Principal Engineer - Hydroelectric & Pumped Storage Systems

SgurrEnergy; Pune District; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 5,400,000; Full time

Job summary

SgurrEnergy in the global renewables field seeks a Lead Hydraulic & Mechanical Engineer for hydroelectric and pumped storage projects. You will lead feasibility, basic and detailed design, procurement, construction and commissioning, delivering mechanical and hydraulic solutions across the project lifecycle.

Responsibilities include turbine/pump-turbine selection, hydraulic design reviews, and coordinating with civil, electrical and control teams.

Qualifications

• In-depth expertise in hydroelectric power plant design including turbines and generators.
• Strong understanding of hydraulic transients, cavitation, vibration and fatigue.
• Experience in feasibility, engineering design, OEM evaluation, installation and commissioning.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication for technical documentation and client presentations.
• Ability to lead complex assignments, mentor engineers and manage budgets and timelines.

Responsibilities

• Manage assigned technical scopes, resources, budgets, schedules, deliverables and multidisciplinary interfaces.
• Travel domestically and internationally (approximately 15–25% of time) for site visits and commissioning.
• Support proposals, technical methodologies, effort estimates, client presentations and business development for hydroelectric opportunities.
• Mentor engineers and develop internal capability in hydraulic machinery, hydro-mechanical systems and multidisciplinary hydro projects.
• Develop training material, technical libraries, standard tools and lessons learned.

Skills

Hydroelectric power plant design

Turbine selection & sizing

Hydraulic transient analysis

Multidisciplinary coordination

Technical reporting

English communication

Job description

SgurrEnergy was originally established in Glasgow, UK in 2002 with an aim to excel in renewable energy consulting. The company with its in-depth expertise progressed exponentially in renewable energy and assessed over 160GW of projects worldwide. Furthermore, with huge growth and expansion, SgurrEnergy was incorporated in 2007 to provide technical advisory and engineering services for renewable projects globally.

Since its inception, SgurrEnergy has become one of the leading reputed renewable engineering consultancy offering 360° services over the complete project lifecycle. Our services are tailor-made to meet the requirements at any stage of the renewable energy project. With a team of more than 135 highly-qualified engineering and renewable expert, we bring a combined 1300 man-years of experience, making SgurrEnergy the largest and only purely renewable energy-focused consulting team across the globe providing feasibility studies, design and detailed engineering, construction management, O&M consulting, performance assessment and technical due diligence services for developers, investors & lenders and EPC contractors.

We are actively working on large-scale utility projects in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam, Philippines, South Africa, Ukraine, Jordan, Australia, the USA, and many more countries; the company is also rapidly expanding to the Far East, Africa, Americas, Middle East, and other Asian countries.

Job Description

• - 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.
• - 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.

Requirements

• - In-depth expertise in complete hydroelectric power plant design, including turbines or pump-turbines, waterways, generators or motor-generators and mechanical balance-of-plant.
• - Strong understanding of hydraulic transients, cavitation, sediment erosion, vibration, fatigue, equipment performance and plant operating requirements.
• - Experience in feasibility, engineering design, specifications, OEM evaluation, manufacturing review, installation and commissioning.
• - Strong analytical, problem-solving, multidisciplinary coordination and engineering judgement.
• - Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to produce high-quality technical documentation and client presentations.
• - Ability to lead complex assignments, mentor engineers and deliver quality work within agreed budgets and timelines.