Characterizing Mechanical and Thermal Stresses in Additively Manufactured Parts for Rotating Detonation Combustion

The National Energy Technology Laboratory's (NETL's) record of success has been built on understanding the future of energy and the technologies required to make that future possible. We’ve long touted our success in developing the technologies that took on acid rain in the 1970s and mercury in the early 2000s. More recently, NETL has a leading role in President Biden’s ambitious climate goals, including a carbon emission-free power sector by 2035 and a net-zero economy by 2050.

Program Goals

The Professional Internship Program is designed to introduce undergraduate students and recent Bachelor's graduates to the challenges of conducting energy research, and enable graduate students and recent Master's graduates to further build off their studies and experience as they join the scientific community. Participants interact daily with assigned mentors who guide research and project activities during the internship, while they become integral members of project teams.

The program goals include providing the opportunity to participants to:

• Develop skills and knowledge in their field of study
• Engage with new areas of basic and applied research
• Transition classroom theory into hands-on experience
• Network with world-class scientists
• Exchange ideas and skills with the Laboratory community
• Use state-of-the-art equipment
• Contribute to answers for today's pressing scientific questions
• Collaborate with the broader scientific and technical communities

Project Details

Through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), this posting seeks a recent Bachelor's or Master's graduate or student researcher to engage in projects with the Research Innovation Center (RIC) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in the area of Advanced Turbines, under the mentorship of Don Ferguson. This project will be hosted at the NETL Morgantown, WV campus.

The objective of this project is to characterize unsteady thermal and mechanical stresses in a rotating detonation combustor and surrounding environment through experimental / computational analysis, and perform a comparison between conventional subtractive and additive manufacturing techniques. A range of materials should be considered but all materials should be relevant to the hot gas path of gas turbine engine system. The student, while participating remotely, will collaborate with NETL researchers to identify and collaborate on the development of diagnostic techniques capable of performing detailed thermal and mechanical stresses.  Representative components (in the form of test coupons) will be fabricated by NETL, undergo analysis at the remote facility and/or at NETL and then tested at NETL in various RDC test rigs. Post-test the coupons will undergo further analysis. In additional to identifying and collaborating on the development of appropriate diagnostics, the student will be responsible for data analysis, creating technical reports (conference / journal papers and posters) and presenting results.

The student will: (1) gain an understanding of computational (Finite Element Analysis) and experimental studies to explore unsteady / transient thermal and mechanical stresses in a reacting flow environment; (2) learn how to identify proper experimental diagnostics to acquire the characterize behaviors under extreme temperatures, pressures and mechanical vibrations; (3) assist with planning experimental studies and performing subsequent data analysis; and (4) learn to conduct comparative analysis between computational and experimental studies, and learn to identify inconsistencies.

Stipend: Participants receive a biweekly stipend based on their educational level. Stipend payments are taxable as an educational benefit. Stipends for full-time participation are:

• $750.50 week for undergraduate students
• $1167.50 per week for recent Bachelor's graduates
• $1428 per week for graduate students and recent Master's graduates

Deliverables: To document the effectiveness of the program, participants are required to submit a pre-appointment and post-appointment survey, as well as a reflection on their appointment experience when they renew or end their appointment. The reflection should summarize their project(s), additional activities, and overall experience. Details are provided as the appointment end date approaches.
Participants may also have the opportunity to contribute to manuscripts, journal articles, book chapters, conference presentations, posters, patents, and other publications as a part of their appointment. Such achievements should also be reported to ORISE; additional details are provided after an offer has been accepted.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory system, is owned and operated by the DOE. NETL supports the DOE mission to advance the energy security of the United States. This is an educational opportunity offered by NETL and administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Participants in the program are not considered employees of NETL, DOE, the program administrator, or any other office or agency.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate would have some, but not necessarily all, of the following skills:

• A good understanding of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics.
• An understanding of thermal and mechanical stress analysis, and some knowledge of finite element analysis.
• An understanding of data analysis using python and/or MATLAB.
• Good communications and technical writing skills.
• Preferred candidates should have a background in aerospace and/or mechanical engineering, or similar.

To be eligible for this opportunity, you must:

• Have one of the following academic statuses
  • An undergraduate student*1 in good standing at a regionally accredited college/university*2
  • A recent Bachelor's degree graduate*1 who has received their Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college/university*2 within the last 24 months at time of application
  • A graduate student in good standing at a regionally accredited college/university
  • A recent Master's degree graduate who has received their Master's degree from a regionally accredited college/university*2 within the last 36 months at time of application
• Have an overall GPA of 2.5/4.0 or higher
• Be at least 18 years of age at the time of application
• Provide confirmation of coverage under a health insurance plan prior to the beginning of the internship

*1 Soon-to-be Associate's degree graduates are eligible to apply if enrolled as a student at time of application. 
*2 Students and recent Bachelor's degree graduates from accredited Community Colleges and Technical Schools are encouraged to apply.