Idaho National Laboratory is hiring a Biomass Process Researcher to work on our Thermal Preprocessing team. Our team works a 9x80 schedule in Idaho Falls, Idaho with every other Friday off. As a Biomass Processing Researcher, you will lead cutting-edge research to optimize biomass engineering to meet the quality specifications of various downstream thermochemical processes like gasification, pyrolysis, and hydrothermal liquefaction. Techniques used will involve size reduction using hammer mills, knife mills and other size reduction equipment alongside thermal processes like torrefaction or biochemical processes like storage with enzymes. A strong understanding of bulk solids flow and an ability to innovate in pathways outside biofuels, like using biomass dust for composites production will be part of the daily research activities. Additionally, analysis of supply chains, processing energy, and mass throughputs will be used to support technoeconomic and life cycle assessments. Researchers will collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, analyze data, design experiments, and publish impactful findings to support INL's mission of promoting sustainability and energy independence. Responsibilities Include: - Decompose project objectives into defined and controlled design requirements. - Use design methodologies, technologies, and processes which are best practice for the technical discipline to develop and define a design, and to validate that the design meets defined requirements. - Develop physics-based mathematical models of mechanical, chemical, and electrical systems to support and verify design. - Maintain familiarity with and technical understanding of codes and standards applicable to the discipline. - Document the design (controlled and approved models, drawings, specifications, design descriptions) to establish conformance with design requirements and applicable codes and standards. - Establish testing, inspection, and quality requirements to ensure technical features important to design functions are maintained. - Oversee or otherwise ensure that fabrication, construction, assembly, and procurement are done in accordance with the design. - Develop and maintain the assigned systems/equipment. Perform calculations related to the specifications of project, including analysis and evaluation of location, material resources, and mechanical design. - Provide solutions to technical problems and recommendations for improvements in production activities. This may include planning, design, and constructing manufacturing facilities and similar structures or production processes. - Apply engineering principles to monitor and evaluate condition and operational performance of plant systems related to mechanical engineering; recommend maintenance and repair standards and procedures, identify vendor data, replacement, and spare parts; coordinate resources and priorities necessary to attain or maintain the appropriate system condition. - Support and lead the development of new projects at the INL in area of specialty, including the development of proposals and business plans. - Ensure any design modification meets the technical baseline requirements and applicable codes and regulations. Recommend and initiate modifications to support programmatic missions and operational goals and lead preparation of design efforts. - Develop, ensure adequacy of, and maintain configuration management of the technical baseline. Establish and maintain configuration management of assigned system. Maintain cognizance of system/equipment status and performance through review of operating logs and observation of operations. - Ensure consistency in operation characteristics among applicable documents such as drawings, technical manuals, operating instructions, emergency operating procedures. - Enhance technical/professional skills of junior engineering staff through mentoring and training. - Work with other designers, customers, and analysts to develop experiment requirements, perform conceptual and final designs, follow all fabrication and inspection activities, lead experiment assembly activities, support installation and testing of experiments, and support development of integrated analyses in order to ensure that facility safety bases are met. - Lead the development of project specific documentation, such as checked and signed drawings. Check drawings developed by others. - Other duties as assigned.
