ronbo6
Demi-Minion
Survivor: End of the World. 12/21/2012
Posts: 91
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Post by ronbo6 on Dec 24, 2012 16:35:07 GMT
The plants I worked in were quite old, and we were only a two-hour drive away from Cleveland where they were located, so our plants used primarily Bailey pneumatic controls of several vintages.
When those systems wore out, or we needed something else pneumatic, we used some reasonably compatible pneumatic controllers produced by Westinghouse.
Our first 'electronic' control systems (analog) were from Foxboro (Spec 200) and from Westinghouse (7300 series). I installed and was the go to engineer to maintain these systems.
When we went to DCS controls, we used Bailey again (Network 90, infi-90, and Symphony). 3 systems total, but they were really much more different in name than in actual hardware. Again, I was involved in the installation, coonfiguration, and tuning, of these systems.
Don't remind me of the seven months I spent 12/7 (or longer) constantly in a 90-95 Degree F room initially setting up and tuning the first of these DCS systems, and getting called in EVERY time the system would hiccup (or was suspected of malfunctioning) over the next 15 years. I was told that making the air conditioner work in the DCS room was secondary, and I had to do that, too, but only AFTER the system was up and running.
The last DCS's we installed was from Emerson. I never worked on that system, though, because I stopped working there about six weeks before they started installing the first one.
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Post by wvengineer on Dec 30, 2012 19:23:52 GMT
Interesting thread.
Where I work, we have 2 old steam generator plants. One was put in during the 60's and runs #2 Fuel Oil. The main steam plant was built in the early 50's to burn coal. In the 80's it was refurbed and added a #2 FO backup. I have been helping out off and on in a project to built a new steam plant to replace both of those systems.
Over the summer we finally got permission to install a NG line to the plant. It literally took an act of congress because it was going across state lines. We got the site chosen and the siting approval for it.
Next year we will be getting into the details of designing the plant itself. What we are leaning towards is a NG fired co-gen system. Basically we install a power plant that would supply the local grid and help to offset our rather large power bill and the waste steam from that system would go to supply our steam needs.
Anything that we should be looking out for?
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Post by the light works on Dec 30, 2012 23:06:44 GMT
Interesting thread. Where I work, we have 2 old steam generator plants. One was put in during the 60's and runs #2 Fuel Oil. The main steam plant was built in the early 50's to burn coal. In the 80's it was refurbed and added a #2 FO backup. I have been helping out off and on in a project to built a new steam plant to replace both of those systems. Over the summer we finally got permission to install a NG line to the plant. It literally took an act of congress because it was going across state lines. We got the site chosen and the siting approval for it. Next year we will be getting into the details of designing the plant itself. What we are leaning towards is a NG fired co-gen system. Basically we install a power plant that would supply the local grid and help to offset our rather large power bill and the waste steam from that system would go to supply our steam needs. Anything that we should be looking out for? give yourself enough lead time that you are not having to run the plant at maximum output before you get all the details finished off. |
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Post by wvengineer on Dec 31, 2012 0:41:26 GMT
What?!?
You mean actually plan something out fully and not go off running with a half baked concept? I think that is against a corporate mandate or something.
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Post by the light works on Dec 31, 2012 0:52:36 GMT
OTOH, I've made some pretty good money from the times they didn't. 7X12 leaves you pretty burned out, but the paychecks are impressive.
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ronbo6
Demi-Minion
Survivor: End of the World. 12/21/2012
Posts: 91
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Post by ronbo6 on Dec 31, 2012 5:00:48 GMT
OTOH, I've made some pretty good money from the times they didn't. 7X12 leaves you pretty burned out, but the paychecks are impressive. Been there, done that. Try 7X12 for about seven months straight in as room that NEVER got below 90F, and was often closer to 100, while installing, checking out, and tuning the control system. The 'geniuses' running the project estimated that it would take under eight days to do a complete functional check-out and preliminary tuning job an entirely new control/interlock system in the DCS after installation was complete . I told them that they were dreaming, and it would take closer to six weeks to complete tune the entire thing satisfactorily. Care to guess whose estimate was spot-on, and whose wasn't? Do you also want to guess who caught hell for being right (read as over (their) schedule /over (their) budget)? Remember, I happened to work for First Energy, the company that brought you the 2003 Northeast Blackout. I could write a book! A more clueless batch of clowns never walked the Planet. |
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Post by the light works on Dec 31, 2012 6:12:24 GMT
my favorite one was "can we cut our completion time from two months to one month?"
"It's going to cost you"
"that's not what I asked."
my personal hell shift was 12 on, 8 off, 7 shifts a week. by saturday night, you're so loopy the only way you know morning from evening is by whether there are waffles in the cafeteria line.
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ronbo6
Demi-Minion
Survivor: End of the World. 12/21/2012
Posts: 91
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Post by ronbo6 on Dec 31, 2012 20:47:35 GMT
Waffles? Cafeteria line? Unbridled Luxury!
