3 answers
Alorna
Student
Saucier, Mississippi
4
Questions
Asked
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What are power plants like?
What kind of environment could I expect working in a power plant? What kind of tools and thinking skills would I use on a daily basis?
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3 answers
Billy Peacock
Power Grid Operator
19
Answers
Little Rock, Arkansas
Updated
Billy’s Answer
Great question!
Power plants are very industrial settings. You will have a lot of rotating machinery including pumps, motors, compressors, blowers and things like that. There are valves and pipes running everywhere. The environment is very loud and you will have to wear safety glasses, hearing protections, and a hard hat at a minimum to stay safe. You will be within in the vicinity of very high pressure and temperature steam, various types of acids/caustics, and high voltage electricity. These are all very dangerous things and they can certainly hurt you, but there will be many safety procedures in place that will need to be followed 100% of the time which can limit your risk.
You'll be required to check the machinery and make manual adjustments to valves, pump speeds, digital controllers, flow rates, etc in real-time. You'll need to know what is a "normal" operating condition and report and abnormalities to supervisors or other operators in control rooms and await further instructions.
You'll most likely carry basic tools with you at all times, things like channel-lock pliers, a crescent wrench, and a flashlight. You'll need those to make small adjustment to various sized nuts and bolts that are attached to valves and things like that.
Power plants are very industrial settings. You will have a lot of rotating machinery including pumps, motors, compressors, blowers and things like that. There are valves and pipes running everywhere. The environment is very loud and you will have to wear safety glasses, hearing protections, and a hard hat at a minimum to stay safe. You will be within in the vicinity of very high pressure and temperature steam, various types of acids/caustics, and high voltage electricity. These are all very dangerous things and they can certainly hurt you, but there will be many safety procedures in place that will need to be followed 100% of the time which can limit your risk.
You'll be required to check the machinery and make manual adjustments to valves, pump speeds, digital controllers, flow rates, etc in real-time. You'll need to know what is a "normal" operating condition and report and abnormalities to supervisors or other operators in control rooms and await further instructions.
You'll most likely carry basic tools with you at all times, things like channel-lock pliers, a crescent wrench, and a flashlight. You'll need those to make small adjustment to various sized nuts and bolts that are attached to valves and things like that.
Joe Portillo
I & E Tech
19
Answers
Fort Worth, Texas
Updated
Joe’s Answer
A power plant operator is a good job in my opinion. It has a lot of positive aspects like good pay and job satisfaction when you and your team are able to keep it running during challenging time like storms and extreme weather. Now for the not so positive aspects…. Most power plants have an outside operator and a control room operator. The outside operator is called an AO. The AO is the eyes,ears and hands for the control room when problems come along or the process variable has to be verified by a human such as the position of a valve. Sometimes these valves for instance may be located at the top of 10 flights of stairs. So if your team is having difficulties with said valve you might have to make several trips up and down all those stairs in one shift. Talk about leg day!
The weather is another aspect to consider , no matter what the weather is doing the AO has to be ready to out into the plant.
Power plants are 24/7 operations so you have to work a lot of hours extra or your days off to cover for emergencies and vacations.
Understanding the process is very important so that your team can depend on you when the plant is having issues. Also , the better that you understand the process the sooner you can move up to the control room.
Hope that this helps. Good luck.
The weather is another aspect to consider , no matter what the weather is doing the AO has to be ready to out into the plant.
Power plants are 24/7 operations so you have to work a lot of hours extra or your days off to cover for emergencies and vacations.
Understanding the process is very important so that your team can depend on you when the plant is having issues. Also , the better that you understand the process the sooner you can move up to the control room.
Hope that this helps. Good luck.
Thank you very much!
Alorna
Kyla Sorrells
Student
5
Answers
Amarillo, Texas
Updated
Kyla’s Answer
Hello Alorna! This is what I found on what power plants are like for employees.
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics says: "Operators, distributors, and dispatchers who work in control rooms generally sit or stand at a control station. The work requires constant attention. Workers also may do rounds, checking equipment and doing other work outside the control room. Transmission stations and substations where distributors and dispatchers work are typically in locations that are separate from the generating station where power plant operators work.
Because power transmission is both vitally important and sensitive to attack, security is a major concern for utility companies. Nuclear power plants and transmission stations have especially high security, and employees work in secure environments.
Work Schedules
Because electricity is provided around the clock, operators, distributors, and dispatchers usually work rotating 8- or 12-hour shifts. Work on rotating shifts can be stressful and tiring because of the constant changes in living and sleeping patterns."
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/power-plant-operators-distributors-and-dispatchers.htm#tab-3
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics says: "Operators, distributors, and dispatchers who work in control rooms generally sit or stand at a control station. The work requires constant attention. Workers also may do rounds, checking equipment and doing other work outside the control room. Transmission stations and substations where distributors and dispatchers work are typically in locations that are separate from the generating station where power plant operators work.
Because power transmission is both vitally important and sensitive to attack, security is a major concern for utility companies. Nuclear power plants and transmission stations have especially high security, and employees work in secure environments.
Work Schedules
Because electricity is provided around the clock, operators, distributors, and dispatchers usually work rotating 8- or 12-hour shifts. Work on rotating shifts can be stressful and tiring because of the constant changes in living and sleeping patterns."
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/power-plant-operators-distributors-and-dispatchers.htm#tab-3
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Alorna