Cryogenic Engineer

Brookhaven National Laboratory•Ridge, NY

3d•$113,050 - $195,000•Onsite

About The Position

The National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS-II) is a state-of-the-art electron storage ring producing extremely bright x-rays for research across various scientific disciplines. The NSLS-II RF Group is responsible for designing, fabricating, operating, and maintaining high power Radio Frequency (RF) systems, which include superconducting RF cavities cooled by a 4-Kelvin liquid-helium cryogenic plant. This cryogenic plant comprises refrigerator/liquefier coldboxes, dewars, compressors, a purifier, associated manifold and valve boxes, helium buffer tanks, transfer lines, and a liquid nitrogen system. This position focuses on the continued development, operation, and optimization of this cryogenic plant and related mechanical and utility systems. The successful candidate will learn cryogenics-related concepts on the job and work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team of engineers and technicians throughout all phases of sub-system design, component selection, prototyping, fabrication, installation, commissioning, operation, and troubleshooting.

Requirements

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Cryogenic Engineering or Physics with a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience, including at least five (5) years of combined experience in development and operation of cryogenic systems or similarly complex mechanical systems with a demonstrated record of successful contributions.
Demonstrated experience with structural or thermal simulation tools such as ANSYS, CST, Refprop, Gaspak, Aspen HYSYS, or equivalent multiphysics analysis software.
Experience of using common components, tools and equipment, such as pressure gauges, temperature sensors, cryogen level sensors, flow meters, pressure relief valves, control valves and pressure relief valves.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively in a diverse technical team environment.
Availability for limited off-hour on-call support for urgent operational issues (typically < 2%).

Nice To Haves

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Cryogenic Engineering or Physics with a minimum of ten (10) years of relevant experience.
Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Cryogenic Engineering or Physics with a minimum of seven (9) years of relevant experience.
Experience with cryogenic systems and components for superconducting cavities or magnets for accelerator applications.
Experience in pressure and cryogenic safety analysis.
Experience with process controls and feedback loops.

Responsibilities

Develop, commission, operate, troubleshoot and repair of cryogenic system and sub-systems, including limited off-hours support.
Perform analysis, simulation and calculation of cryogenic and mechanical components and systems using tools such as ANSYS, Gaspak, REFPROP, CST and related codes.
Assist in the cryogenic operation of superconducting cavities.
Design, procure, and/or develop cryogenic subsystems to meet evolving accelerator requirements.
Generate and maintain schematics, process flow diagrams, work instructions and technical documentation.
Develop maintenance schedules and work plans for operating cryogenic systems.
Maintain current knowledge of principles, methods, and best practices within the related fields.
Mentor junior engineering and technical staff.