Kota thermal power plant, now known as Kota Super Thermal Power Plant, generating 1240 MW of power. The primary raw fuel used is Coal, and all the 7 units are operating at full efficiency, i.e. there is no scope for improvement.
I had read about power plants, and different method of power generation in my first year of undergrad studies, but what I experienced was so much different from what was shown in textbooks. Those huge boiler plants, the 3-floor vessels and so much heat in those sections (oof! that was steam being generated from hot coal). We had to walk so much to even reach to a different part of the same workflow equipment. The whole experience made me believe how engineering jobs are to be pursued, and what to expect out of them in future. I love science, I loved tech. But how you make things work in the real world is really different from what is mentioned in books. Yes, the foundations are those concepts, but you need to be able to make use of proper ones at proper places and at the proper time.
Responsibilities
- Managed the daily progress report of how the equipment worked and monitored any leakage and malfunctioning of boilers.
- What I learnt: Looks like apart from the straight steps mentioned in books on how to make things work, a lot of engineering also goes into sustaining the things to keep working for a long time, i.e. regular maintenance + finding solutions on the spot before irreversible damage happens. And once you have created something, it will malfunction after some time, and you need to be able to get it back up and running as soon as possible. But I believe if you have a proper understanding of physics and math, and you value first principles thinking, it all somehow works out.
- Compilation and analysis of various energy losses in the factory.
- What I learnt: Another eye-opener was the fact that other than technical work, all the non-tech work is also to be done by engineers only. So, taking out valuable time to compile the results in a presentable manner, and making reports which typically is not something you would want to do if you are someone who wants to solve problems, is a vital part of the job. Yes solve the problem, but also you should be able to show the people how you solved it.
Other lessons learnt/Takeaways
- Management of workforce in a factory.
- Most of what we study as students is an individual show, where no one else other than you is involved in learning things, preparing for exams and then scoring marks. But, the real world does not work that way. You need to be able to work in a team, cooperate, sometimes lead by your way (and at other times listen to what the other person is saying because you are not correct all the time), and be able to solve others’ problems because they not being able to solve their problems will affect your workflow. It really was a great learning curve!