Need recs for training classes...

[Russ]

I have my own company and it's been a pretty good year. I have an LLC and if I don't spend the money it will be taxed.
So... I'm looking at developing my skills.


Currently. I work on RTOs (regenerative thermal oxidizers). I use Maxon and North American burners primarily, and a nice assortment of Allen Bradley slcs/plcs. There are also VFDs associated with each unit (primarily Robicon and Allen Bradley, though I've seen some Yaskawas too). These are invariably direct coupled to fans, which have two pillowblock bearings.
I'm fairly comfortable with the operation of the systems, and I really enjoy the plcs.
One of my clients has some mitsubishis and I'll be rewriting part of the code to transfer control of the isolation damper to the RTO, while also fixing the interlocks between the slc and the mitsi plcs. The syntax looks straightforward.

I'm interested in broadening my skill set to get into more facilities (more fun/more money). What would be good to pick up? I'm interested in learning as much as possible, and really enjoy what I do.


To give some idea of where I'm currently at:
I debugged a fire-eye problem (turned out that the RTO seller used the wrong signal wire for the scanners.. instead of being rated for 600VAC, they used belden shielded that was only rated for 300VAC. It caused low secondary voltages and very low signal strength).
This weekend I'm adding anchors/gussetts to a fan base, as well as adding duct support. I've already added an air straightener (my own design that's worked well). It's also removeable (via bolts that have a cotter pin for safety) for fan inspections.
Three weeks ago I wrote a fully adjustable Idle mode. With temp, days, run time, soak time, plc clock adjust, and day of the week adjust. Fully controllable through a panelview 550 (security coded as well). That was right after I wrote a fully automated bake out, with secondary controls, as well as a kill switch.
I've torn apart vfds. Replacing diodes/scrs, capacitors, and boards. They're really fun.

There's a lot to learn, and I'd like to maximize this opportunity. But I'm not sure where to start, or what to take.



Thanks in advance.





Russ

 

[geniusintraining]

Hey Russ,

I say you should look into SCADA's, the burners I have and RTO's are controlled by some form of SCADA's also the reset of our plants, you may already have experience with them but I did not see you mention them, when/if I ever try something else I will try and broaden my skill set there.

Its easy and it pays good... but its realy cool when you can look at your project in the end and someone says... "Did you really make that?"

 

[danw]

I'm impressed at finding the wrong high voltage wire. Good work.

I'd tend to agree with the SCADA assessment. Getting information on the desktop is something people pay for.

If you're interested in VFD schools, there's a recent thread on that topic at
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=202344&page=1

But I don't know of any school that gets down to component level work.

Dan

 

[Russ]

Thanks guys! Scada sounds pretty interesting. I haven't had any experience with it.
The VFD schools sound promising too.. there's an AB powerflex class coming up next month in both MO and GA. I'm thinking about hitting the GA class.
An AB tech recommended learning the powerflex drives and specifically how to set up communication. That sounds like a lot of fun.

 

[Ken Moore]

We have several large blowers, some on RTO's and some for stripper columns. One thing we currently outsource, that might fit into your profile is vibration analysis and laser alignment of the blowers and motor couplings, jack shafts etc...
Since these blowers are mission critical, we have the equipment laser aligned, and then run a vibration analysis for a base line. Then the vibration people come back on a routine basis to ensure everything is running okay.
It would get you back in the plants for routine visits, and you might stumble upon other opportunities while you are on site.

Just a thought.

Another area might be SIS (safety instrumented system) burner management systems. Every piece of equipment with a burner system has some form of SIS, you might need to become a CSE (certified safety engineer) for this though, similar to a PE, but for safety systems. Take a look a ISA S-84.




Ken