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Preliminary Sizing & CFD | Fixed-Term Contract
Elemeca is seeking a Gas Turbine Combustor Analyst to support preliminary design and CFD assessment of a liquid-fuelled gas turbine combustor.
This is a focused, fast-moving development programme. You will be expected to move from first principles and incomplete inputs to practical, traceable engineering decisions; develop analysis tools and CFD models; identify risks early; and communicate clearly enough for the programme to move quickly.
We are looking for an engineer who can reduce a problem to first principles, use a hand calculation or simple model when that is enough, and deploy CFD, detailed simulation, or testing only when it will materially improve the decision - at pace.
What you will do
Develop preliminary combustor sizing and calculation tools.
Define air splits, pressure-loss budgets, liner cooling and dilution concepts.
Perform and interpret cold-flow, reacting-flow, and thermal CFD.
Assess combustor performance across start, idle, acceleration, design, and relight conditions.
Develop practical CFD validation and test plans.
Communicate assumptions, risks, results, and recommended design changes clearly.
What we are looking for
Able to work effectively in a fast-paced development environment, prioritising high-value analysis and delivering clear, decision-ready outputs.
Comfortable taking ownership of ambiguous technical problems and progressing them through calculations, modelling, review, and test planning.
Strong written and verbal communication, including the ability to explain assumptions, uncertainty, trade-offs, and recommendations to a small multidisciplinary team.
Demonstrable delivery of combustor design, analysis, development, or CFD work.
Strong fundamentals in gas-turbine combustion, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and fuel-air mixing.
Experience with preliminary combustor sizing, combustor system design, liner flows/cooling, dilution, or injectors and vaporisers.
CFD experience using a relevant tools such as OpenFOAM/reactingFoam (preferred), ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+, or equivalent reacting CFD.
Motivated by early-stage engineering development, where the work may range from first-pass calculations and spreadsheets to detailed CFD and test support.
Experience with liquid-fuel combustion, vapourisation and atomisation, ignition, relight, or combustion stability is advantageous.
Type of engagement
Fixed-term contract: 3 - 6 months
Location and working arrangement: Cardiff (UK) Hybrid or Full Remote
Flexible to engagement type: fixed-term employment or consultancy via a personal service company, subject to role requirements, right-to-work checks, and employment-status / IR35 assessment where applicable.
To apply, please send your CV and a short note outlining combustor projects you have personally delivered, including your role, tools used, and key outcomes, using the form below.
Elemeca is committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. We assess applicants on the skills and experience relevant to the role and can make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process.
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