Hi folks,
Monday at the WTP. Having a ball. Finally off-call (opposite of on-call?) as of 7.30 this morning. Stoked! It was a hectic one. Definitely the most full-on week of on-call I have had so far.
...
Working in the Sludge Plant. Discharged both presses. Started the clothwash on one. Left the other one open (not pressing up).
Each of the 144 plates has a hole in the centre. This makes a tunnel through the full length of the press. The sludge from the thickeners is pumped from one end. At the other there's two massive hydraulic rams. See here.
After a press cycle has finished, the next step is to "core blow" it. Not joking, that's what it's called. There's two massive air receivers on the ground floor fed by a compressor. A "core blow" is what occurs when a valve is opened between the receivers and that tunnel through the middle of the press plates.
The air pressure in the receivers is maintained at about 720 kPa (kilopascals).
To "core-blow" a press, is to push a button which sends an enormous blast of air through the middle tunnel. This loosens up each sludge cake between plates and in theory makes them easier to remove manually ("discharge").
I explain all this because these receivers need to be inspected internally tomorrow.
Here they are:
Looking practically identical.
So I had to isolate the air compressor and drain the receivers.
Beyond that, and discharging the presses in the morning, my day was spent doing routine checks, collecting samples and making process adjustments.
Then I got to ride my bike home!
yaaay