Automation and Instrumentation and Controls for Molten Salt Laboratory
Raluca Scarlat, Professor
Nuclear Engineering
Applications for Fall 2026 are closed for this project.
The SALT group performs high temperature molten salt experiments, with application to fusion and fission nuclear energy and critical mineral. We measure the properties of molten salts and of materials that come in contact with molten salts at high temperature (metal alloys, graphite and other ceramics and composites). We are piloting an effort to add robotic components and automation to some of our laboratory activities, to accelerate molten salt experimental research, and better couple it with automation of data interpretation and of design. This involves improvement of some of the hardware and software used in our laboratory.
Role: Students will assist with design, procurement, installation, testing, troubleshooting, training and documentation of instrumentation and controls for high temperature molten salt cells. Students will also be part of automation design exercises.
Qualifications: Should have taken a controls class. EECS, ME, NE or related backgrounds are likely most suitable to the project.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Matei Ignuta Ciuncanu, Post-Doc
Hours: 9-11 hrs
Engineering, Design & Technologies Mathematical and Physical Sciences