Senior Process Design Engineer ( Scale -Up)

The Process Design Engineer will bridge process engineering requirements with mechanical design solutions specific to scaling single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) production & its applications. This role focuses on translating scale-up process needs into clear mechanical requirements, ensuring that all equipment designs and modifications support the performance, safety, and application goals of the Scale-up team.

Key Responsibilities

1. Process-to-Mechanical Translation

•      Work with process engineers to define mechanical requirements for SWCNT production scale-up (reactors, piping, filtration, drying, sorting, and dispersion systems).

•      Convert process flow diagrams (PFDs) and P&IDs into mechanical specifications for central engineering execution.

•      Ensure equipment designs meet process performance targets for yield, purity, and reproducibility.

2. Application-Specific Equipment Adaptation

•      Develop equipment configurations to handle SWCNT in powder, dispersion, and membrane forms without degradation or contamination.

•      Specify materials of construction and surface finishes to prevent adsorption, contamination, or loss of nano materials.

•      Design features to enable quick cleaning, changeovers, and minimal downtime during trials.

3. Scale-Up Support & Validation

•      Participate in pilot and scale-up trials to evaluate mechanical performance of equipment.

•      Generate and maintain mechanical performance of system for smooth transfer to Operations

•      Recommend mechanical adjustments based on trial results to improve reliability and repeatability.

•      Work with the central engineering team to implement approved modifications.

4. Coordination with Central Engineering

•      Provide technical input for vendor selection, fabrication drawings, and equipment acceptance criteria.

•      Review mechanical drawings from central engineering for alignment with process needs.

•      Ensure timely resolution of mechanical issues impacting scale-up timelines.

5. Reliability & Continuous Improvement

•      Identify mechanical bottlenecks and propose design enhancements.

•      Introduce ergonomic and safety improvements specific to SWCNT handling.

•      Develop mechanical solutions to enable scale-up of purification, sorting, and application development processes.

6. Safety & Compliance

•      Ensure mechanical specifications comply with ASME, IS, API, and relevant nanomaterial handling guidelines.

•      Contribute to hazard identification and repeatability studies (HAZOP) for new equipment.

7. Cross-Functional Collaboration

•      Work with Quality & Operations teams to submit data and ensure system meets specifications (R).

•      Provide process-related insights to the operations team for seamless scale-up and commercial production.

•      Engage with customers and applications engineers to align process outputs with end-use performance needs (R).

Requirements

Skillset & Experience Requirements

Core Skills (Required)

Mechanical-Process Integration

•      Ability to translate process engineering needs (PFDs, P&IDs) into mechanical specifications and equipment design requirements.

•      Experience designing or specifying process equipment: high-temperature reactors, heat exchangers, gas handling manifolds, filtration units, dryers, slurry handling systems.

Mechanical Design & Analysis

•      Proficiency in CAD and drafting tools: SolidWorks.

•      Experience with finite element analysis (FEA) tools such as ANSYS or SolidWorks Simulation for stress, thermal, and vibration analysis.

•      Knowledge of ASME BPVC, IS, API, and relevant mechanical standards for pressure vessels, piping, and rotating equipment.

Process Scale-Up Support

•      Design, installation and commissioning of pilot plant

•      Experience in equipment sizing and material of construction selection based on process chemistry, temperature, and pressure conditions.

•      Knowledge of modular equipment design to enable iterative scale-up trials.

Data & Performance Validation

•      Ability to correlate mechanical equipment performance with process yield, purity, and throughput data.

•      Generate and maintain mechanical performance of system for smooth transfer to Operations

•      Root cause analysis of mechanical failures or inefficiencies, using tools like Fish bone diagrams or FMEA.

Coordination & Documentation

•      Preparing detailed mechanical specifications, data sheets, and vendor requirement documents.

•      Reviewing fabrication drawings and mechanical layouts to ensure process compatibility.

•      Liaising with vendors, central engineering, and process engineers to resolve technical issues.

Experience Level

•      Education: B.E./B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering (M. Tech preferred).

•      Work Experience: 2–4 years in process mechanical engineering, preferably in specialty chemicals, Oil and Natural Gas Industries.

•      Execution Experience:

                                i.            At least one complete cycle of process-to-mechanical translation from concept to pilot-scale implementation.

                              ii.            Direct participation in installation, commissioning, and troubleshooting of process-specific mechanical systems.

Benefits