interest & excel throughout their career.

Objectives of this Role: Design and analysis for current launch vehicle propellant system projects: tank propellant management devices, liquid sloshing dynamics, propellant tank, and system modeling during flight.
Design, analysis, and test support for fluid/thermal projects within the Department, such as combustion, turbomachinery primary and secondary flows, aerodynamic design, supercritical CO2 power systems, heat exchangers, gas system design and modeling.
Provide support for business development, proposal writing, executing the work, and reporting the results directly to the client.

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities: Utilize commercial engineering software (ANSYS, Thermal Desktop, Flow3D) to conduct thermal-fluid analyses for single-phase and free-surface flows. CFD simulations of liquid propellant sloshing and propellant management devices (liquid acquisition devices).
Interpret and present simulation results. Write technical reports, papers, proposals and prepare technical presentations. Participate in technical conferences to promote SwRI business. Develop client relationships consistent with promotion and project opportunities
Provide analytical or experimental support to more than one project in a team environment, which can include literature reviews, data collection, test design, developing computational simulations, deriving first-principles or correlative based solutions to problems.
Exercise creativity and independent judgement in determining approaches to solve a wide range of technical problems with moderate supervision. Write technical reports, papers, proposals and prepare technical presentations for client meetings.
Participate in technical conferences.
Learn new technical skills to complete project work and develop custom scripts using Matlab/Python to automate analytical task when possible

Requirements: Requires a Bachelors with a 3.20 GPA in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related engineering degree
MS in engineering will require 3 years
PhD in engineering will require 2 years
4-8 years: Conducting fluid and thermal systems analyses using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software with a firm understanding of the underlying physics
Design or analysis experience in space or launch vehicle propulsion systems related to fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, or heat transfer
Transient and steady-state fluid system modeling with one-dimensional flow tools
Experience or an interest in propellant management device design or testing, Liquid slosh dynamic analysis or testing, using Python or similar language to automate simulation workflows, or familiarity with dynamic systems and launch vehicle pogo
A valid/clear driver's license is required


Special Requirements:Must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident due to ITAR work in section.

Keywords: Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio , RESEARCH ENGINEER - SR. RESEARCH ENGINEER - PROPULSION, Engineering , San Antonio, Texas