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Monday, 24 August 2020

INVISIBLE FRONT FIGHTER

In the energy sector, there are almost no random people. People work here with complete dedication. Today we will talk to just such a person from our "energy team". This is Yevgeny Naidenko, master of the production section of the electrical laboratory of CHPP-1. Eugene is a real fighter of the invisible front. Despite his age, he is a guru in his field.

- This year CHPP-1 marks its 85th anniversary. What are its features?What do you like most about the station?
Almaty CHPP-1 is the oldest station in the city and is located almost in the center of the city. A special feature of CHPP-1 is the combined block diagram. Another feature of CHPP-1 is the absence of a cooling tower, since based on the specifics of the technological process, the generated steam is used to heat the network water released to the consumer. An important feature of the station is its staff, because they are highly qualified people with a kind and responsive character. Probably, thanks to such people, CHPP-1 exists to this day.
I like to watch the process of energy production, to see how people interact during this process, because without well-coordinated work in a team, there is always a slowdown and deterioration of indicators. I like to take part in this process, because when the final result of your work appears, you come to understand your own importance and the fact that this result is one of the vital parts of modern society, pleases even more.

Please tell us about your work experience at CHPP-1.
I came to CHPP-1 as a fitter for the repair of relay protection and automation equipment in 2014. There was not much knowledge in the field of relay protection, mostly obtained at the university, so it was difficult at first. Gradually, I began to get involved in the work process, helped by knowledge in the field of circuit engineering and practical skills acquired at a previous job. Thanks to mentors and colleagues at work, I was able to quickly get used to it and gain the necessary knowledge. Then I was offered the position of an engineer, which expanded my field of knowledge, understanding of new processes, familiarity with new equipment. Now I am the master of the production site, this is a position where the character of a person is formed, an understanding of responsibility comes not only for myself, but also for other people. Responsibility for decision-making and its consequences, planning, and much more, which also affects the life outlook.

Who were your first mentors?
When I got a job at CHPP-1, I met a lot of interesting and extraordinary people, among them my mentors were Asylkhan Kalykovich Izteleuov, who was the master of the production site at that time, and Satypaldy Sabirovich Iemberdiev, the head of the electrical laboratory. Under their leadership, my path to relay protection began. My mentors taught me the basics of relay protection, and showed me from personal experience what qualities a relay operator should have. Namely: to understand and understand schemes, documentation, to be able to find answers to questions, to use the received information competently and effectively, to remember the received information.
I remember one situation when I was just starting to work. Satypaldy Sabirovich gave the task to go and dismantle the relay on one of the protection panels, since the relay was installed temporarily, it was long out of operation and just took up space. My colleague and I went on a mission and started looking for this relay. After examining all the 220x80 cm panels, they did not find the same relay, only traces of the device that was once dismantled were visible. Having made a conclusion for themselves that the relay was safely dismantled, we rushed to the authorities with good news. After the report on the result of the check, we received a disappointing response. Satypaldy Sabirovich told in what year the relay was installed, in what year it was taken out of operation and that no one dismantled it, and that we should go back to look for the relay. For 20 minutes, my colleague and I argued that he was wrong, but after giving up under pressure and the indisputable arguments of an authoritative relay operator, we wandered back. As a result, the ill-fated relay was found on the mounting side of the panel in the lower left corner and safely dismantled. At that moment, I was amazed how you can remember so much time and keep such detailed information in your head. Then at work, there were many cases when my mentors pulled out micro-moments from memory, small but important details that you can not immediately find with diagrams. After such cases, I realized that a good memory is an important quality of a relay driver.
How quickly did you get to know the station?
Within a year, as I was doing my job, I was already well-oriented around the station. I knew the location and characteristics of the main equipment, but if you need to know the station well, you need more time, since the actual operation of the station depends on a large number of auxiliary equipment and learning this volume comes only with practice. Even now, I'm learning new information about the station equipment.

Why are relayers called a special caste?
A relay protection specialist should know a lot and take into account during the performance of their work during the repair, adjustment and operation of equipment. Know the principles of operation of all equipment as a whole and its individual components, understand the physical processes associated with transformations, be able to keep in mind and connect small details and nuances to eventually put them together in the overall picture. The ability to work with your hands and accuracy are also necessary for the relay operator. For example, you can take a check of the relay protection of the equipment. Let's say there are a number of relays on the protection panel. According to their characteristics and purpose, they can differ dramatically. By the type of current, by the size, the correct connection when checking, the speed of operation, the presence of filters, angular characteristics, etc. It is always necessary to take into account the impact of protection on other devices to avoid false alarms that can lead to serious consequences. A very important part is the mechanical component, where there are many nuances in the state of the contact surfaces, gaps, clamps, alignment, and much more. To date, it is worth adding the ability to work with computer programs, since the majority of modern relays are built on the basis of microprocessors and microcontrollers, where it is necessary to connect, correctly configure, read, set parameters and information.
What part of your job do you love the most?
The most interesting part of the job is checking the defenses. The time spent with benefit, to see how the mechanisms interact, there is a switching of equipment, the work of clock mechanisms, interaction with sound and light equipment, the study of circuits. On such days, time flies by quickly.

