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