The National Renewable Energy Laboratory - NREL - is the only federal laboratory dedicated to the research, development, commercialization and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
IMPORTANT:This Advertiser has requested that applicants MUST be National Residents / Valid Work Permit-holders. Other applicants need not apply.
Concentrating Solar Power Research Intern
3968BR
Golden, CO
Student RPP
3
40
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a leader in the U.S. Department of Energy’s effort to secure an energy future that is both environmentally and economically sustainable. With locations in Golden, Boulder and Washington D.C., NREL is the primary laboratory for research, development and deployment of renewable energy technologies in the United States. The NREL mission is to develop renewable energy and energy efficient technologies and practices, advance related science and engineering, and transfer knowledge and innovation to address the nation’s energy and environmental goals.
The candidate will participate in development of a solar receiver that uses solid particles as the heat transfer medium for concentrating solar power (CSP) tower application. The project is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative. Project tasks supported by this position will include conducting experiments, supporting the development of a receiver prototype for on-sun testing, performing component and system modeling, and conducting data analysis and data reduction. Hands-on experiment tasks require experience with electrical, mechanical, and chemical systems.
An ideal candidate is a graduate student who’s available to work 20-40 hours/week on the project to support NREL research. Working towards graduate degree in mechanical, chemical, physics, material science, or electrical engineering is desirable. The candidate should work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team, possess excellent mathematic analysis skills, demonstrate experience in conducting complex experiments, have strong written and verbal communication skills, and demonstrate a self-motivated and independent-working attitude towards achieving project goals. A summary of the possible tasks, depending on qualifications and interests, include: 1. Perform gas/solid two-phase flow/heat transfer testing and analysis (use of Matlab and Excel for analyses and SolidWorks for design). 2. Conduct experiments on granular flow and heat transfer processes, experimental analysis, and flow mechanism research (use of Engineering Equation Solver (EES), Matlab, or Excel). 3. Assist solar receiver testing instrumentation and assembly (use of LabView and Excel for data acquisition and analyses).
Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a degree granting program, or graduated in the past 12 months from an accredited institution.
Internship period cannot exceed 12 months past graduation.
Minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
Please Note: Be sure to attach your current transcript (unoffical transcripts are acceptable) on the "Submit Attachments" Page during the application process in order for your GPA and student status to be verified.
Knowledge with engineering computational tools for heat transfer/fluid dynamics analysis. Familiar with software uses of ANSYS Fluent or CFX, CAD/CAE software such as Solidworks and ANSYS Mechanical.
Knowledge or classwork in heat transfer with emphasis on numerical modeling and some experience in experimental techniques will be useful. Demonstrated research capability and initiative, with good interpersonal, communication, writing and documentation skills. • Knowledge in gas/solid two-phase flow and fluidization. • Experimental skills with instrumentation, design of experiment, testing uncertainty analyses, and LabView programming are desirable.
NREL is dedicated to the principles of equal employment opportunity. NREL promotes a work environment that does not discriminate against workers or job applicants and prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, marital status, ancestry, actual or perceived sexual orientation, or veteran status, including special disabled veterans.
NREL validates right to work using E-Verify. NREL will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. For additional information, please see www.nrel.gov/employment/eeo.html.
