About the role

Gauss Fusion is aiming to build the first commercial scale fusion power plant based on the stellarator concept and is seeking an experienced mechanical engineer to lead on development of the robotic maintenance approach.
The fusion environment within the reactor is very aggressive, and in-vessel components such as the breeder blanket and divertor will need to be replaced on a regular basis as the materials become damaged by the radiation. Due to the environment inside the device, and in order to maintain a high overall availability, the maintenance must be done robotically using automated systems to extract and replace the components and bring the removed ones to a hot cell for separation, waste treatment, and recycling.
Gauss Fusion is looking for an innovative mechanical design engineer with experience in robotics to lead the work defining and developing the maintenance approach for the Gauss stellarator power plant and its key stellarator systems. While the magnetic configuration will be designed to maximise access to the reactor, the complex geometry poses a challenge to fixations and kinematics, and inventive approaches to the problem are required.

Main responsibilities

Manage the Gauss Fusion maintenance approach to meet the requirements of a commercial scale fusion power plant design:

• Develop workable approaches to achieving high power plant availability, taking account of engineering and physics requirements across the reactor.
• Integrate these remote maintenance requirements into plant layout specifications.
• Define approaches to minimising hot cell inventory through efficient handling of removed components.
• Lead development of the breeder blanket and divertor segmentation and fixations resulting from these approaches.
• Lead development of remote maintenance testing and demonstration systems for the reactor.

Qualification and educational requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related field, master’s or Ph.D. preferred.
• Technical experience: 
  • Minimum of 6 years of experience in mechanical engineering, preferably in large-scale engineering projects.
  • Experience in designing complex mechanical systems, preferably in the energy or nuclear industry.
  • Familiarity with CAD software and engineering analysis tools.

Competences and preferred skills

• Experience developing remote maintenance systems operating in hazardous environments
• Strong background in mechatronics, motion control and mechanical integration. 
• Experience with digital mock-up will be an asset
• Familiarity with maintenance, inspection and intervention systems 
• Familiarity with system engineering processes, requirements management and verification activities. Strong understanding of mechanical design principles and engineering mechanics.
• Proficiency in structural analysis, finite element analysis (FEA), and kinematic analysis.
• Ability to manage multidisciplinary teams and coordinate with other engineering disciplines.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

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