Thermal Systems Intern

About the Company

Equiterion Energy is a deep-tech startup focused on developing compact, high-efficiency power generation systems using advanced thermodynamic cycles. The company is currently building standalone supercritical CO₂ power generator, with a focus on high power density, system efficiency, and scalable design.

Internship Overview

Equiterion Energy is seeking a highly motivated Thermal Systems Intern to support the design and validation thermal systems of a supercritical CO₂-based power cycle. The project has completed preliminary thermodynamic calculations and is now moving into detailed CAD modeling, component-level thermal design, and CFD-driven refinement. This role is best suited to a final-year student or recent graduate in Mechanical, Thermal, or Energy Engineering who is comfortable working across heat transfer, thermodynamics, CAD, and CFD simulations. The intern will work closely with the founding team to convert cycle concepts into manufacturable subsystem layouts and simulation-ready models, with a strong emphasis on heat transfer systems, thermal design logic, and engineering computation.

Key Responsibilities

As our core thermal systems intern, your primary focus will be across thermal design, CAD preparation, and simulation support for the sCO₂ generator program. Your day-to-day responsibilities include:

1. Support the design of heat transfer and thermal subsystems for an sCO₂-based power cycle targeting about 50 kW output.
2. Translate preliminary calculations into engineering layouts, sizing logic, and design assumptions for components and assemblies.
3. Build and refine 3D CAD models of relevant thermal and flow-system hardware, including ducts, piping, heat-exchanger interfaces, housings, and related mechanical structures.
4. Prepare geometries for CFD analysis and support meshing, boundary condition definition, solver setup, and results interpretation for internal flow and heat-transfer behavior.
5. Assist with thermal analysis of components exposed to elevated temperatures near 500°C and identify design improvements for performance, manufacturability, and reliability.
6. Use Python-based engineering tools for calculations, data processing, property evaluation, and simulation post-processing.
7. Work with thermophysical property libraries such as CoolProp and help maintain calculation notebooks or scripts used in the design loop.
8. Review technical literature related to sCO₂ cycles, compact heat exchangers, turbomachinery-adjacent thermal systems, and CFD/heat transfer methods to strengthen design decisions.
9. Document assumptions, simulation workflows, results, and recommendations in a clear engineering format, as documentation and reporting are common expectations in comparable thermal engineering internships.

Required Skills from the candidates

Candidates should bring a solid engineering foundation and the ability to work independently in a startup R&D environment. Relevant internship postings in thermal systems and CFD consistently prioritize fundamentals in heat transfer and fluid mechanics, exposure to CAD and simulation tools, and a structured research mindset.

1. Candidates in Final year M.Tech or recently graduated B.Tech / M.Tech (Preferred) in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Energy Engineering, or a closely related field.
2. Strong fundamentals in heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and thermal system design.
3. Deep, practical familiarity with ANSYS (Fluent, CFX) and ANSYS Mechanical/Structural modules.
4. Proficiency in SolidWorks, Autodesk Fusion 360, or Siemens NX.
5. Hands-on experience with CoolProp or related thermophysical property libraries in Python.
6. Comfort with Python for engineering calculations, automation, data analysis, or thermodynamic property evaluation.
7. Highly analytical, research-oriented, and comfortable reading deep-tech academic literature to solve unmapped multi-physics anomalies.
8. Ability to work independently in a research-driven startup environment.

Duration, Stipend & Terms

Total Duration: 6 Months (Fixed Term)

Probation Period: First 2 Months

Stipend Structure:

• During Probation (Months 1-2): ₹7,000 per month
• Post-Probation (Months 3-6): ₹10,000 per month (subject to successful performance assessment during probation)

What You Stand to Gain

• True Deep-Tech Exposure: You will work on an active, national-level paradigm shift in clean energy power cycles.
• Unmatched Portfolio Value: Your designs, simulation reports, and CAD architectures will directly dictate the physical build parameters of our generation unit.
• High Growth Potential: Outstanding performers who successfully push this system through the simulation gate will be fast-tracked for full-time founding engineer roles as we transition to the physical build stage.