Pressure Systems Engineer

Job Summary/Objective

This role works closely with plant maintenance and operations to ensure compliance for pressure vessel integrity throughout the facility. This includes pressure relieve valve compliance and reliability assessments for piping and fixed vessels

Essential Function

• Serves as a lead site technical resource for piping systems, stationary equipment and pressure relief valve (PRV) compliance.
• Leads efforts to ensure site practices & documentation are in compliance with PSM Mechanical Integrity standard
• Works with Operations and Maintenance in the planning, scheduling, execution, and documentation of PRV, stationary equipment and piping inspections
• Works with site maintenance team, inspectors, and contractors to ensure repairs are performed according to specifications and properly documented
• Develops, reviews & updates site maintenance and mechanical integrity procedures associated with plant pressure systems.
• Leads troubleshooting efforts related to pressure systems equipment issues onsite and documents findings.
• Assists the maintenance department with planning of site turnarounds, shutdowns, and special projects with pressure system components. Provides input with regards to schedule, development of job lists, ordering of parts and materials, sequencing of jobs around a critical path, and sizing of work crews based on job estimation
• Provide equipment reliability and performance data to the technical resource networks for input into equipment purchasing requirements, evaluation of equipment performance, vendor performance.
• Works with Operations and Maintenance to ensure the reliability and maintainability of new and modified installations.
• Participates in the development of design and installation specifications along with commissioning plans. Participates in the development of criteria for and evaluation of equipment and technical MRO suppliers and technical maintenance service providers. Develops acceptance tests and inspection criteria as needed.
• Participates in the final check-out of new installations. This includes factory and site acceptance testing that will assure adherence to functional specifications.
• Professionally and systematically defines, designs, develops, monitors and refines an asset maintenance plan for pressure systems that includes:
• Value-added preventive maintenance tasks.
• Effective utilization of predictive and other non-destructive testing methodologies designed to identify and isolate inherent reliability problems
• Provides input on quality and provides quality checks on non-OEM part substitution to eliminate reliability-related and non-reliability-related risks that could adversely impact plant operations.
• Develops engineering solutions to repetitive failures and all other problems that adversely affect plant operations. These problems include capacity, quality, cost or regulatory compliance issues. To fulfill this responsibility, the reliability engineer applies:
• Data analysis techniques that can include:
  • Statistical process control
  • Reliability modeling and prediction
  • Fault tree analysis (FMEA)
  • Root cause analysis (RCA) and root cause failure analysis (RCFA)
  • Failure reporting, analysis and corrective action system

Key Competencies

• Ability to develop and manage good working relationships with internal departments (production, sales, logistics, accounting), contractors, suppliers inspectors and customers.
• Strong mechanical and electrical knowledge and aptitude.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong knowledge of preventive maintenance programs and the tools associated with failure detection (i.e. vibration analysis, oil monitoring, thermography) as well as the software associated with them.
• Facilitator/Communicator. Deal with gray areas where responsibilities are shared by two or more groups. Find and implement solutions while avoiding finger-pointing.

Required Qualifications

• A minimum of 7 years of maintenance/reliability engineering experience is preferred. Experience required working for an operating company in the chemical manufacturing, refining, or oil and gas industry.
• Solid working knowledge of piping systems design and maintenance, pressure vessel specifications and maintenance, inspection techniques, and manpower coordination.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in basic computer software such as Microsoft Office Suite.
• Knowledge of industrial codes & standards (API, ASME, ANSI, MSHA, State).
• Knowledge of Codeware inspection software is a plus.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from an accredited institution required.

Work Environment

• Internal - Sitting at a computer performing work tasks.
• External – Working outside in the elements: rain, cold, heat.

Physical Demands

• Sitting, typing on a computer.
• Climbing, walking in the plant, potentially on uneven surfaces.