Mechanical Engineering Intern, Chris Wichlac, has spent his summer developing PI graphics to assist in troubleshooting.
These graphics vary, with the most detailed one being for the boiler feed pump. He has also assisted another engineer with a sump simple flow diagram. Chris has just finished the boiler feed pump graphic, and he’s starting work on the startup boiler feed pump.
Chris has learned a lot this summer. “I’ve learned more than I ever could have learned in school about industrial equipment and real-world applications. I really enjoy all the people I get to work with. I think it’s so cool that I can walk outside and explore a place full of complex mechanical systems.”
His favorite part of the internship was during a lower slope outage. He enjoyed this because he got the chance to detonate a charge in the boiler and enter a lot of equipment that typically isn’t open.
This internship has shown Chris that he wants to continue as a mechanical engineering major. While he isn’t sure of his future plans, he has really enjoyed working in a power generation setting. He is looking forward to learning about all of the interesting possibilities available to him, before setting his career plans.