Engineering from the Drawing Board to the Plant Floor
RIVER DAM & NAVIGATION LOCKS CONTROL SYSTEM
Served as the Electrical and Controls Engineer for the design, integration, installation, and commissioning of automated dam and navigation lock control systems for a river authority.
The project encompassed the complete controls lifecycle, from engineering design and system development through field installation, acceptance testing, training, and operational support.
Developed the control system architecture, electrical control panels, and associated hardware, including PLC-based controls, operator HMI systems, field instrumentation, communications, safety interfaces, and equipment interconnections. Coordinated closely with hydraulic and mechanical engineering teams to review system specifications, operating sequences, equipment interfaces, and functional requirements, ensuring that the controls design was fully integrated with the hydraulic and mechanical systems.
Supervised control panel fabrication and programmed the PLC, HMI, communications, and equipment interfaces. Led comprehensive system verification and validation, including I/O checkout, communications testing, safety and interlock verification, functional testing, alarm validation, and sequence-of-operation testing prior to deployment.
At the project site, led and supervised the controls installation, startup, commissioning, and system integration, coordinating field activities and resolving technical issues through final acceptance. Conducted site acceptance and operational testing to demonstrate compliance with project requirements and subsequently provided operator and maintenance personnel training, technical documentation, troubleshooting, and post-commissioning support to facilitate successful turnover of the completed systems to the river authority.
Position: Electrical & Controls Engineer
Employer: Hydraulics Company
Bethlehem, PA
Project site: Olmstead, Kentucky
Project delivery: 2019
