Electric! Uh… Wha?

I’m finally doing what most people think when I tell them I’m an electrical engineer! Finally, I’m not doing drawings. Finally, I’m not updating cable lists. Finally, I’m not watching the clock slowly tick, minute by minute.

I’m sure you’re all riveted by my change in work status. Ok, maybe not, but I’m going to tell you anyway. Ok, so I’ll only tell you if you read this.

I, believe it or not, started working with the plant electricians. That’s actually quite an amazing thing because electricians have their unions, and in many plants, if you do so much as hand an electrician a screwdriver, they’re likely to file a grievance against you for attempting to take their work away from them. It’s a crazy world, but at Hoover, the electricians are actually happy we’re working with them. They’ve taken us on just as if we were apprentice electricians. That being said, we’ve gotten to do all sorts of things. What’s really cool is they’re not ridiculous about their safety rules. True, I still had to wear a harness when I was in a man lift 20’ above the ground, not doing any thing that required me to lean out, but I didn’t have to wear fall protection when I was on a 6’ ladder on top of a cable duct on top of a breaker cubical, 30’ in the air :-)

They’re putting in a new air compressor in the central section (central area between the two rows of generators where things like plant air compressors, sump pumps, etc. are located.) They’re replacing the old 480V compressors with a giant 2300V compressor… That means a new 2300V, 4/0, 3 phase feeder… which means a 3” rigid conduit from the USA room (room where all the station service breakers are. (I.E. compressor breakers, elevator breakers, etc.)) to the 2nd floor central section where the new compressor switchgear is.

LOL! A little too technical, hu? Ok… We’re running a 3” steel pipe from the 6th floor to the 2nd floor to hold a “power cord” for the new air compressor.

The electricians have let us help with everything. I’ve gotten to climb around in places that are normally considered places only electricians can go, I’ve been taught how to measure and bend conduit so it comes out right, I’ve gotten to play around with a narrow man-lift (those skinny things are a little scary… You feel like you’re on a giant spring.) I’ve gotten to install a lot of unistrut (Ugh… It only takes drilling a couple holes in the concrete ceiling before I’m bushed!), I was taught some tricks for pulling wire, etc.

Anyway… That was a lot to read to find out I’m working with electricians and am enjoying it, but it’s definitely not what I want to do the rest of my life. :-)

(Whoa! That's an old picture! The power plant is set up into two "wings." This is the "Nevada" wing as it's in Nevada. The Arizona wing is in Arizona. Each wing contains... Uh... 10 generators...)