Will “Geothermal Technician” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔
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Job Description
Perform technical activities at power plants or individual installations necessary for the generation of power from geothermal energy sources. Monitor and control operating activities at geothermal power generation facilities and perform maintenance and repairs as necessary. Install, test, and maintain residential and commercial geothermal heat pumps.
Job Details
- The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 49-9099.01
☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Geothermal Technicians”.
Also Known As…
- Geothermal Technicians
- Operator Technician
- Operations Technician
- Mechanical Technician
- Maintenance Technician
- Maintenance Mechanic
- Instrumentation, Control, and Electrical Technician (I C & E Technician)
- Instrumentation and Electrical Technician (I & E Technician)
- Instrument and Controls Technician (I & C Technician)
- Control Room Operator (CRO)
- Control Operator
- Pump Technician
- PPO (Power Plant Operator)
- Plant Technician
- Plant Operator
- Plant Mechanic
- Plant Control Operator
- Operator
- Operations and Maintenance Technician
- Mechanic
- Ground Source Heat Pump Technician (GSHP Technician)
- Geothermal System Installer
- Geothermal Installer
- Geothermal HVAC Technician (Geothermal Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Technician)
- Geothermal Field Technician
- Distribution Field Technician
- Corrosion Technician
Tasks for “Geothermal Technician”
- Calculate heat loss and heat gain factors for residential properties to determine heating and cooling required by installed geothermal systems.
- Backfill piping trenches to protect pipes from damage.
- Install and maintain geothermal system instrumentation or controls.
- Determine whether emergency or auxiliary systems will be needed to keep properties heated or cooled in extreme weather conditions.
- Maintain electrical switchgear, process controls, transmitters, gauges, and control equipment in accordance with geothermal plant procedures.
- Collect and record data associated with operating geothermal power plants or well fields.
- Integrate hot water heater systems with geothermal heat exchange systems.
- Design and lay out geothermal heat systems according to property characteristics, heating and cooling requirements, piping and equipment requirements, applicable regulations, or other factors.
- Adjust power production systems to meet load and distribution demands.
- Test water sources for factors such as flow volume and contaminant presence.
- Maintain, calibrate, or repair plant instrumentation, control, and electronic devices in geothermal plants.
- Weld piping, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE) piping, using techniques such as butt, socket, side-wall, and electro-fusion welding.
- Prepare and maintain logs, reports, or other documentation of work performed.
- Perform pre- and post-installation pressure, flow, and related tests of vertical and horizontal geothermal loop piping.
- Install, maintain, or repair ground or water source-coupled heat pumps to heat and cool residential or commercial building air or water.
- Determine the type of geothermal loop system most suitable to a specific property and its heating and cooling needs.
- Operate equipment such as excavators, backhoes, rock hammers, trench compactors, pavement saws, grout mixers or pumps, geothermal loop reels, and coil tubing units (CTU).
- Prepare newly installed geothermal heat systems for operation by flushing, purging, or other actions.
- Monitor and adjust operations of geothermal power plant equipment or systems.
- Identify equipment options, such as compressors, and make appropriate selections.
- Identify and correct malfunctions of geothermal plant equipment, electrical systems, instrumentation, or controls.
- Install and maintain geothermal plant electrical protection equipment.
- Apply coatings or operate systems to mitigate corrosion of geothermal plant equipment or structures.
- Dig trenches for system piping to appropriate depths and lay piping in trenches.
Related Technology & Tools
- Trench compacters
- Wire strippers
- Portable welding equipment
- Valve wrenches
- Adjustable hand wrenches
- Safety gloves
- Pipe squeeze off tools
- Grout mixers
- Channel lock pliers
- Coil tubing units
- Adjustable pipe wrenches
- Air monitoring equipment
- Desktop computers
- Alignment clamps
- Tracked excavators
- Deburring tools
- Claw hammers
- Well drilling rigs
- Safety glasses
- Socket wrench sets
- Laptop computers
- Depth meters
- Grout pumps
- Butt fusion machines
- Protective respirators
- Phillips head screwdrivers
- Straight screwdrivers
- Air wrenches
- Pyrometers
- Ratchet sets
- Wire cutters
- Personal computers
- Pavement saws
- Pipe cutters
- Programmable logic controllers PLC
- Microsoft Word
- Geothermal Properties Measurement Tool
- Distributed control system DCS
- Thermal Dynamics Ground Loop Design GLD
- Email software
- Microsoft Office
- ClimateMaster GeoDesigner
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- SAP
- Microsoft Excel
- WaterFurnace International Ground Loop Design PREMIER