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Heat Transfer Specialist

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Reference ID R185144 Updated 07/28/2025
Discipline Engineering
Louisiana
Norco
N/A

What’s the role?

As a Heat Transfer Specialist, you will provide technical support and leadership for reliable and efficient operations of heat transfer equipment at the Shell Energy and Chemical Park – Norco, with the emphasis on Fired Equipment.Your role will support both the refinery and chemical plant assets. The Heat Transfer Specialist focuses primarily within a 90-day outlook supporting medium to long term unit issues and opportunities. A portion of a Heat Transfer Specialist’s time will be spent on the very short-term supporting emergent unit issues that threaten the business plan and cannot be resolved by Routine Maintenance. Lastly, you will work with Operations, Engineering, Process, and Pressure Equipment Integrity to ensure we continually meet the requirements for heat transfer equipment at the site.

What you’ll be doing

  • Evaluation of operational condition and metrics related to the operation of fired heat transfer equipment including fired heaters and associated systems, flare systems, tips and ignitions systems, medium and high-pressure boilers, thermal oxidizers, air preheaters, and SCRs

  • Providing operational guidance related to such topics including burner flame characteristics and stability, furnace process and emission controls including basic instrumentation, tube metal temperature indication and trends, draft control, and air pre-heat, etc.

  • Participation in field trouble-shooting activities, including root cause analysis or similar studies

  • Interpretation and analysis of thermal imaging data

  • Development of condition-based inspection and turnaround scope including identification of burner cleaning, replacement or upgrade scopes, cleaning/pigging of radiant and convection coils, coil replacement scope including tube hangers and supports, and associated systems including fuel gas trains, air pre-heat systems, FD/ID fans, etc.

  • Inspection supervision and guidance for all fired heat transfer equipment components including associated systems and refractory

  • Discipline sign-off on mechanical completions

  • Participation and support in fired equipment commissioning and start-up including refractory dry-out and burner light-off activities

  • Manage the spare flare tip inventory and coordinate repairs and replacements

  • Recommend heat transfer equipment replacement or improvements and initiate project funding requests to improve reliability

  • Provide technical support for Boiler MACT and other related regulatory programs for fired equipment

  • Skilled in coking principles of fired equipment with understanding behind the means to control it

  • Maintain relationships with Shell Global internal team members and stakeholders (other discipline engineers, service managers, project and process engineers, etc.)

  • Provide support to the Management of Change system

What you bring

  • Must have legal authorization to work in the US on a full-time basis for anyone other than current employer

  • Minimum of 7 experience in the field of heat transfer equipment, and awareness of furnace process controls. Manufacturing plant experience preferred

  • Minimum of High School Diploma is required. Bachelor’s degree in engineering is an asset

  • Results oriented and customer focused

  • Fluent in English – written and spoken

The successful candidate must be knowledgeable in the following areas:

  • Functional requirements related to the process safeguarding of fired heat transfer equipment, including the proper determination of ESP operating variables and trip settings

  • Safeguarding reviews, including cause-and-effect diagrams, PHAs, HAZOPs, and Fault Tree Analysis or similar methodologies

  • The requirements and application of relevant industry standards, including API Standards

  • Solid working knowledge of API 560 Design and Manufacture of Fired Heaters, API 530 Calculation of Heater Tube Thickness in Petroleum Refineries, API RP 534 Heat Recovery Steam Generators, API RP 535 Burners for Fired Heaters in General Refinery Services, and NFPA 85 Boiler and Combustion Systems Hazards is an asset

  • Ability to convey complex technical concepts in a clear, concise, and credible manner without using technical jargon

What we offer

The base salary range for this position is $122,000 - $182,000 per year.  Individual pay will be based on various factors, such as relevant work experience, education, certifications, skill level, seniority, and internal equity. 

For regular full-time or regular part-time employees of the Company (participating companies as listed in the Summary Plan Description), insurance coverage options include medical, dental, vision coverage, life Insurance, Business Travel Accident Insurance, and Occupational Accidental Death Benefit programs. Employees also participate in a company pension plan and a 401(k) plan. Paid leave includes up to 6 weeks of paid vacation time, up to 11 paid holidays, and parental leave offering 16 weeks of paid leave for birthing parents, and 8 weeks of paid leave for non-birthing parents.

Additionally, employees are eligible for short-term disability leave for up to 26 weeks at 100% or 50% of base pay as well as Long-Term Disability insurance. Shell also offers other compensation such financial reimbursement for adoption, wellness, education, and personal learning expenses, and some roles are eligible for discretionary long-term incentives.  For interns, eligible benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, life insurance, Business Travel Accident Insurance, and Occupational Accidental Death Benefit programs; participation in a 401(k) plan; and paid leave for up to 11 paid holidays.  Additional information on Shell’s US benefit programs can be found at https://www.shell.us/careers/about-careers-at-shell/rewards-and-benefits.html.

You bring your skills and experience to Shell and in return you work with talented, committed people on one of the most important challenges facing our planet. You’ll have the opportunity to develop the skills you need to grow in an environment where we value honesty, integrity, and respect for one another. You’ll be able to balance your priorities as you become the best version of yourself.

  • Progress as a person as we work on the energy transition together

  • Continuously grow the transferable skills you need to get ahead

  • Work at the forefront of technology, trends, and practices

  • Collaborate with experienced colleagues with unique expertise

  • Achieve your balance in a values-led culture that encourages you to be the best version of yourself

  • Benefit from flexible working hours, and the possibility of remote/mobile working

  • Perform at your best with a competitive starting salary and annual performance related salary increase – our pay and benefits packages are among the best in the world.

  • Take advantage of paid parental leave, including for non-birthing parents

  • Join an organization working to become one of the most diverse and inclusive in the world. We strongly encourage applicants of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, sexual orientation, and life experiences to apply

  • Grow as you progress through diverse career opportunities in national and international teams

  • Gain access to a wide range of training and development programs

We'd like you to know that Shell has a bold goal: to become one of the world’s most diverse and inclusive companies. You can get to know more about how we're working towards that goal, click here.

Shell in The United States

Shell has been in the US for more than 100 years, leading the sector in energy, petrochemicals and refined products.  Today, we provide millions of Americans with the energy needed to heat and cool their homes and power the economy. 

We operate in all 50 states, from our Deep-Water platforms in the Gulf of America to the Pennsylvania Chemicals complex and our miles of pipelines throughout the US.

We reach our customers through our 13,000 branded retail stations, and we are number 1 in gasoline sales. We also own the #1 brand of motor oil in the U.S. – Pennzoil® – made from natural gas.

We are excited to play a key role in the move to net carbon emissions while providing the oil and gas needed by society for many decades to come.