About the Opportunity
At Skyven Technologies, we have developed a revolutionary heat pump technology to decarbonize industrial heat and move the needle on climate change. Our technologies have the potential to completely eliminate on-site CO2 emissions from industrial steam. We implement this technology through an innovative Energy-as-a-Service model that provides clean process heat to industrial facilities. We identify, fund, design, build, and install our cutting-edge, decarbonization technologies to help industrial manufacturers reach their sustainability goals, while minimizing their risk and reducing their operational expenses.
Industrial heat is responsible for roughly 20% of global CO2 emissions. That’s roughly equivalent to emissions generated by all transportation (including land, sea, and air) and is a compelling business opportunity – it will take an estimated $3.7 trillion in capital investment to decarbonize the sector by 2050. Skyven is at the forefront of this transformation and has recently been selected for a $145M investment from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate the deployment of our state-of-the-art Skyven Arcturus steam-generating heat pumps (SGHPs) at manufacturing facilities nationwide, revolutionizing how we address energy needs while combating climate change.
About the Position
We are seeking to hire a short-term, part-time advisor (contractor) to assist with the validation of a custom designed flash vessel for our steam generating heat pump product. We generally expect the project to require 20-40 hours of work, to be completed in four weeks or less.
Technology Background
The flash vessels receive warm water from a waste heat source and force the water through a pressure drop to bring the pressure lower than the liquid’s saturation pressure. This causes some amount of the liquid to vaporize, creating low pressure steam. This steam is then passed through a series of fans (mechanical vapor recompression fans, or MVRS) to increase its pressure to the desired target value.
Skyven’s flash vessels are a brand-new design, but very similar in geometry and operation to vessels used in multi-stage flash (MSF) distillation plants. Water flows horizontally through the vessels, dropping pressure through interstage orifices, generating steam at different pressures in each flash vessel. Unlike MSF technology, there is no condenser in the stages as steam is sent directly to the rest of the process.
Requirements
Skyen is looking to validate the performance of its flash vessels ahead of construction. We are looking for an experienced engineer who has designed and analyzed full-scale MSF or similar technology in the past.
Past experience includes estimating flash train performance (steam generation rates, water temperatures) for one or more designs and operational points. Preference would be given to individuals who have modeled performance and validated it with full-scale, real world operational data. We are not looking for academic-only experience.
Scope of Work
Skyven seeks to understand the performance of its flash vessel design. Skyven will provide the contractor with three different vessel geometries each with two distinct operating conditions each. The contractor would then utilize historical data, empirical correlations, and/or scaling exercises to determine the mass flow of steam generated in each vessel as a function of its geometry and operating conditions. Skyven will also provide the expected flow rates and interstage orifice dimensions with the expectation that the contractor confirms the sizing or make recommendations for modified orifices.
Skyven also seeks practical information on the operation of the vessels. This includes to what extent sloshing of the liquid would occur that may interfere with orifice performance. It also includes understanding of the liquid temperature profile in the vessels and how it may vary with liquid depth as well as longitudinally along the length of the vessel. Finally, we seek advice on the likelihood of droplet carryover for our specific use cases. Any other practical advice the contractor can provide on performance or operation would be of benefit to us.
Within the period of work, Skyven would meet with the contractor via video conference call approximately one time a week for a one-hour duration during US east coast working hours. During this time, the contractor would update Skyven on progress, ask questions and update Skyven on expected work remaining. One or more Skyven employees would also be available to respond to emails or phone calls outside of the regularly scheduled meetings if required.
FAQs
1. Am I expected to design a new flash vessel or series of flash vessels for Skyven?
No. Skyven has completed conceptual level design of the flash vessels and has selected a basic geometry (diameter, length, orifice sizes) and will specify operational parameters (water flow rates, temperatures, liquid depth). The advisor is not expected to design the vessel, but rather analyze and inform Skyven if the existing design meets the specified requirements.
2. I’ve completed analytical evaluations or simulations of flash vessels in the past. Does that satisfy your qualifications?
No. We are only looking for individuals who have worked on physical, full-scale systems who can bring historical knowledge and real-world operating data to bear. Additionally, previous work on MSF or similar technologies that does not consider the vessel’s physical geometry in the determination of performance is not considered relevant experience for this position.
3. Are you looking for CFD or other computer simulations?
No. Skyven is evaluating CFD simulations separately. The purpose of this consultant is to bring experience with empirical correlations rather than simulation.
4. I have experience designing flash vessels outside of the MSF industry. Does that qualify me?
Yes, potentially. We specifically highlight MSF as it is the most similar technology to our own, but if you have experience with other flash vessels that operate similarly, this may be acceptable.
5. Is there the possibility for follow-up work?
Yes, potentially. Depending on the outcome of this study, we may have additional questions that require answering that would require an extension of the project or a new project scope. However, we have not currently established the need for additional work after the end of this project nor does working on this project guarantee future work.
Benefits
- 20-40 hours of work compensated at a negotiable hourly rate
