If Instrumentation is a career you are looking into or maybe you’re just starting as an Instrumentation Apprentice I’d like to give you a look into an average day in the Instrumentation world.
Starting Out
The day starts with a toolbox talk. This is where the crew gets their job tasks for the day. We also will discuss the particular hazards of the assigned jobs. On a typical day, you are usually assigned some preventative maintenance jobs(PMs), or new installations, or you might be assigned to troubleshoot a piece of equipment reported by the operators.
Getting assigned PMs is very common as an Instrumentation Apprentice. This is because they are typically very simple to achieve and have a set of clear instructions to follow.
For example, if you are assigned a PM to calibrate a pH probe this is what your day might look like.
PM Procedure
You will usually be assigned a piece of paper for each PM. This will tell you the equipment, instructions, and tools needed to perform the PM. Firstly I like to do first is check out the previous PMs done on the piece of equipment. It’s best to know what you should expect and find any problems you might run into.
Subsequently, it’s important to communicate with the control room operators to inform them that you’ll be performing work that could impact their processes. In this case, you’ll be testing the probe at different pH levels and aim to avoid disrupting the ongoing process.
Now you’ll grab your tools and calibration equipment and head over to the pH probe. You first look at the general condition of the probe making sure that it’s clean and no damage to the cable.
It is time for the calibration. What we do is called a 2-point calibration. The transmitter utilizes two different data points to create a slope. This slope will give us an accurate analog output signal. I like to use a 7 pH as well as a 10 pH buffer solution. I put the probe in the 7 pH buffer solution and told the transmitter that it should be reading a 7 pH sample. Secondly, you would clean the probe and then put it in the 10 pH buffer solution. Now you just enter that the solution being measured is 10 pH into the transmitter and you are finished with the calibration.
Finally, inform the control room operator that you’ve finished working on the equipment. Record your findings on the PM sheet, and then proceed to your next PM. Typically, you’ll complete anywhere from 3 to 5 PMs in a day on many different pieces of equipment.
Conclusion
I hope I gave you a good look into the life of an Instrumentation Apprentice. If becoming an Instrumentation Apprentice is something you’re considering, this glimpse into a typical day might help you understand the role better.
Stay tuned for the next articles on new installations and troubleshooting as an Instrumentation Apprentice.
