Mechanical Technician - Brookhaven National Laboratory

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

The mission of the Collider-Accelerator Department (C-AD) is to operate, maintain, improve, and upgrade the suite of electron, proton, and heavy ion accelerators used to carry out a program of accelerator-based experiments at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). To support this program, the C-AD must design, fabricate, assemble, test, install, and operate unique research equipment to generate, transport, transfer, accelerate, focus, track, collide, and absorb high intensity particle beams up to energies of 250 GeV.  This includes a combination of custom designed and built parts and vendor produced components developed by a collaboration of the C-AD scientific, engineering, and technical staff. The C-AD supports an international user community of over 1,500 scientists. The C-AD performs all these functions in an environmentally-responsible and safe manner, under a rigorous conduct of operations approach.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Collider-Accelerator Department Accelerator Division Cryogenics Group is responsible for operating and maintaining the helium refrigeration and distribution plant that provides very cold helium to the superconducting devices in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).  The Cryo Group also operates and maintains other smaller helium plants that cool satellite experimental devices that contribute to the RHIC scientific mission.

The Accelerator Division Cryogenics Group (C-AD Cryo Group) has an opening for a mechanical technician. Under the direction of the mechanical technician supervisor and working within project teams of other Cryo Group technicians and engineers, the mechanical technician installs, maintains, calibrates, troubleshoots, and repairs mechanical components and systems that are in the scope of the C-AD Cryo Group.

The selected candidate will be placed at the appropriate level dependent upon depth and breadth of relevant knowledge and skills, as well as years of relevant experience. This position has a high level of interaction with an international and multicultural scientific community.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Install, maintain, calibrate, troubleshoot, and repair mechanical components and systems that are in the scope of the C-AD Cryo Group

• During RHIC experimental operations, participate in plant 24/7 operations working on a shift schedule, with field rounds to check equipment and help shift coordinators monitor operations

• Work to maintain BNLs policies and practices for the safe conduct of research by completing all required safety and compliance training, participating in work and safety planning, following procedures and work plans, wearing appropriate PPE, and maintaining safe work areas.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Requires a high school diploma or equivalent plus:

  • a BS degree in a technical field or;

  • a technical institute, Adult BOCES certification, AA degree in a technical field, CCI program completion at BNL plus 4 years experience as defined below or;

  • a technical high school certification program (e.g. BOCES) and 5 years relevant work experience as defined below or;

  • 6 years full time relevant experience maintaining components in industrial plant or research support facility systems including pumps, compressors, and heat exchangers

• Good mechanical skills, the ability to work with basic hand tools, measuring tools, and familiarity with mechanical drawings and process and instrumentation diagrams drawings

• Experience with tubing and piping systems sizing standards and component types, and working with threaded joints, flanged joints and associated sealing, compression fittings, clamped joints

• Experience with handling and use of compressed gas bottles

• Experience with system instrumentation such as pressure gauges, temperature gauges, level probes and flow meters and read outs in imperial and metric units

• Basic machine shop skills using band saw and drill press

• Basic computer skills and experience using Microsoft Office products

• Ability to read and carry out instructions from an Operating Procedures Manual

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Requires a high school diploma or equivalent plus:

  • a BS degree in a technical field and 2 years work experience or;

  • a technical institute, Adult BOCES certification, AA degree in a technical field, CCI program completion at BNL plus 6 years as defined below experience or;

  • a technical high school certification program (e.g. BOCES) and 7 years relevant work experience as defined below or;

  • 8 years full time relevant experience maintaining components in industrial plant or research support facility systems including pumps, compressors, and heat exchangers

• Experience with cryogenic systems and/or large pressurized gas handling systems and with safely handling cryogenic fluids such as Helium, Nitrogen, and Argon

• Experience with reading and identifying material type, size, and rating on components

• Experience with large industrial valves, relief valves and burst disks systems, valve-actuators and preloading of valve stem, set-up, and calibration of valve positioners

• Experience with rotating machinery and large motors, such as alignment of motors to pump/compressor. This experience includes training, education, and/or experience with precision rebuilds of rotating machinery like pumps and compressors

• Experience with general industrial vacuum techniques and equipment associated with insulating vacuum systems for cryogenic applications, and helium mass spectrometer leak checking level

• Experience with larger water cooling systems, heat exchangers, and process oil lubricating systems

• Familiarity with maintenance of industrial air compressors and drying systems

• Experience with prepping piping for welding, working in a welding environment, and handling and use of compressed gas bottles and familiarity with associated regulators and CGA fitting types

• Experience and training with operating a man-lift and fork-lift

• Advanced machine shop skills and training in machine tools, reading mechanical drawings to produce mechanical parts, and precision inspection of machined parts

• Working knowledge of safety codes and standards related to mechanical and electrical work and training in the application of lock-out tag-out to protect workers

Environmental, Health & Safety Requirements:

• Individual will be required to be able to use a 5 min air escape pack

• Individual will be required to be able to wear standard Personnel Protection Equipment

• Individual will be required to climb ladders and/or work in Confined Spaces

• Individual will be required to work in Oxygen Deficiency Hazard area.

• Individual will be required to work in High Noise environment

• Individual will be required to work in Static Magnetic fields area greater than 5 Gauss

• Individual will be required to become a qualified Radiation Worker and may be required to work in radiation areas

• Individual will be required to occasionally work off-hours, nights, or weekends to support troubleshooting and repair of mission critical systems

Other Information:

• This position is a bargaining unit role, and the incumbent will need to become a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 30

• Individual will be required to occasionally work off-hours, nights, or weekends to support troubleshooting and repair of mission critical systems

• This is a fully onsite position

• Appointment level will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.