Engineering Lab

I started working on the SLIC (compressor) team, from 1 PM to 9:30 PM. I ran the gas-cycle test stands. I put the compressors up on the stands, and "ran points."

In November, I started working 1st shift from 7:30 AM to 4 PM. I moved off the gas-cycle test stands and started doing SLIC teardowns. This was a lot of fun to start with, but it does seem like busy work after a while. I went over to the shipping dock and checked the returned/failed compressors. I had 2 lists, one list was of compressors that come to the lab for analysis, and the other was for compressors torn-down by the plant. All teardowns go back to be re-manufactured and rebuilt.

In January, I got an additional task of running the 400 ton stand with a new experimental compressor on it. As far as I got, the results were looking good, with far less vibration and noise than the current production model. It felt good to be running a test stand again.

The first week of February, I was asked to work 3rd shift, 11:30 PM to 8 AM, to cover for a co-worker that was going to the field to fix a unit. It was fairly easy to change over to 3rd shift, but the next weekend, I had a heck of a time changing back.

About the middle of February, I began helping the Air Cooled Team with monitoring units in the field. It was been fun, to see what is happening with the units in other parts of the country. This was the most enjoyable task that I had working at McQuay. I could have forseen myself transferring to the Air Cooled Team sometime in the next year had I not been laid off.