Process Engineer (Refinery)

Our client, a major player in the energy sector, is seeking a skilled Process Engineer with experience in refinery operations. This position is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US , and is crucial for optimizing refinery processes, ensuring operational efficiency, and maintaining high safety and environmental standards. The ideal candidate will have a strong chemical engineering background and practical experience in a refinery or similar heavy industrial environment.

Responsibilities:

• Monitor and analyze the performance of various refinery units and processes (e.g., crude distillation, catalytic cracking, hydrotreating).
• Identify opportunities for process optimization, efficiency improvements, and cost reduction.
• Troubleshoot operational issues, diagnose root causes, and develop corrective actions.
• Design and implement process modifications and small capital projects.
• Develop and update process flow diagrams (PFDs), piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), and other process documentation.
• Perform process simulations using software like Aspen Plus, HYSYS, or PRO/II.
• Ensure processes operate within established safety and environmental limits.
• Conduct hazard and operability studies (HAZOP) and participate in process safety management (PSM) reviews.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for process units.
• Provide technical support to operations and maintenance teams.
• Analyze laboratory data and process samples to assess performance and quality.
• Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for process operations.
• Participate in turnarounds and shutdowns, providing technical support and planning.
• Stay updated on new process technologies and best practices in the refining industry.
• Conduct capacity and debottlenecking studies.
• Perform energy efficiency assessments.
• Work with heat exchanger network design and optimization.
• Perform furnace and boiler efficiency analysis.
• Work with separation processes (distillation, absorption, stripping).
• Perform reaction engineering analysis.
• Work with catalysis in refining processes.
• Perform fluid dynamics analysis.
• Work with thermodynamics and phase equilibria.
• Perform process control strategy development and optimization.
• Work with advanced process control (APC) systems.
• Perform relief system design and analysis (API 520/521).
• Work with flare system design.
• Perform tank venting analysis.
• Work with pressure vessel design considerations.
• Perform piping system design considerations.
• Work with materials selection for process equipment.
• Perform corrosion analysis and mitigation strategies.
• Work with reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) for process equipment.
• Perform root cause analysis (RCA) for equipment failures.
• Work with failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA).
• Perform incident investigation.
• Work with environmental permitting and compliance.
• Perform air emissions calculations and reporting.
• Work with wastewater treatment processes.
• Perform solid waste management planning.
• Work with greenhouse gas emissions reporting.
• Perform process hazard analysis (PHA) revalidations.
• Work with management of change (MOC) procedures.
• Perform pre-startup safety reviews (PSSR).
• Work with mechanical integrity programs.
• Perform emergency response planning support.
• Work with risk management plans (RMPs).
• Perform process safety information (PSI) management.
• Work with employee participation in PSM.
• Perform hot work permits.
• Work with confined space entry permits.
• Perform lockout/tagout procedures.
• Work with contractor safety management.
• Perform process safety training.
• Work with compliance audits.
• Perform internal audits.
• Work with external audits.
• Perform regulatory agency inspections.
• Work with governmental reporting (e.g., EPA, state environmental agencies).
• Perform technical report writing.
• Work with technical presentations.
• Perform peer reviews of engineering work.
• Work with project engineering teams.
• Perform capital project scoping and evaluation.
• Work with front-end loading (FEL) studies.
• Perform detailed engineering design review.
• Work with construction support.
• Perform commissioning and startup support.
• Work with performance testing.
• Perform post-startup optimization.
• Work with technology vendors.
• Perform new technology evaluation.
• Work with research and development teams.
• Perform pilot plant studies.
• Work with scale-up challenges.
• Perform cost estimation for projects.
• Work with economic evaluation techniques.
• Perform profitability analysis.
• Work with linear programming models for refinery optimization.
• Perform scheduling optimization.
• Work with supply chain optimization.
• Perform crude oil evaluation.
• Work with product quality specifications.
• Perform blending optimization.
• Work with inventory management support.
• Perform loss control analysis.
• Work with yield accounting.
• Perform material balance calculations.
• Work with energy balance calculations.
• Perform exergy analysis.
• Work with sustainability initiatives.
• Perform carbon capture and storage assessment.
• Work with hydrogen production methods.
• Perform biofuels processing integration.
• Work with petrochemical integration.
• Perform specialty chemical production support.
• Work with catalysts performance monitoring.
• Perform catalyst changeout planning.
• Work with furnace decoking planning.