Background:
I graduated from Missouri University of Science and Technology with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. After college, I worked for Halliburton Energy Services. I worked in many roles while I was working for Halliburton Energy Services, ranging from Manufacturing Quality Engineer, Design, and Engineer Reviewer. This helped me gain knowledge of pitfalls when it comes to design, manufacturing, and project management. In the fall of 2021, I joined Mechanical Dynamics and Analysis as a Steampath Engineer/Project Manager.
Can you tell us about your role as a Project Engineer – SteamPath? What does a typical day look like for you?
As a Steampath Engineer, my day-to-day will vary depending on which stage my projects are currently in. When I am in the shop, I usually follow multiple projects at the same time. The typical project includes 3 stages: completing inspections, making repair recommendations, and completing repairs. During the inspection stage, I complete visual inspections of the components, review the dimensional inspections, and review the non-destructive found indications. Making repair recommendations can be simple or more complex, depending on the issues found during inspections. Some of the repair recommendations require additional inspections and analysis (hand calculations, thermal analysis, and finite element analysis) to provide proper recommendations. I do my best to accommodate the customer’s budget and timeline concerns. Sometimes, a temporary repair will be conducted until a long-term fix can be conducted. When this is done, MD&A will provide our knowledge of the risks associated so the customer can make an educated decision on which route they would like to take. After repairs are approved by the customer, I provide the work scope to the shop, including any documentation, machinist drawings, and tooling. During the repair, I provide updates to the customer and monitor the progress of the repair. Any challenges or delays to the project are reviewed and solutions implemented. After all repairs are complete, the parts are inspected and shipped back to the customer. I sometimes also conduct Steampath Structural Audits, L-0 Blade inspections, and Borescope Inspections onsite.
What’s the most complex steam path issue you’ve encountered, and how did you solve it?
One of the more complex issues I have worked on related to a HPIP GE® rotor. During the inspection of the rotor, 12 circumferential indications were found along the rotor body located at the bottom of the grooves present on the rotor. The indications were found in the high heat section of the rotor between the Stage 5 in the HP section up to and through the 1st Stage reheat. Material properties of the rotor were taken, and indications were machined until they were removed. FEA and thermal analysis were conducted on the rotor to determine original design stresses. Afterward, I designed an enhanced, larger radius geometry for each location to reduce stress concentrations at each location. The modified geometry was then analyzed to verify that the stresses were equal to or better than the original design, even with a smaller rotor cross-section. The rotor was then machined on a lathe using a CNC-controlled cutter to match the designed geometry. After machining and completing all other scopes, the rotor was brought back to the customer in a timely manner to make power, once again.
How do you ensure precision and accuracy in your work, especially during tight outage schedules?
The biggest thing to ensure precision and accuracy in my work, even with tight schedules, is through communication and verification with the dedicated group of machinists, bladers, and welders at MD&A. Every day, I talk directly with the foreman, welders, and machinists in the shop, completing the work. I provide extra focus on infrequent and high-skilled tasks. At the end of the day, I verified the work that was completed to MD&A’s standards to meet customers’ expectations.
Why did you choose to work for MD&A and why have you continued to choose to work at MD&A? How would you describe our company culture
I chose to work at MD&A back in 2021 because I wanted to work back in my hometown, and I wanted to work for a company that would appreciate my skillset. The part of the culture that I appreciate is the willingness of other engineers and managers to help by providing their knowledge and experience when brainstorming to solve problems.
Have you had any mentors who influenced your career path?
I am highly appreciative of MD&A’s Rob Kilroy mentoring me and helping me through problems I have run into. He has helped with my problem-solving skills and learning new tools and methods of analysis to help with making the right recommendations for the customer.
