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