Nuclear Mechanical Engineer — Thermal-Fluid Target Design

UT-Battelle; Oak Ridge (TN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

UT-Battelle's Oak Ridge National Laboratory seeks a Nuclear Mechanical Engineer to develop thermal-hydraulic models for HFIR isotope production targets and to advance analysis tools for thermal-fluid systems.

You will work with scientists, engineers, and technicians to develop models of heat transfer and coolant flow, assess operating margins, and support safety and design reviews in a high‑demand research environment.

Qualifications

• BS in mechanical/nuclear/chemical engineering or similar; 4+ years of related experience or an advanced degree with 2+ years.
• Moderate knowledge of thermal and mechanical performance of materials in nuclear systems
• Experience performing moderately complex thermal hydraulic calculations
• Demonstrated experience with engineering modeling and simulation, including COMSOL, ANSYS, STAR-CCM+, RELAP or other hydraulic system codes, and MATLAB or Python for data reduction, automation, and model development.

Responsibilities

• Develop models and computational strategies to assess HFIR Isotope Production target design.
• Contribute to the design of radioisotope production targets to optimize coolant flow and thermal performance.
• Develop and document integrated thermal-hydraulic evaluations for target/experiment hardware—define coolant flow paths and heat loads across operating envelope; assess off-normal conditions.
• Produce safety basis calculations and peer reviews to show compliance with safety requirements.
• Participate in post-irradiation examination activities to validate models.
• Develop capabilities for enhanced thermal analysis of radioisotope production targets.
• Prepare peer-reviewed journal articles, reports, and presentations for sponsors.

Skills

Heat transfer & fluid flow analysis

Thermal-hydraulic calculations

Engineering modeling & simulation

Collaborative teamwork

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or similar

Tools

COMSOL

ANSYS (Fluent/CFX/Mechanical)

STAR-CCM+

RELAP

MATLAB

Python

Job description

UT-Battelle's Oak Ridge National Laboratory seeks a Nuclear Mechanical Engineer to develop thermal-hydraulic models for HFIR isotope production targets and to advance analysis tools for thermal-fluid systems.

You will work with scientists, engineers, and technicians to develop models of heat transfer and coolant flow, assess operating margins, and support safety and design reviews in a high‑demand research environment.