POSITION SUMMARYThe Hydraulic Engineer - Centrifugal Pumps at Trillium Flow Technologies is a professional engineering role within the Research & Development department responsible for the hydraulic design, analysis, testing, and performance optimization of centrifugal pump hydraulic components - including impellers, diffusers, bowl assemblies, volutes, and inducers - across Trillium's pump product lines. Trillium serves customers in power generation, oil & gas, water & wastewater, and general industry with highly engineered centrifugal pumps, and this role is the technical owner of internal hydraulic performance for assigned product families. Greater than 50% of work time is spent on professional hydraulic engineering activities requiring advanced turbomachinery knowledge, independent engineering judgment, and discretionary decision-making consistent with the Learned Professional exemption under FLSA 29 C.F.R. 541.301 and the Professional exemption under California Labor Code 515. The Hydraulic Engineer reports to the R&D Manager and collaborates closely with the Senior Hydraulic Engineer, Mechanical Design Engineers, and R&D Technicians. This role integrates AI-assisted CFD, pump performance prediction, and hydraulic design optimization tools as standard engineering practice and operates with extreme ownership over all assigned hydraulic deliverables.
PRIMARY DUTIES- Design centrifugal pump hydraulic components - impellers, diffusers, bowl assemblies, volutes, and inducers - applying turbomachinery design principles including velocity triangles, specific speed (Ns/Nq), head coefficient, flow coefficient, and hydraulic efficiency targets to develop internal geometries that meet pump performance specifications
- Develop and optimize pump performance curves (H-Q, efficiency-Q, power-Q, NPSHr-Q) for assigned pump families; apply design methods to achieve best efficiency point (BEP) targets, flatten the curve for stable operation, and meet head rise-to-shutoff requirements across the operating envelope
- Support the commercial and application engineering teams with technical responses to customer hydraulic queries, pump selection guidance, and bid qualification review for non-standard duty points
- Perform NPSH analysis and cavitation assessment for centrifugal pump designs - calculate NPSH required (NPSHr), evaluate NPSH available (NPSHa) margin per ANSI/HI 9.6.1, assess suction specific speed (Nss), design inducers where required to extend low-NPSH operating range, and apply cavitation erosion mitigation strategies to impeller and inducer geometries
- Execute computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of internal pump hydraulics - impeller passage flow, diffuser/volute pressure recovery, recirculation zones, radial and axial thrust loads - using ANSYS CFX, Fluent, or equivalent; interpret results and translate findings into geometry modifications that improve hydraulic performance
- Apply hydraulic design standards - ANSI/HI 1.1-1.6 (rotodynamic pumps), ANSI/HI 9.6 series (NPSH, vibration, derating), API 610 (centrifugal pumps for petroleum/petrochemical), API 685 (sealless pumps) - as applicable to the pump type and service to establish design requirements and acceptance criteria
- Develop and execute hydraulic performance test plans per ANSI/HI 14.6 (pump test acceptance criteria); participate in factory acceptance testing (FAT) and laboratory performance testing; analyze test data to validate hydraulic model predictions, calculate hydraulic efficiency, and document acceptance against specification tolerances
- Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) on hydraulic performance shortfalls, field failures, and cavitation damage - impeller erosion, volute cracking, diffuser recirculation, axial thrust imbalance - using engineering analysis, CFD review, and field data; develop and validate corrective hydraulic design changes
- Assist with completing hydraulic design documentation - design specifications, predicted performance curves, CFD reports, FMEA, test protocols, test reports, and engineering change orders - maintained in Trillium's engineering document management system in accordance with applicable codes and internal quality standards
- Support hydraulic selection for custom engineered-to-order (ETO) pump configurations - evaluate customer duty point requirements, select impeller trim, determine operating point on the performance curve, assess NPSH margin, and provide technical input to application engineers and the commercial team
- Collaborate with the Mechanical Design Engineer and Manufacturing Engineering to ensure hydraulic geometries are producible - casting tolerances, machining allowances, surface finish requirements, and assembly clearances - without compromising hydraulic performance targets
- Assist Procurement with hydraulic component supplier qualification - casting foundry capability assessments, pattern approval, dimensional inspection criteria for impeller and bowl castings
- Maintain hydraulic test rig calibration records and coordinate scheduled maintenance on performance test loops with R&D Technicians
- Monitor industry developments through participation in Hydraulic Institute (HI) technical committees, API standards working groups, and pump industry technical conferences relevant to Trillium's product roadmap
QUALIFICATIONS- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or closely related engineering discipline from an ABET-accredited institution - coursework in fluid mechanics, turbomachinery, thermodynamics, and heat transfer required
