Molten Salt Engineer

almost 2 years ago
Full time role
Devens, MA, US... more
Devens, MA, US... more

Job Description

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 several systems not included on SPARC. The ARC group within R&D is a growing team that is delivering key scientific and engineering results to push the TRL of these new enabling technologies higher.

This individual will work on one or more of these key enabling technologies that uses a molten salt as the blanket working fluid, including thermal hydraulic, chemical, and tritium-related engineering. This role involves working closely with the rest of the ARC team to develop detailed R&D roadmaps as well as planning and executing early experiments.


This team member will:

  • Assist in the creation of new in-house experimental facilities, from determination of requirements to detailed designs and overseeing construction
  • Contribute to the design, fabrication, operation, and analysis of molten salt experimental systems potentially including, but not limited to: benchtop experiments to determine chemical behavior in molten salts under varying conditions, benchtop experiments to develop in-house QA/QC systems for both internal and external products, progressively larger scale systems to purify fluoride-based salts, natural and forced convection loops of varying sizes and purposes, and progressively higher fidelity materials corrosion and compatibility experiments with molten salts
  • Supporting experiments and in-loop testing for salt-compatible components (e.g. pumps, valves, heat exchangers)
  • Work closely with other CFS teams including: safety team to manage chemical hazards (including beryllium) in existing and new experimental facilities, supply chain team to manage development of external supply chains of molten salts, and adjacent R&D teams to optimally share pooled resources including equipment and personnel
  • Work closely with external vendors to procure new equipment and materials
  • Work closely with external collaborators on both experimental and computational research projects
  • Supervisory duties may included junior engineers and technicians across multiple salt system projects and work with the R&D team to attract and hire new talent to the team

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of these requirements:

  • PhD in Chemical, Mechanical, or Nuclear Engineering or a related field
  • Experience working with molten salt (or similar) experimental systems
  • 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 (required)
  • Strong problem solving skills, ability to approach new problems with creativity

Additional experience and/or qualifications:

  • Experience in fluoride salts, FLiBe in particular
  • Experience in radiochemistry
  • Experience in setting up new laboratory facilities
  • Experience with molten salt diagnostic systems
  • Perform activities such as typing, standing, and sitting, for extended periods of time
  • Dedication to safety to mitigate hazards that may include cold, noise, strong magnets, molten salt, and hazardous chemicals
  • #LI-Hybrid

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.

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