What was useful from what you learned?
If you take the knowledge gained at the university, mostly I remember only the terminology, the graphic designations of the equipment. The understanding of all possible characteristics and principles of work came with practice. The study of any subject at school or in other institutions is at least a little, but it is stored in the memory and at some point a person finds himself in a situation where he needs knowledge related to this subject. So I think it's silly to talk about the uselessness of some items.
CHPP-1 is launched every year before the heating season. Do you remember the day when the station was first launched for you?
I saw the first launch of the station in October 2015, but I did not betray much importance to this event, since I participated only in the preparation, and then I had little responsibility. When I first took part in the launch of the station, I realized what a time-consuming and responsible process it was, and also a long one.
And what does it feel like to be involved in the launch of the station?
Perhaps the closest similarity is the first independent car ride. It is necessary to check all the components of the car (wheels, headlights, mirrors, etc.), check the fuel, start the engine, check its operation at idle and start moving, and most importantly, keep the car running all the time to a complete stop. At the start-up moments, there is always excitement and the expectation that everything will work out the first time.
Describe your working day. What are your responsibilities, what tasks do you solve?
Usually, the working day is held in a standard sequence. The task of the work is to check the protection and automation of high-voltage equipment. My responsibilities include organizing the safe operation of the team, conducting an analysis of the operation of equipment devices, monitoring the quality of inspections, monitoring the compliance of parameters with the specified settings, if necessary, adjusting them or defecting devices with their subsequent replacement.
How dangerous is the energy profession?
The presence of a risk factor associated with any activity is an integral part of the profession and at the same time, the accumulated experience of generations over the years allows you to minimize these risks. In the energy sector, all the experience is collected in the literature, which is introduced to young professionals at the beginning of their professional career. Getting this knowledge and using it in practice in the step by step mode leads to zero situations with a risk to life, while performing their duties.

What personal and professional qualities should a power engineer possess in order to successfully cope with their tasks?
The most important thing is to enjoy your work, have moral and strong-willed qualities, the ability to work in a team, take responsibility for your actions, honesty and openness. Of course, to work as an energy engineer, you need to know all the technical subjects in a certain amount for each position.
What did you like most about your profession?
This profession starts and makes the thought processes work, expands the horizons of knowledge, develops new useful qualities.
What special qualities and skills do a person need to successfully work in this profession?
In the field of relay protection, you need a good memory, preferably photographic, the ability to navigate in micro-and macro-scales, and a developed visualization ability. Just as in other professions, constant monitoring in the field of innovation and technology is necessary, because the pace of modern science is at an amazing speed.
What is your favorite place in the city?
I like places where you can walk, relax. Such as alleys, parks, river embankments. There are enough such places in the city, and being surrounded by foliage or walking along the river under the noise of the current, you just relax from the city bustle. And if you want to add noise and fun, there is always an Arbat or shopping centers.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Usually in my free time I ride a bike around the city, there is nothing more pleasant than a fresh wind blowing on a meeting. If possible, I go out of town: picnics, fishing, hiking in the mountains, waterfalls. When the weather does not allow you to come up with a hobby or play a board game with friends.
Tell me what you can easily and easily take with you to work as a lunch, but it should not be sandwiches.
There is a quick and interesting recipe for "egg baked in a bun". You need to take a bun and make a cup out of it and pour the egg into it and bake it in the oven for a few minutes. But this is the basic version, because you can add anything you want to it. If you are for a healthy lifestyle, throw in tomatoes and broccoli, and if you are an ardent meat eater, sausage products are at your disposal. At the end, grated cheese can be placed on the top of the display.
If you had the opportunity to fly somewhere absolutely free of charge, where would you go?
I would fly to South America, where, somewhere in Venezuela, there is an interesting place, on the Catatumbo River, where you can observe an interesting phenomenon. An amazing number of lightning discharges, a truly fascinating phenomenon, showing what a colossal energy nature has. This phenomenon can be safely included in the list of "Three things you can look at forever".
Of course, I would fly to the home of my childhood, to Kamchatka, the village of Rybachy. It is difficult to tell about this amazing place, you just need to see and feel it.
What kind of superpower would you like to have?
At the moment, I really need the ability to find the place of damage to the ground in DC circuits with the power of thought, I think my colleagues in the specialty will agree with me.

If you had the opportunity to have absolutely any pet, who would you choose?
Have you ever seen a sugar possum, a small, fluffy hang glider. A friendly and energetic animal from the family of letyagov, which will not let you get bored at night, as this animal leads a nocturnal lifestyle, which is also advised to others. The Possums 'motto is" we don't sleep, you won't sleep either."
What would you wish for your favorite CHPP-1?
Of course, I would like to wish the prosperity of CHPP-1, all its employees, reliable operation, and trouble-free operation. See the station in a new format, where modern equipment, automation and control systems will be introduced. Try to introduce something from renewable energy sources.