- 0-3 years of professional engineering experience in centrifugal pump or rotating equipment design, development, or testing in an industrial, energy, or fluid-handling equipment environment
- Foundational knowledge of centrifugal pump hydraulic theory: Euler's turbomachinery equation, velocity triangles, specific speed, affinity laws, pump similarity, hydraulic losses, and slip factor
- Understanding of pump performance curves (H-Q, efficiency, BHP, NPSHr) and the ability to analyze operating point behavior, stable operating range, and performance derating under off-BEP conditions
- Familiarity with NPSH concepts - NPSHr, NPSHa, suction specific speed, cavitation inception, and the consequences of insufficient NPSH margin on pump performance and component life
- Proficiency with 3D CAD software (SolidWorks or equivalent) for hydraulic component geometry modeling; ability to read and create engineering drawings with GD&T per ASME Y14.5
- Exposure to or coursework in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) - setup, mesh generation, boundary conditions, and results interpretation for internal flow applications
- Strong analytical problem-solving skills with the ability to apply fluid mechanics fundamentals to centrifugal pump hydraulic design challenges
Preferred:- Experience designing or analyzing centrifugal pump hydraulic components - impellers, diffusers, bowl assemblies, volutes, or inducers - in a manufacturing or product development environment
- Working knowledge of ANSI/HI standards (1.1-1.6, 9.6.1, 9.6.3, 9.6.5, 14.6) and/or API 610 for centrifugal pump design and acceptance testing
- Hands-on experience with pump performance testing - instrumentation, data acquisition, pump curve generation, and hydraulic efficiency calculation
- Experience with turbomachinery CFD using ANSYS CFX, ANSYS Fluent, or equivalent - particularly internal flow analysis of rotating/stationary passages in centrifugal pumps
- Knowledge of impeller and diffuser design methodologies - 1D mean-line design, blade-to-blade analysis, and 3D inverse design or direct CFD optimization
- Familiarity with centrifugal pump material selection for hydraulic components - cast iron, 316 SS, duplex stainless, CD4MCu, bronze - relative to fluid compatibility, erosion resistance, and cavitation damage tolerance
- Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification or active pursuit of Professional Engineer (PE) license in California
- Experience with ERP-integrated engineering change order (ECO) processes in a manufacturing environment (Epicor or equivalent)
AI COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTSAI-DRIVEN ORGANIZATION - REQUIRED ENGINEERING COMPETENCY
- Uses AI-assisted CFD and simulation tools to accelerate hydraulic flow modeling, thermal analysis, and performance optimization across design iterations - reducing physical prototype cycles
- Uses AI-generated design review summaries, FMEA risk scoring assistants, and automated standards-compliance checkers to improve engineering documentation quality and review cycle speed
- Actively learns and adopts new AI-enabled engineering tools introduced by the R&D team as part of Trillium's AI-driven organization standard; contributes to process improvement proposals for the R&D department
- Documents all AI tool outputs, model assumptions, and validation evidence in the engineering record - AI-generated analysis is treated as a starting point requiring engineering judgment and verification, not a final answer
EXTREME OWNERSHIP REQUIREMENTSEXTREME OWNERSHIP - NON-NEGOTIABLE
- Takes full ownership of every hydraulic design decision, test result, and performance commitment - if the pump doesn't hit the curve, the Hydraulic Engineer owns the gap analysis and the fix
- Proactively identifies and escalates hydraulic design risks - NPSH margin concerns, off-BEP stability issues, cavitation vulnerability, axial thrust imbalance - before they become field problems or customer complaints
- If a hydraulic design fails in testing or the field, initiates root cause analysis without waiting to be directed, and owns seeing the corrective design and re-validation through to closure in coordination with senior engineering review
- Owns hydraulic performance issues end-to-end - investigating why a pump misses its curve or cavitates in the field rather than deferring to manufacturing or quality - while partnering with a Senior Engineer or Manager for technical direction on resolution.
- Raises schedule risks, resource constraints, or technical blockers with a proposed solution and a timeline - not just an alert - and follows through until closed
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORKING CONDITIONS- Combined office and hydraulic test laboratory environment - frequent movement between engineering workstations and pump performance test loop
- Ability to stand for extended periods during pump assembly, test setup, and factory acceptance testing activities
- Ability to lift up to 35 lbs - pump components, test fixtures, instrumentation, and hydraulic hardware
- Work in test facility environments with elevated noise levels during pump operation - hearing protection required in designated test areas
- Occasional work in manufacturing or foundry areas requires safety footwear (steel-toe boots), safety glasses, hearing protection, and additional PPE as designated
- Manual dexterity sufficient to handle precision hydraulic components, instrumentation probes, and test loop fittings during assembly and setup
- Occasional travel to supplier facilities (foundries, pattern shops), customer sites for field startup support, or factory acceptance testing at customer or third-party locations (est.
