Molten Salt Engineer
Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Devens, MA, USA
Posted on Sep 17, 2024
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy.
CFS collaborates with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with groundbreaking new high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. Our mission is to deploy these power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. To that end, CFS has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by the world’s leading investors, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. To implement this plan, we are looking to add dedicated people to the team who treat people well, improve our work by adding multifaceted perspectives and new ways of solving problems, have achieved outstanding results through a range of pursuits, and have skills and experience related to this role.
ARC will be the first machine to produce electricity from fusion energy, serving as the cornerstone to a new industry. ARC will strongly leverage the work that’s been done for SPARC in developing HTS magnets and other key tokamak systems. However, because of its mission to deliver power to the grid, the ARC tokamak has a few systems not included on SPARC, such as the Blanket System, which uses FLiBe to breed tritium and capture heat. The Blanket System group within R&D is a growing team that is delivering key scientific and engineering results to push the technical readiness level of these new enabling technologies higher.
Salt chemistry is a known driver of corrosion, hydrogen speciation and transport, and salt behavior under irradiation. As the Blanket System team develops and builds larger systems, maintaining strong controls on our salt and its chemistry becomes increasingly important. The Blanket System team is looking for a Molten Salt Engineer to grow our in-house salt analytical capabilities to enable rigorously quantify and predict salt behavior. This position does not require extensive experience directly with molten salts, but will require experience in electrochemical systems and analytical chemistry.
The Blanket System team has a strong practice of carrying engineering risk where appropriate while attentively and aggressively managing safety risk, and is looking for an engineer who will actively contribute to this culture.
This role requires compliance with U.S. laws concerning the export of controlled or protected technologies or information (collectively, “Export Control Laws"). Any offer of employment will be contingent on the need for compliance with such Export Control Laws.
This team member will:
- Assist in the creation of new in-house experimental setups, including determination of requirements, fabrication, testing, and operation
- Perform salt characterization testing and work to improve the repeatability and robustness of these processes
- Perform calibration exercises for various tests, including electrochemical ones
- Analyze and synthesize heterogeneous sets of data to thoroughly characterize salt quality
- Contribute to creation of chemical system requirements and material requirements
- Support experiments and in-loop testing for salt-compatible components (e.g. pumps, valves, heat exchangers)
- Work with external vendors to procure new equipment and materials
- Work closely with other CFS teams including:
- - safety team to manage chemical hazards (including beryllium) in existing and new experimental test articles
- - ARC Design Team
The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of these requirements:
- BS in Chemistry, Chemical, Materials or Nuclear Engineering or a related field
- 3+ years of experience in an R&D environment
- Experience with R&D work in a chemical laboratory
- Experience in experimental design and analysis with the explicit goal of driving to higher component and system TRLs
- Experience working with safety systems for hazardous chemicals
- Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, technical staff and others
- Ability to clearly express and critique ideas
- Great communication and organizational skills
- Strong problem solving skills, ability to approach new problems with creativity
Additional experience and/or qualifications:
- Experience with modeling tools, such as Calphad, FactSage, Comsol, or similar (preferred, not required)
- PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or related field
- Experience with electrochemistry or electrochemical engineering
- Experience with radiochemistry
- Experience with molten salt systems, particularly fluoride salt systems
- Experience with high temperature and/or corrosive systems
- Experience with gas handling systems and gas analysis
- Experience modeling chemical systems (e.g. reaction, transport, thermodynamic, radiochemical)
- Experience in setting up new laboratory facilities or new analysis equipment (e.g. GCs)
- Work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics
- #LI-Onsite
CFS team members thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and have demonstrated exceptional results through a range of different pursuits. We all tightly align with our company values of integrity, execution, impact and self-critique. As we grow, we are looking to add talented people who are mission driven and bring diverse perspectives and new ways of solving problems.
At CFS, we deeply value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.