Gas and Chemical Engineer - Manufacturing

Canadian Solar Inc.•Jeffersonville, IN

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Gas & Chemical Engineer is responsible for the engineering, reliability, operation support, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement of bulk gas, specialty gas, and chemical supply and distribution systems supporting PVJC manufacturing operations. This position serves as a technical owner for assigned Gas & Chemical systems and works closely with Facility Operations, Production, Equipment Engineering, EHS, Quality, contractors, and gas/chemical suppliers to ensure systems operate safely, reliably, and within required process specifications. The Engineer supports systems from bulk/source storage through distribution to the production point of use, including gas cabinets, BSGS, VMB/VMP systems, piping, valves, pressure control equipment, gas detection, exhaust monitoring, control systems, alarms, interlocks, and related FMCS/TGMS interfaces.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Controls/Automation Engineering, or related engineering discipline.
2+ years of relevant engineering experience preferred; semiconductor, solar cell, electronics, battery, chemical, industrial gas, or other high-tech manufacturing experience is highly desirable.
Knowledge of industrial gas and chemical delivery systems.
Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, equipment drawings, specifications, control diagrams, and technical documentation.
Understanding of pressure, flow, gas/chemical compatibility, valves, regulators, instrumentation, piping/tubing, and process control.
Strong troubleshooting and root-cause-analysis capability.
Strong communication, documentation, and project coordination skills.
Ability to work effectively with Production, EHS, Engineering, Maintenance, contractors, and external suppliers.

Nice To Haves

Semiconductor, PV cell, electronics, or other high-tech manufacturing facility experience.
Experience with hazardous gases such as silane, hydrogen, phosphine mixtures, diborane mixtures, and NF₃.
Experience with bulk cryogenic gas systems and specialty gas delivery systems.
Knowledge of gas cabinets, BSGS, VMB/VMP systems, gas detection, exhaust monitoring, and emergency shutdown systems.
Familiarity with NFPA, IFC, CGA and SEMI requirements applicable to hazardous production materials.
Experience with commissioning, FAT/SAT, QA/QC, and construction turnover.
Experience performing RCA, MOC, risk assessment, and CAPA.
Proficiency with AutoCAD/P&ID drawings, CMMS, FMCS/BMS, and Microsoft Office applications.
Experience with gas detection, PLC/control systems, BMS/FMCS/TGMS, or industrial automation is preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide technical ownership and engineering support for bulk gas, specialty gas, and chemical supply and distribution systems.
Support bulk gas systems including nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), argon (Ar), and hydrogen (H2).
Support specialty/process gases used by PV cell manufacturing, including SiH4, NF3, N2O, PH3/H2, B2H6/H2, Ar/H2 and other gases introduced by the manufacturing process.
Support chemical storage, delivery, pumping, distribution, and point-of-use systems associated with PV cell manufacturing.
Review system operating parameters including pressure, flow, temperature, supply capacity, consumption, exhaust condition, and equipment status.
Evaluate system capacity and reliability against current production demand and future manufacturing expansion.
Identify single points of failure and recommend redundancy, backup supply, instrumentation, and reliability improvements.
Provide technical support for gas detection and monitoring systems including TGMS, BSGS, gas cabinets, VMBs, production equipment gas boxes, and ambient gas detection.
Review and maintain appropriate alarm, warning, shutdown, and evacuation logic for hazardous gas systems.
Support integration of gas detection systems with FMCS, fire alarm, emergency shutdown, exhaust, and production equipment where applicable.
Verify critical safety interlocks, permissives, alarm setpoints, emergency shutoff functions, and fail-safe conditions.
Participate in risk assessments, HAZOP/JHA reviews, MOC activities, incident investigations, and corrective/preventive actions related to Gas & Chemical systems.
Work closely with EHS to ensure hazardous gas and chemical systems are operated and maintained in accordance with site safety requirements.
Develop and maintain preventive maintenance requirements for Gas & Chemical equipment.
Provide engineering support for troubleshooting equipment failures, abnormal pressure/flow, gas detection alarms, exhaust issues, supply interruptions, leakage, valve failures, instrumentation faults, and control system abnormalities.
Perform root cause analysis for recurring failures and production-impacting incidents.
Develop and track corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
Analyze equipment performance and maintenance history to improve system reliability.
Support calibration, functional testing, leak testing, pressure testing, and verification of critical instrumentation and safety devices.
Define and maintain required operating parameters, alarms, trends, and monitoring points within FMCS/TGMS.
Review alarm history and system trends to identify developing equipment or process issues.
Establish appropriate warning and critical alarm thresholds.
Support control logic development for automatic shutdown, isolation, changeover, backup supply, and emergency response.
Ensure critical Gas & Chemical operating data is available to Facility Operations for effective system monitoring.
Review Gas & Chemical designs for new installations, production expansion, Phase 2 projects, and system modifications.
Review P&IDs, equipment layouts, piping specifications, control philosophy, cause-and-effect logic, equipment specifications, and vendor drawings.
Review contractor and supplier technical submittals for compliance with PVJC requirements.
Participate in design reviews, FAT/SAT where applicable, construction inspections, system walkdowns, punch-list development, commissioning, startup, and final acceptance.
Verify systems are properly tested and documented before turnover to Facility Operations.
Ensure lessons learned from existing systems are incorporated into future installations.
Verify installation quality for piping, tubing, supports, valves, regulators, instrumentation, gas cabinets, VMBs, chemical systems, and related equipment.
Review pressure test, leak test, purge, cleanliness, calibration, and commissioning records.
Identify installation deficiencies and coordinate corrective actions with contractors.
Verify final installations comply with approved drawings, specifications, and applicable standards.
Ensure outstanding punch-list and NCR items are resolved prior to final system acceptance.
Maintain accurate P&IDs, equipment lists, valve lists, alarm/interlock documentation, operating parameters, equipment manuals, PM requirements, and system records.
Ensure drawings are updated to reflect field modifications and final as-built conditions.
Maintain technical records for system testing, commissioning, maintenance, calibration, and modifications.
Support Management of Change (MOC) for modifications affecting hazardous gas or chemical systems.
Develop and update SOPs, troubleshooting guides, emergency procedures, and technical work instructions.
Provide technical direction to Gas & Chemical contractors, equipment suppliers, and service vendors.
Review technical proposals, equipment selections, scopes of work, and quotations.
Coordinate supplier technical support for troubleshooting and equipment improvements.
Monitor contractor work quality and verify compliance with PVJC safety, QA/QC, and engineering requirements.
Support evaluation of vendor performance and technical capability.
Work closely with Production and Equipment Engineering to ensure stable gas and chemical supply to manufacturing tools.
Respond to abnormal conditions that may impact production.
Support controlled shutdown and startup activities involving Gas & Chemical systems.
Participate in planned production downtime and inventory shutdown activities.
Develop contingency plans for critical utility or supply interruptions.
Support Facility Operations during emergency or high-priority equipment recovery.
Perform work in accordance with applicable OSHA requirements, fire/building codes, site EHS requirements, and recognized industry standards.
Support compliance with applicable NFPA, IFC, CGA, SEMI, and other standards relevant to hazardous gases and chemicals.
Follow PVJC requirements for LOTO, energized work, line breaking, confined space, hot work, chemical handling, and other applicable safe work practices.
Participate in safety audits and corrective actions.
Immediately escalate unsafe conditions or conditions that could result in hazardous gas/chemical release or production interruption.