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