Will “Chemical Plant and System Operators” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

85% Chance of Automation

“Chemical Plant and System Operators” will probably be replaced by robots.

This job is ranked #487 out of #702. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower number) means the job is less likely to be replaced.

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Job Description

Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.

Job Details

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 51-8091.00
The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 59,430.00
The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 28.00
Currently, there are 33,300 people on this job

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Chemical Plant and System Operators”

Interpret chemical reactions visible through sight glasses or on television monitors and review laboratory test reports for process adjustments.
Turn valves to regulate flow of products or byproducts through agitator tanks, storage drums, or neutralizer tanks.
Notify maintenance, stationary-engineering, or other auxiliary personnel to correct equipment malfunctions or to adjust power, steam, water, or air supplies.
Regulate or shut down equipment during emergency situations, as directed by supervisory personnel.
Repair or replace damaged equipment.
Record operating data, such as process conditions, test results, or instrument readings.
Calculate material requirements or yields according to formulas.
Inspect operating units, such as towers, soap-spray storage tanks, scrubbers, collectors, or driers to ensure that all are functioning and to maintain maximum efficiency.
Draw samples of products and conduct quality control tests to monitor processing and to ensure that standards are met.
Gauge tank levels, using calibrated rods.
Supervise the cleaning of towers, strainers, or spray tips.
Patrol work areas to ensure that solutions in tanks or troughs are not in danger of overflowing.
Control or operate chemical processes or systems of machines, using panelboards, control boards, or semi-automatic equipment.
Start pumps to wash and rinse reactor vessels, to exhaust gases or vapors, to regulate the flow of oil, steam, air, or perfume to towers, or to add products to converter or blending vessels.
Confer with technical and supervisory personnel to report or resolve conditions affecting safety, efficiency, or product quality.
Move control settings to make necessary adjustments on equipment units affecting speeds of chemical reactions, quality, or yields.
Monitor recording instruments, flowmeters, panel lights, or other indicators and listen for warning signals, to verify conformity of process conditions.
Defrost frozen valves, using steam hoses.
Direct workers engaged in operating machinery that regulates the flow of materials and products.

Related Technology & Tools

Bourdon tubes
Cooling towers
Mixing tanks
Pressure gauges
Silencers
Air conditioning systems
Reciprocating compressors
Thermocouple temperature probes
Blending vessels
Distillation columns
Barometers
Tensometers
Control boards
Industrial liquid flowmeters
Boilers
Humidifiers
Heating vessels
Centrifugal pumps
Gas analyzers
Screw conveyors
Recording calorimeters
Agitator tanks
Neutralizer tanks
Manometers
Hydraulic accumulators
Positive displacement pumps
Calibrated rods
Panel lights
Rotary pumps
Collectors
Personal protective equipment
Storage drums
Effluent treatment systems
Axial flow fans
Belt conveyors
Centrifugal compressors
Display screens
Centrifugal fans
Soap-spray storage tanks
Viscometers
Industrial fans
Converter vessels
Steam turbines
Panelboards
Hoppers
Desktop computers
Wet scrubbers
Radiographic detecting instruments
Thermocouples
Chemical reactor vessels
Conveyor feeders
Digital surface thermometers
Fire extinguishers
Bucket elevators
Capacitance probes
Chain conveyors
Industrial dryers
Steam hoses
Refrigeration systems
Reciprocating pumps

Coordinated incident management system CIMS software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Office
Interlock shutdown systems
Distributed control system DCS
Alarm management system software