Mechanical Engineering Intern, Nate Kellermann, has spent his summer at Prairie State working on conveyor mapping, control systems, and access platforms.
One of his projects involves mapping the conveyor systems in the plant. This project is coming along nicely; following several revisions, they are getting close to an end product. He expects to complete this project before his internship ends.
Another project Nate is working on deals with local control systems in PI ProcessBook. These have been mostly completed and sent off for review and finalization. This project was in partnership with another intern, and they expect this project to be completed this summer.
Finally, Nate has been building access platforms for the main boiler feed pump’s lube oil tanks, a project for which designs are being finalized and the manufacturing process is beginning. The design process required measuring the tanks and area around them, and then meeting with an outside consultant to have them designed. His goal is to have the Unit 1 platforms built before his internship is over.
Nate has enjoyed learning about each system and how they depend on each other. “It is also very interesting getting to tour with different people; I get to learn about what they do and how their job helps the overall process. I have enjoyed looking around the plant and understanding the whole process of power generation. My favorite part about this internship so far has been the opportunity to see inside a lot of the processes during the forced outage.”
This summer, Nate has learned a lot about coal-fired power generation and safe work processes, along with what it looks like to be an engineer at a power plant. “I will remember the kindness of all the people here, the inside experience I gained during the forced outage, and my first opportunity to be an engineer. The whole experience has been very inclusive and rewarding.”
This internship has fueled Nate to continue in the world of mechanical engineering. He is still unsure what his future holds, but this internship has given him much more to consider in his future career search. Nate concluded, “I am proud to say that I interned for PSGC, and everyone here has helped me in so many ways.”
This fall, Nate will return to the University of Missouri for his final year studying mechanical engineering. He plans to graduate in May 2022.