Our best choice (other than the vending machines in the file room. Not REALLY a choice unless you were REALLY, REALLY desperate.) was one 24-hour greasy spoon restaurant (and about eight fast-food places) in a one-block stretch of road about five miles from the Plant.
My best move was taking an underbudgeted (I didn't budget it, but I DID warn the guy who did put the budget together that he was way short of money when he put it together), desperately needed, capital project that was in danger of being cancelled, and in just two days of tweaking the job scope, achieved EVERY BIT of the goal of the project, resulting in 40% of the project's budget being left unspent.
I didn't even get a thank you for saving them about $80,000, but instead, I DID lose my job (along with about four other high performers at the Plant) about three months later, due to nothing that any of us did wrong, but completely due to the ignorance and stupidity of two of the incompetent clowns I mentioned earlier that the Company laughingly called 'bosses'.
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Post by the light works on Jan 1, 2013 2:05:18 GMT
this was a remodel at a casino, so we had access to the employee cafeteria.
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Post by silverdragon on Jan 2, 2013 10:12:00 GMT
I lost a job because of an incompetent boss....
He couldnt understand why they paid me more than some of the other drivers, three of us were on higher wages for a reason... he didnt think, so requested I sign a new contact.
Law states you CANT do that, you CANT force someone to take a pay cut, unless its voluntary....
As in either that or redundancy....
I took redundancy.
So did the other two..... (we already knew there were jobs elsewhere...)
I actually planned to go straight back to the agency who had found me the job in the first place.
They had already agreed and said I would go back exactly where I was when I left.
That cost the company in redundancy payout. Times three.
Then the reason that we got paid more came to light... We three drivers who had licences higher than the vehicles we were driving on a day to day basis, we were driving class three and class two, but all had class one licences (Now C+E)....
Then came the end of the quarter and BIG pieces needed to e moved requiring BIG wagons... class one... they usually hired them in?..and he had just sacked the three drivers who had that licence?... so now they needed to hire in Three Agency drivers as well...
I get a call from my Agency asking if I would mind going back for a few days.... they understood it may be difficult but as my Boss then put it "There's no harm in askin... you may have said yes?..."
I declined
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Post by the light works on Jan 2, 2013 15:46:52 GMT
I heard of a legend of a job where the manpower shortage was so bad if the foreman caught someone sandbagging, he'd hand them their paycheck, and layoff slip, and say "see you on monday" (when a new batch of workers, usually including all the laid off goof-offs arrived from the hall)
my best story was that I was laid off (metric equivalent - made redundant) because we were doing a buried conduit project, and we caught up to the ditchdigger. I went and signed at the hall were I was at the time, and at the next hall north, and got hired on the next day for the same company, doing a different buried conduit project.
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Post by kharnynb on Jan 8, 2013 16:18:17 GMT
I could do most stuff i used to do again, except maybe industrial hall building, since my knees are pretty much shot.
I've never been fired, but i quit one (summer)job.
This was still in the netherlands, at a bucket factory.
The job was pushing the metal handles into plastic buckets(back then still by hand)
After one shift, my hands were so blistered that i couldn't turn the key on my front door.
Next day i left there, it did give me a boatload of respect for the first generation turkish immigrants who worked there.
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Post by alabastersandman on Feb 6, 2013 6:56:41 GMT
Couldn't go back to pool tables, my back, neck, knees, and feet are shot. Couldn't go back to building conveyor systems, too much bending of stainless steel half-round by hand (w/t bending bars), and having to work in odd positions. I could do the welding, as that was never a lot of welding at any one time, otherwise my neck and muscles would fatigue too quickly. Also couldn't do the standing on cement floors for 10 hours at a time. That's why I like my wood shop, I can work at my own pace and stop when I need to.
I could probably go back to building solar panels (air to air/air to water) if I could do it at my own pace. I would have to have someone else move the 1/4"x4'x8' and 1/4"x4'x10' glass for me though. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned on both sides to keep it from fogging, and then checked for stones and air bubbles, those could make the glass break. Used to do that by myself. Then after the seal was pressed on, it needs to be set into the panel. My record time for constructing an air to air panel (once preliminary prep was done, glass, insulation cut) was just under 19 minutes. I suspect that time would be in no danger of changing, I'd be lucky to get one an hour done, then I might only get the one done that day.
I'll be finding out how long it will take me to make my own home-made air to water panels in the next couple of years as I will be building in an area that gets enough sun to bother.
Speaking of boilers, I spent about 2 years working with my then girl friends dad who had his own heating and air-conditioning business. I couldn't go back to that either but... He told me one of the funnier stories I've heard. He told me he had some soldering to do in the back corner of a very tight boiler room. He had to stick his head between two hot water pipes. He burned his ear on one of the pipes, of course the natural reflex is to jerk your head away from the source of pain. This of course firmly planted his cranium into the other pipe, burning his other ear. He told me he bashed his melon into the pipes repeatedly whilst trying to lower himself out of dangers way. Not too funny at the time but hilarious looking back.
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