Principal Engineer I - Heat Transfer

What You Will Do

Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise in mechanical heat transfer principles, including conduction, convection, radiation, and heat exchanger design, supporting heap leach and hydrometallurgical operations. Serve as the organization's leading expert in heat exchanger selection and design, stockpile thermal modeling, and thermal management within leach environments.

Lead the development, calibration, and validation of thermal models to predict heat generation, distribution, and loss within stockpiles. Drive the design and optimization of heat exchanger systems and heated raffinate distribution networks, while developing thermal retention strategies that improve sulfide leaching kinetics and maximize metal recovery.

• Lead heat transfer studies involving conduction, convection, and radiation heat transfer within heap leach stockpiles, applying first-principles thermal analysis to predict pile temperature behavior.
• Provide technical leadership for the design, specification, sizing, selection, optimization, and troubleshooting of heat exchanger systems, including shell-and-tube, plate-and-frame, and specialty equipment. Apply advanced thermal design methodologies such as LMTD and effectiveness-NTU analyses while developing strategies to address fouling and improve heat transfer performance.
• Develop, calibrate, and validate advanced thermal models to predict heat generation, propagation, temperature distribution, heat penetration, and thermal breakthrough within heap leach stockpiles, supporting process optimization and operational decision-making.
• Monitor, evaluate, and recommend emerging technologies, industry best practices, and technical advancements in heat transfer, thermal modeling, heat recovery, and thermal management systems to enhance operational efficiency and metallurgical performance.
• Perform other duties as required.

What You Bring To Freeport

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related engineering discipline and seven (7) years of experience in related engineering field; OR
• Master’s degree in Engineering or related engineering discipline and five (5) years of experience in related engineering field; OR
• PhD in Engineering or related engineering discipline and three (3) years of experience in related engineering field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated expertise in heat exchanger design, sizing, and troubleshooting (LMTD, effectiveness-NTU, fouling, pressure drop).

• Ability to develop and validate thermal models of large-scale systems such as heap leach stockpiles (heat pile modeling and retention).

• Working knowledge of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and transport phenomena; proficiency with thermal modeling tools (e.g., ANSYS, COMSOL, CFD, MATLAB/Python).

• Experience with heated-raffinate delivery, boilers, steam systems, or industrial water heating in a mining or process environment.

• Able to research and analyze information of considerable difficulty and draw valid conclusions.

• Ability to develop and maintain awareness of occupational hazards and safety precautions.

•  Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, both verbally and in writing.