Northwest-Shoals Community College
National Science Foundation
Scholarship Project
Internship Report

Recipient: Daniel McIntyre
Major: Civil Engineering
with concentration on Environmental Engineering
Internship: TVA Colbert Fossil Plant



My name is Daniel McIntyre. I am a Pre–Engineering student at Northwest Shoals Community College. I am a participant in a scholarship sponsored by the National Science Foundation which offers scholarship opportunities for students studying Engineering, Mathematics or Computer Science. This scholarship has provided me with money for books, tuition, and a chance to do an internship related to my field of study so that I may acquire real life job experience.  During the fall semester of 2004, I was an intern at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Colbert Fossil Plant thanks to the staff of Colbert Fossil Plant and to Mr. Claude Eubanks, an instructor at Northwest-Shoals, and a retired T.V.A employee. Since then I have gained many outside classroom experiences as an engineering student. For the short time that I was at Colbert Fossil Plant, I toured the plant was  briefed on many procedures that Colbert utilizes to produce electricity and at the same time do its part in protecting our environment from harms way. These are my learning experiences, my job as an intern, and my future career plans.
 

Colbert Fossil Plant is power plant owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. There I worked under an environmental team that ensures that the plant abides by all of the regulations and safety precautions set by the E.P.A and other environmental organizations. The Environmental Engineer’s at Colbert Fossil Plant manage the waste generated by the production of electricity from coal and the waste generated from maintenance on the plant. The area outside of the plant is so well maintained environmentally that it is also considered a wildlife habitat.  

At Colbert Fossil Plant, much of environmentally harmful waste that is generated from the plant due to the production of electricity is the emissions which come from the combustion process. To do its part in keeping our air clean, the plant only burns a special low sulfur coal. In addition, the emissions are cleaned by electrostatic precipitators which remove particulates from the stacks and anhydrous ammonia which is used to convert ozone harming nitric oxide into free nitrogen and oxygen.

Needless to say, no hazardous or non-hazardous waste leaves Colbert Fossil Plant without proper management. Once a week I went out with one of the engineer’s to the waste ponds to take water samples. We took three samples from the water to test for pH, oil and grease, and metals. These samples are then taken to a laboratory in Chattanooga where they are analyzed to ensure the content of the water is safe before it is discharged into the Tennessee River. Then at the end of each month the laboratory results are sent to the engineer. There he writes a monthly report regarding the lab results which is then sent to the state.

Throughout my work day at Colbert Fossil Plant, my job was to create a spreadsheet and binder containing P.C.B analysis performed on transformers that are now classified as non-P.C.B. This important task helped organize   P.C.B analysis and to provide quick proof to inspectors that the transformers no longer contained P.C.B's. During the process, I used a copier and Microsoft Excel extensively. While at the plant, I  learned a whole lot about P.C.B’s. P.C.B's are a toxic substance found in dielectric oil and used mainly in electrical transformers. During the 1970’s it was tested on laboratory rats and was found to be a highly carcinogenic substance. Since then it has been banned from further production. Also, transformers and other electrical components have had to be retro filled with another type of dielectric oil in order to decrease the liabilities associated with possible leaks and spills. Since then I have learned about the hazards associated with P.C.B’s, how P.C.B equipment is classified, how it is labeled, where to look for possible leaks and spills, how leaks and spills are handled, how P.C.B’s are disposed of, and what precautions are taken in order minimize its potential risk.

This coming spring, I will be enrolled at the University of Alabama in Huntsville where I will study Civil Engineering with my concentration toward Environmental Engineering. After college, my career goal is to work in the public water systems. As our population continues to grow, so will the stress we put on our environment to obtain clean drinking water. As a result, there will always be a demand for improvements to better obtain drinking water.