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