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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Thermodynamics Performance Engineer - **Company:** Arbor Energy Limited - **Location:** El Segundo, CA, United States - **Experience:** Experienced - **Salary:** $140,000.0 - $155,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim, Computer Programming, MATLAB - **Published:** September 4, 2026 - **Apply:** https://startup.jobs/thermodynamics-performance-engineer-arbor-energy-8127496 ## About the Role * Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Aerospace, Nuclear, or related Engineering field * 4+ years of experience in cycle performance analysis, thermodynamic systems modeling, or dynamic process simulation * Strong fundamentals in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer, applied to integrated multi-component systems * Demonstrated experience building dynamic simulation models of fluid/thermal systems in an industry-grade 1D system simulation platform - and a clear point of view on tool tradeoffs for closed-loop power cycle applications * Working knowledge of integrated power loop equipment - heat exchanger sizing, compressor/pump curves, valve Cv, piping hydraulics - and how each shows up in dynamic response * Programming proficiency: Python for data reduction and automation; one of MATLAB/Simulink, Modelica, or equivalent for modeling * Strong ownership mentality and comfort driving rigorous analysis in a fast-paced startup environment, * Deep experience with industry dynamic simulation platforms (such as GT-SUITE, Modelica/Dymola, NPSS, Flownex, Simcenter Amesim, or equivalent) applied to turbomachinery, power cycles, or closed-loop thermal-fluid systems * Background in nuclear thermal-hydraulics with fast-dynamic single-phase modeling experience (RELAP, TRACE, MARS, ATHLET, GAMMA, or equivalent), particularly applied to gas-cooled or sCO reactor concepts * Working knowledge of real-fluid EOS handling (REFPROP, CoolProp, Span-Wagner) and turbomachinery map interpolation near critical conditions * History of making and defending tool/methodology decisions in a constrained engineering environment * Experience with supercritical CO , closed Brayton cycles, high-pressure systems (100+ bar), or other high-density working fluids * Experience coupling plant models to control systems for HIL testing, controller validation, FMU export, or operator training simulators * Hands-on plant startup, commissioning, or field troubleshooting on first-of-a-kind or developmental systems * Background in rocketry, gas turbine, advanced reactors, or high-performance turbomachinery environments ## Description We're looking for a Thermodynamics Performance Engineer to own the dynamic and steady-state thermodynamic models of our direct-fired supercritical CO Brayton cycle. You'll be the person who turns integrated system behavior into clear, actionable insight - running performance studies ahead of test campaigns, reconciling predictions against test data, and growing our modeling capability into a digital-twin-quality simulation platform that supports controls development, trip response, and eventual hardware-in-the-loop testing. You'll work closely with our test, combustion, turbomachinery, recuperator, fluid systems, and controls engineers. This is the simulation backbone for a first-of-a-kind power system, and the work is foundational to how we operate, validate, and scale the technology., * Own the integrated cycle performance model - steady-state and dynamic - for our direct-fired sCO Brayton power loop, maintaining and advancing it through the hardware lifecycle * Run performance prediction and sensitivity studies ahead of test campaigns; reconcile model output against test data to drive model refinement and surface component-level insights * Own the architecture call on how our dynamic modeling stack should evolve over time - what platform, what fidelity, on what evidence * Build property tables, turbomachinery map handling, heat exchanger transient models, and combustor representations appropriate to the cycle and fidelity required * Collaborate with combustion, turbomachinery, and heat exchanger engineers to integrate component data into system-level models; collaborate with controls and software teams on closed-loop simulation and HIL planning * Develop simulation infrastructure - scripted scenario runs, parameter sweeps, validation cases - that makes the model usable by engineers beyond yourself ## Related Videos - [Building a hypercar from scratch](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/607-building-a-hypercar-from-scratch) - [Leveraging Large Language Models for Legacy Code Translation: Challenges and Solutions](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1157-leveraging-large-language-models-for-legacy-code-translation-challenges-and-solutions) - [Photonic Computing: Programming a New Class of AI Accelerators (incl. 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