Employer NORAMCO Engineering Corporation State/Province Minnesota (United States) Title Mechanical Engineer (Full-time) Employment Dates Jan. 1992 — Mar. 1993 Duration 100% (1 year, 2 months) Tasks and Duties Project Engineer, Noramco Engineering. Heavy Industrial Design-Construct: taconite slurry piping; mineral process kilns; conveyors; ship loading; and paper mills. All with emphasis on air quality controls. I was assigned to a variety of projects with heavy industry clients. I demonstrated eagerness to learn mechanical engineering relevant to industrial applications in the particularly sub-arctic conditions bordering on International Falls MN- extending upon my prior experience designing commercial and institutional mechanical building services. I researched each project industry’s process requirements as I provided design solutions. My capacity to develop industrial designs was developing until there was a general reduction in staff due in part to competition from overseas mineral producer causing a general reduction of staff on the Minnesota Iron Range. I participated in field surveying existing facilities, sizing of systems, specification writing, and cost estimating. I designed and documented process water, compressed air, fuel oil and natural gas fired kilns, vacuum guzzlers, pneumatic conveying, vacuum pumped agglomerators, taconite slurry sampling and analysis, and simple structural support systems. I also assisted in checking colleagues designs of dust collection, conveyors and chutes. When fee paying projects became scarce I researched literature and developed a design guide to enable the firm to consider opportunities to serve the pulp and paper industry - particularly recycling. At conclusion of service senior members of staff recommended that I retrain as an Environmental Engineer as such challenges were increasing while there was a recession in demand for Mechanical Engineering. Representative Projects 3M Industrial Minerals Division, I was involved in upscaling proprietary process lines color coating aggregate used in the manufacture of asphalt roof shingles.
Eveleth Mines, USX Minntac, and National Steel Pellet Company, I designed pipework to safely separate potable and process water with booster pumps. In these facilities I also designed separate dry compressed air systems. Also in these facilities I designed and documented driers, preheaters, and kilns, as well as electrical control room HVAC systems.
At Eveleth Mines I provided analysis of large volume makeup air systems to serve the coarse iron ore crusher building.
At a proprietary location I was involved in nuclear on line analysis (NOLA) of slurries.