Marcus W. Montisano
Mechanical Design Intern at FPoliSolutions
FPoliSolutions is a small, nuclear engineering company whose mission statement is "to serve the global energy transition community by providing customer-tailored innovative technologies". As a mechanical design intern, I worked mostly in CAD modeling and FEA, but was happy to help out on other projects as needed. The work done for FPoli is proprietary and protected.
Group
FPoliSolutions, LLC
Date
Summer 2022
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Objective
Conduct preliminary research and development work for a novel nuclear reactor design. Update CAD model for efficient iteration and start thermomechanical analysis.
Role
My primary summer project was to update and parameterize a reactor assembly for fast future iteration by the design team. I linked the main assembly, sub-assemblies, and component parts to a standardized variable set on a text document, which would update the main assembly without having to rebuild each component individually. My next project was to do preliminary finite element analysis for a proposed fuel rod design in Ansys Mechanical. The rod was modeled at operating temperature conditions with temperature dependent properties in a thermal analysis which was fed into a mechanical analysis.
Reflection
I enjoyed working in a structured, Agile environment. Using Agile methodologies of project management, I was better able to understand my own productivity and stay on top of completing tasks. This workflow matched well with my work style and is something I carried forward to my senior design team. During my research period, I created a 100+ page documentation packet in the company's format to inform future engineers on the work I completed and serve as a variable reference guide. I learned a lot from this internship, gaining new insights into the nuclear energy field and some reactor design considerations. I was eager to ask for help and seek guidance from experienced engineers when stuck, which I think enhanced my knowledge and technical growth.