Keystone 7

 A day with the ole nose to the grind stone.  I worked on the MDC. Matix Distribution Cabinet, while Brett worked on the purge lines and the rest of the mechanical install.  After a long day at work, we went to the usual watering hole, Ruby Tuesdays, and we (Brett and I) had another great experience with Dan.  He took care of us in our sorry shape.  I had a bit more than usual, so I apologize if I slur my words, just blame Dan...

Working on the MDC is like working on the nodes: as such, it requires great attention to detail, a dose of OCD, and an open mind towards serviceability  It is tedious work, but it looks good when it is done, plus it works well:

Preparation for working on MDC.

Finished optical switch at the MDC.  Kinda like it when a plan comes together...

We are getting close to finishing up this install, just need to work on finishing up the MDC and working on the software parts of the system.  Kinda exciting to get close to the end, especially with all of the hours that we put in.  It is really cool to see how excited an engaged customer is with our system.  The hope is that he, Joe, will be able to use our system successfully. 

A bit of good news:  the boiler was started last night and was making warm by the time we got into work this morning.  Here is a shot of the insides of the boiler during a startup:

Inside the boiler.  Fireball is at the bottom of frame, soon to be even with the opening.

Yes it was hot during the taking of the picture, just an example of the lengths I will go to provide a better experience for my readers...

Speaking of inside a boiler, here is a video of a soot  blower running.  It kicks out hundreds of pounds of pressure of steam to knock crap off the insides of the boiler.  This was taken at a plant in East China, Michigan (Belle River Generating Station).  My hand got rather hot during filming, but I had watched the opening to ensure that I was able to safely video the operation over the prior week.

Crazy?  Perhaps.  But I was being safe in my actions.  More to come, I suspect that Brett and I should be able to wrap this install up in the next few days.  Take care.

Thank you for reading,

Kevin