2,600 foot of weld.... 1 giant radiator

[MR.57]

I'm no engineer but wouldn't it have made more sense to just put a water jacket around the pipe instead of welding on fins if they want it cooler? Is this thing supposed to be air cooled? Is there some huge ducted fan in the works?

[welder_one]

I'm no engineer but wouldn't it have made more sense to just put a water jacket around the pipe instead of welding on fins if they want it cooler? Is this thing supposed to be air cooled? Is there some huge ducted fan in the works?

it spins.... they spray water on it, but, the finished product comes out of the cooler at around 900 degrees and they are having problems with the bearings on the lift chains (its all i know) as the product comes out of the cooler, it has a chain with buckets on it (similar to a sistern for water) the lifts it to a hopper and from there, it falls into rail car for export. the original drawings called for the cooler to be 150 foot long, but the land this company bought wouldnt fit a cooler that long. the kiln is 640 foot long and also 10 foot in diameter.

they have only been in business for little over a year and are learning as they go. (there are talks of them adding another kiln and cooler for more production)... and i learned all of that from talking with some of the plant employees as they gather around my truck for lunch (yeah, i built a small charcoal grill into the bed of it)

[welder_one]

well, the infamous engineer problem is officially solved..... busy melting wire today and the puddle changes, look over and the engineer was adjusting the settings on my machine! i did what every red blooded weldor would do, i rolled everything up, shut machines down and started to head to the house. i called the job foreman to let him know, and no sooner than the "hello" came at the other end, the owner of this aggregate plant walked up. he asked if i was done, and i told him nope, that his engineer has been a serious hold up on progress, changing me from 1/16 FCAW to .035 mig, adjusting my machines while in the middle of a weld. he called that engineer over, and fired him..... whoa.... i dont like for peeps to lose their job, but i cant afford for the goober to be ruining my machines.

on another note, i should have been done today, but they are adding another 4 foot of cooler fins to the drum.... another almost 400 foot more of weld. i ALWAYS get the good jobs

[jardine]

I thought engineers drive trains.