Principal Engineer - Hydroelectric & Pumped Storage systems

SgurrEnergy; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Job summary

SgurrEnergy in Pune, India, seeks an experienced Mechanical/Hydraulic Engineer to lead delivery for conventional hydroelectric and pumped storage projects. You will oversee design, procurement, construction, commissioning and operation aspects across feasibility to commissioning stages.

Key responsibilities include hydraulic design of intakes and penstocks, turbine and generator selection, interface management with civil and control teams, and preparation of technical tender documents.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver mechanical, hydraulic and electromechanical engineering for conventional hydroelectric and pumped storage projects across feasibility, basic and detailed design, procurement, construction, commissioning and operational stages.
• Oversee project configuration, installed-capacity optimisation, unit sizing, operating range and powerhouse arrangement.
• Design hydraulic components: intakes, waterways, pressure shafts, penstocks, manifolds, spiral casings, draft tubes, surge systems and tailraces.
• Calculate gross head, net head, design discharge, hydraulic losses and equipment design pressures.
• Assess hydraulic transients, water-hammer and surge-control for start-up, shutdown, load rejection, pump trip and emergencies.
• Select and size turbines (Francis, Kaplan, Pelton) and pumped-storage arrangements; review performance characteristics.
• Review hill charts, four-quadrant characteristics, efficiency, cavitation, vibration and operational limits.
• Design and specify generators, motor-generators, valves, gates, and mechanical balance-of-plant equipment.
• Coordinate turbine-generator and mechanical-system interfaces with civil, electrical, geotechnical and control-system teams.
• Provide mechanical and hydraulic inputs to energy modelling, feasibility, cost estimates, schedules and lifecycle evaluations.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to hydraulic transients, cavitation, erosion, vibration and reliability.
• Support refurbishment, uprating and efficiency improvement of existing hydro assets.
• Prepare technical tender documents and evaluate OEM/contractor proposals for major hydro equipment.
• Review OEM calculations, drawings, performance curves and test results.
• Support manufacturing inspections, factory tests, construction, commissioning and issue resolution.
• Travel domestically and internationally (approx. 15–25%).
• Support proposals, methodologies, effort estimates and client presentations for hydro opportunities.

Job description

The role and responsibilities essentially includes -

- Technical Delivery & Expertise

• - Lead and deliver mechanical, hydraulic and electromechanical engineering for conventional hydroelectric and pumped storage projects across feasibility, basic and detailed design, procurement, construction, commissioning and operational stages.
• - Undertake and technically oversee key engineering activities, including:
• - Project configuration, installed-capacity optimisation, number and rating of units, operating range and powerhouse arrangement
• - Hydraulic design of intakes, waterways, pressure shafts, penstocks, manifolds, spiral casings, draft tubes, surge systems and tailraces
• - Calculation of gross head, net head, design discharge, hydraulic losses and equipment design pressures
• - Hydraulic transient, water-hammer and surge-control assessments for start-up, shutdown, load rejection, pump trip and emergency conditions
• - Selection and sizing of Francis, Kaplan, Pelton and other applicable turbines for conventional hydro projects
• - Selection and sizing of reversible pump-turbines and evaluation of fixed-speed, variable-speed and ternary pumped storage arrangements
• - Review of hill charts, four-quadrant characteristics, efficiency, cavitation, vibration, pressure pulsation, runaway speed and operating restrictions
• - Selection and specification of generators and motor-generators, including rating, speed, inertia, cooling, excitation, braking and starting arrangements
• - Design and specification of main inlet valves, gates, stoplogs, trash racks, hoists and other hydro-mechanical equipment
• - Design of cooling water, lubrication, drainage, dewatering, compressed air, service water, fire protection and mechanical auxiliary systems
• - Powerhouse layouts, erection and maintenance clearances, lifting requirements, access and major equipment replacement arrangements
• - Plant operating philosophy covering generation, pumping, start-up, shutdown, mode change, synchronous condenser operation and emergency sequences
• - Prepare and review design basis reports, calculations, equipment selection studies, specifications, data sheets, P&IDs, layouts, bills of quantities and tender drawings.
• - Coordinate turbine-generator and mechanical-system interfaces with civil, structural, geotechnical, electrical, grid and control-system teams.
• - Provide mechanical and hydraulic inputs to energy modelling, feasibility assessment, project cost estimates, schedules, operating strategies and lifecycle evaluations.
• - Identify risks relating to hydraulic transients, cavitation, erosion, vibration, fatigue, reliability, constructability and maintainability, and recommend mitigation measures.
• - Assess existing hydro assets for refurbishment, uprating, efficiency improvement, residual life, equipment obsolescence and operational optimisation.
• - Support pre-feasibility studies, feasibility studies, owner’s engineering, lender’s engineering, technical due diligence and independent engineering assignments for hydro and pumped storage projects.
• - Prepare technical tender documents and evaluate OEM and contractor proposals for turbines, pump-turbines, generators, motor-generators, valves, gates and mechanical balance-of-plant packages.
• - Review OEM calculations, drawings, performance curves, model-test results, guarantees, manufacturing documents and proposed technical deviations.
• - Support manufacturing inspections, factory tests, construction, installation, commissioning, performance testing, equipment acceptance and site issue resolution.

- Technical Governance, Codes & Standards

• - Establish SgurrEnergy’s hydro and pumped storage design philosophies, engineering procedures, calculation templates, specifications, checklists and technical review protocols.
• - Ensure designs comply with applicable IEC, IEEE, ISO, ASME, IS and other relevant national and international hydropower codes, standards and statutory requirements.
• - Act as the internal technical authority for critical mechanical and hydraulic deliverables and ensure assumptions, interfaces, design decisions and departures from standards are properly reviewed and documented.

- Quality Assurance & Reporting

• - Prepare clear, technically robust and client-ready reports, design notes, specifications, bid evaluations, review comments, inspection reports, commissioning procedures and presentations.
• - Support QA/QC reviews, supplier qualification, inspection and test plans, non-conformity resolution and acceptance criteria for major hydroelectric and pumped storage equipment.

- Collaboration & Capability Development

• - Work across SgurrEnergy’s Business Verticals covering energy advisory, design and engineering, project management consultancy, power and grid dynamics, environmental and technical investigations, and quality assurance and inspections.
• - Mentor engineers and develop internal capability in hydraulic machinery, hydro-mechanical systems, mechanical balance-of-plant, equipment selection and multidisciplinary hydroelectric power plant design.
• - Develop training material, technical libraries, standard tools and lessons learned, and contribute to recruitment, knowledge-sharing sessions, technical papers and thought leadership.

- Operational Responsibilities

• - Manage assigned technical scopes, resources, budgets, schedules, deliverables and multidisciplinary interfaces effectively.
• - Travel domestically and internationally (approximately 15–25% of time) for site visits, investigations, client meetings, factory inspections and commissioning support.
• - Support proposals, technical methodologies, effort estimates, client presentations and business development for hydroelectric and pumped storage opportunities.