Prinicipal Piping Mechanical Engineer

Deep Fission is a nuclear technology company pioneering the development of a revolutionary deep borehole pressurized water reactor. The Piping Mechanical Engineer will ensure the structural integrity, thermal performance, and safety of nuclear reactor components through advanced computational modeling and simulation, contributing to reactor design validation and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities:

• Perform various analyses including stress, fatigue, buckling, seismic, and vibration of piping systems, pressure vessels, heat exchangers and structural supports using classical tools like Mathcad and finite element analysis (FEA) software like ANSYS
• Conduct stress, fatigue, fracture mechanics, creep, and buckling analyses in accordance with ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) Section VIII or III and other applicable codes and standards
• Perform thermal-hydraulic and coupled multiphysics simulations to evaluate component behavior under normal operating, transient, and accident conditions
• Support reactor design efforts by providing analytical justification for material selection, geometry optimization, and design modifications
• Prepare detailed analysis reports, calculation packages, and technical documentation suitable for internal design reviews and regulatory submittals
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including nuclear engineers, structural engineers, CAD designers, and licensing specialists to integrate FEA results into overall design packages
• Develop and maintain analysis procedures, quality assurance documentation, and verification/validation (V&V) protocols for FEA software tools and methodologies
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to the development of the team’s FEA capabilities and best practices

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline
• Minimum of 5–8 years of professional experience performing piping design and analysis in an engineering environment, with at least 2 years in the nuclear, power generation, aerospace, or similarly regulated industry
• Advanced proficiency in one or more FEA software platforms such as ANSYS
• Advanced proficiency in one or more piping analysis software platforms such as AutoPIPE
• Strong working knowledge of ASME BPVC Section III or Section VIII for nuclear component design and analysis
• Strong working knowledge of ASME B31.1 and B31.3 for piping design and analysis
• Knowledge of the design, selection, and application of pipe supporting elements
• Working knowledge of commercially available piping products and their application
• Strong understanding of material properties and behavior under high-temperature, irradiation, and corrosive environments relevant to nuclear applications
• Excellent technical writing skills with the ability to produce clear, well-organized analysis reports and calculation packages
• Effective communication and collaboration skills for working across multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Must be a U.S. citizen or authorized to work in the United States
• Direct experience with nuclear piping, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, support structures, or primary system components
• Experience with seismic analysis (response spectrum, time-history) for nuclear safety-related structures, systems, and components (SSCs)
• Experience with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools for coupled thermal-hydraulic/structural analyses
• Knowledge of probabilistic fracture mechanics and risk-informed analysis methods
• Experience developing automated analysis workflows using Python, APDL, or equivalent scripting languages
• Familiarity with nuclear quality assurance programs (NQA-1) and configuration management practices