TITLE: Natrium Energy Island System Development InternLOCATION: Bellevue, WA, USATerraPower is a nuclear technology company based in Bellevue, Washington. At its core, the company is working to raise living standards globally through a more affordable, secure and environmentally friendly form of nuclear energy along with innovations in medical isotopes to improve human health. In 2006, TerraPower originated with Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries who evaluated the fundamental challenges to raising living standards around the world. They recognized energy access was crucial to the health and economic well-being of communities and decided that the private sector needed to take action and create energy sources that would advance global energy deployment. TerraPower's mission is to be a world leader in new nuclear technologies, while developing innovators and future leaders in the nuclear field. As a result, the company's activities in the fields of nuclear energy and related sciences are yielding significant innovations in the safety and economics of nuclear power, hybrid energy and medical applications - all for significant human health benefits.TerraPower is seeking to hire highly motivated and forward-thinking professionals who are interested in focusing on advanced nuclear reactor research and development and influencing change within the nuclear power landscape and bringing forward the critical production of medical isotopes.Natrium Energy Island System Development InternTerraPower is seeking a highly motivated engineering intern with interest in power plant performance modeling and energy conversion cycles. The Natrium Energy Island (EI) System Development Intern will work as part of the engineering team that oversees the design of the energy island for the Natrium demonstration plant. The Natrium demonstration plant is a fourth-generation nuclear power plant that incorporates molten salt energy storage and is currently in design engineering to be built in Wyoming. The Natrium plant EI contains the molten salt energy storage system, the steam power cycle systems, and several plant ancillary systems. The Interns role will focus on exploring conceptual options for use of process heat from future commercial plants (for example, solid oxide electrolyzer, desalination using forward osmosis, etc.) and increasing electrical power output by several means ranging from placing Photo-Voltaic solar panels on building roofs to replacing the current Rankine cycle with a CO2 power cycle. The intern will be responsible to research process heat options, perform thermodynamic modeling where appropriate, obtain approximate size and space requirement information, and determine economic feasibility. Initial conceptual design studies will identify technology development activities that should be pursued by TerraPower.ResponsibilitiesDevelop a detailed understanding of the Natrium plant EI configuration and layout.Explore the feasibility to employ Photo-Voltaic (PV) solar panels on the demo plant site to cover some of the inhouse power needs. This includes determining costs, achievable power output, and payback period.Evaluate the use of process heat for hydrogen and ammonia generation, desalination, or other uses, and quantify the impact on the plants power generation with Rankine modeling.Conduct thermodynamic modeling replacing the plants steam cycle with a CO2 power cycle.Write a status report documenting the work, modeling results, and analysis.Key Qualifications and SkillsEducation: Currently enrolled in a graduate or starting senior year of undergraduate program in Mechanical, Chemical or Nuclear Engineering; graduate program preferredExcellent understanding of the principles of thermal systems analysis.Understanding of mechanical system design and performance analysisExcellent written and verbal communication skills