Southwest Research Institute - San Antonio, TX
posted 7 months ago
About the position
The Propulsion & Energy Machinery Section at Southwest Research Institute is dedicated to advancing engineering research and development in the fields of air-breathing and liquid propulsion. As a part of this team, the Research Engineer or Senior Research Engineer will play a crucial role in supporting the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) software, which is recognized as the industry-standard tool for cycle and performance analysis of advanced propulsion systems. This position involves a variety of responsibilities, including engineering model development, program interface development, software testing, and code infrastructure development. In this role, the engineer will conduct thermal-fluid simulations using one-dimensional tools, such as NPSS or commercial software, focusing on propulsion and power generation applications. This includes working with complex cycle components like compressors, turbines, heat exchangers, combustors, and motor/generators. The engineer will also provide modeling and hands-on testing support for complex test rigs and prototype machinery being developed and tested at the institute. Additionally, the role involves providing engineering support to NPSS users and clients, participating in NPSS training courses, and promoting the use of NPSS at technical conferences through papers and presentations. Daily responsibilities include resolving NPSS software bugs, adding new modeling capabilities to NPSS, and supporting cycle model efforts for various projects. The engineer will document progress through technical presentations and maintain communication with Consortium members through regular meetings. The position requires the ability to work independently with minimal supervision and to participate in design and code reviews, ensuring high-quality outputs and adherence to project timelines.
Responsibilities
- Support Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) software development and maintenance.
- Conduct thermal-fluid simulations for propulsion and power generation applications.
- Provide modeling and hands-on testing support for complex test rigs and prototype machinery.
- Resolve NPSS software bugs in engineering elements, models, and interfaces.
- Add new modeling capabilities to NPSS based on annual decisions by the NPSS consortium members.
- Support cycle model efforts for projects using NPSS or other engineering software.
- Document progress through technical presentations and update Consortium members regularly.
- Work independently with minimal supervision and participate in design and code reviews.
Requirements
- Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, or related field.
- 2-5 years of experience conducting fluid and thermodynamics analyses of gas turbines or similar complex systems using tools like NPSS, MATLAB, LabVIEW, EES, Flownex, Easy5, Thermal Desktop, or PROOSIS.
- 2-5 years of experience developing engineering software or scripts based on the C++ programming language.
- A valid/clear driver's license is required.
- Must be a U.S. person due to ITAR work requirements.
