Thomas W.

Experience

• Mechanical Engineer Commonwealth Fusion Systems · Contract Dec 2023 – Apr 2024 4 mos Boston, MA, United States Contract Mechanical Engineer working on the SPARC spherical tokamak fusion demonstration reactor program. Used ANSYS 2023 R1 Multiphysics and Maxwell to perform a coupled magnetostatic-transient thermal-static structural analysis of the conventional copper-conductor DIVC Coil Winding Pack Assembly, including the woven fabric composite insulation.
• Mechanical Engineer Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory · Contract May 2009 – Jan 2020 10 yrs 8 mos Princeton, NJ, United States Contract Mechanical Engineer (multiple assignments) working on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) spherical tokamak fusion reactor program. Used ANSYS 19.2 Multiphysics and Maxwell to: 1.) perform a coupled magnetostatic-transient thermal-static structural analysis of the Toroidal Field Flexible Strap Assembly, a 26 lamination C15100 copper-zirconium alloy vacuum brazed flexible conductor, carrying 130,000 amps in a nominal 1 Telsa toroidal and a .3 Tesla vertical field; and 2.) perform a coupled transient electromagnetic-static structural analysis of the Neutral Beam port and Thomson Scattering port upgrades, determining the magnetostatic forces and moments produced by the toroidal and poloidal field coils on the vacuum vessel, and the plasma disruption loads in the vessel from the induced eddy currents crossing with the coil background fields; 3.) perform a coupled magnetostatic-transient thermal-static structural analysis of the Poloidal Field Support Assembly; and 4.) perform a structural analysis of the Toroidal Field Umbrella Assembly.
  
  Also helped develop the analysis protocol for a multiphysics analysis of the ITER port plug diagnostic modules: neutronics volumetric heating loads (Attila) exported to a conjugate heat transfer analysis (CFX), with the exported body temperatures combined with the Lorentz force densities from a transient electromagnetics analysis (Maxwell) in a static structural analysis (ANSYS Mechanical).
  
  Worked on the NSTX-R, using ANSYS and Maxwell (eddy and halo current) to analyze the Upper Polar Region structure and Inner PF coils, as well as the Center Stack Case.
• Mechanical Engineer QinetiQ-NA · Contract Apr 2009 – Jul 2017 8 yrs 3 mos Waltham, MA, United States Contract Mechanical Engineer. Used ANSYS and SIMPLE to perform 901D response spectrum shock and rigid body analyses of shock isolated and ruggedized electronic enclosures used on the Navy’s EMALS program.
• Mechanical Engineer MIT Bates Linear Accelerator Laboratory · Contract Aug 2015 – Jun 2016 10 mos Middleton, MA, United States Contract Mechanical Engineer. Used SolidWorks to help design and analyze a toroid magnet, to be used in a Moller electron scattering experiment at Jefferson Lab. Used ANSYS Maxwell to benchmark the magnetic field of several air and iron-core magnet designs. Also, used SolidWorks and ANSYS Maxwell to design the Dark Light Moller 1B detector assembly, including all the vacuum enclosures and bellows assembly, and a custom dipole iron-core magnet assembly.
• Mechanical Engineer Jefferson Laboratory · Contract Apr 2013 – Jun 2014 1 yrs 2 mos Newport News, VA, United States Contract Mechanical Engineer, working in the Experimental Nuclear Physics Division on the 12GeV accelerator upgrade program. Used ANSYS 15.0 Multiphysics and Maxwell 16.0 to perform a coupled transient electromagnetic-static structural analysis (quench) of the 4.6 K Heatshield, part of the superconducting Torus Magnet Assembly.
  
  Thermal and electromagnetic transient (quench) analysis of the superconducting Solenoid Magnet Assembly, including the 4K cold mass and the 80K thermal shield, also part of the 12 GeV upgrade.
• Mechanical Engineer Protom International · Contract Apr 2011 – Nov 2011 7 mos Middleton, MA, United States Contract Mechanical Engineer, working on a synchrotron system for proton cancer therapy. Used SolidWorks 2011 and Simulation to help design the switchyard beam line components connecting the synchrotron accelerator to the treatment room gantries including: the quadrupole focusing magnets; the quadrupole and dipole magnet support stands; and the vacuum enclosures.
• Mechanical Engineer MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center · Full-time May 2005 – Aug 2006 1 yrs 3 mos Cambridge, MA, United States Staff Research Engineer in the Mechanical Engineering Department. Thermal and stress analysis of in-vessel components of the Alcator-C Mod Tokamak fusion reactor, subjected to extremely high heat flux (12 MW/m2) and electromagnetic field (7 Tesla) loads, using ANSYS 10.0 Multiphysics and COSMOS DesignStar. All solid models created using SolidEdge v17. Specific analyses included:
  
  • Transient thermal/electromagnetic stress analysis of a laminated tungsten tile design for the Lower Diverter Module assemblies.
  
  • Nonlinear residual stress analysis of a vacuum brazed 24 RF window alumina ceramic/ 304L stainless steel Lower Hybrid Coupler assembly. Recommended a CTE-matched design using AMC7525 molybdenum copper metal matrix composite material.
• Mechanical Engineer MIT Lincoln Laboratories · Full-time May 1996 – Mar 1998 1 yrs 10 mos Bedford, MA, United States Member of Technical Staff, Mechanical Design Group. Senior design engineer working on a portable, rapid deployment radar system. Primary design responsibilities included: developing the purchase specification and control drawings for a 5 meter parabolic reflector; the mechanical design of an RF feed network, including the waveguide assemblies, feedhorn, monopulse comparator, and quad polarizer; and the forced-liquid cooling system.
• Mechanical Engineer Varian/ CPI · Full-time May 1989 – May 1996 7 yrs Beverly, MA, United States Sole mechanical engineer in a small design group specializing in custom microwave transmitter/modulator assemblies for aerospace/military application. Responsible for all aspects of mechanical design including thermal, stress, shock and vibration, as well as producing all layout, assembly, and piece part drawings on CAD (Personal Designer, AutoCad).
  
  Design examples: FRA Modulator, a pod-mounted (airborne) air cooled Traveling Wave Tube (TWT) mounted to an FEA designed compact heat exchanger/cold plate, part of a dip-brazed aluminum enclosure; BEL/India Transmitter, shipboard, forced-air cooled liquid-to-air heat exchanger, part of dip-brazed aluminum high voltage power supply;
  
  Seimens-Plessey TWT Amplifier, integral heatpipe cooled TWT mounted to forced-air cooled compact heat exchanger, part of dip-brazed aluminum enclosure; AEL/Cross TWT Heat Exchanger, isothermal (heatpipe) copper heat exchanger/cold plate, forced-air cooled, mounted in dip-brazed aluminum enclosure.
  
  Provided in-house FEA consulting service to microwave tube development and manufacturing areas. Examples include: microwave window kovar-to-glass seal thermal stresses; jet impingement/flow boiling cooled CFA vane tip; cathode assembly combined thermal/random vibration stresses.
• Mechanical engineer AT&T Bell Laboratories · Full-time Apr 1984 – Nov 1988 4 yrs 7 mos North Andover, MA, United States Physical Design Engineer (MTS), Transmission Lines Division. Responsible for the physical design/electronics packaging of new digital lines and lightwave telephone transmission equipment. Received seminar training in Project Management, and EMI/RFI shielding.