The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) is made up of hundreds of components, circuits and cables; however, there are only 26 cognizant engineers, known as COGs, inside the plant. Their role is essential to starting the plant in 2016.
Cognizant engineers are knowledgeable and experienced in plant systems design, construction and systemization. This group, including startup specialists and automation, design, electrical, mechanical, chemical, and process engineers, make up the cognizant systems engineering team at PCAPP.
This team will provide engineering technical support to operations to ensure the plant functions as designed.
“COG engineers have varied backgrounds which are applicable for assuming the role as a COG,” said Mike Clemmons, cognizant systems engineer lead. “The term cognizant system engineer is used to express a job functionality rather than an engineering discipline.”
The team will address opportunities for improving system performance to help minimize any system downtime.
“Each COG will have several systems assigned to them and will require qualification on each system, and there is an alternate COG for each system to provide depth of coverage,” said Clemmons. This specialized group will also provide system health analysis; that is, how well the system is running at all times, looking for factors that are not normal and getting a corrective action started before the system faults or shuts down.
The COGs have been a part of the integrated operational plan early in the project development. Initial hiring of this specialized group of engineers began in early 2014. The team is now fully formed and currently completing required training and qualification. The qualification process includes educational and relevant experience requirements, completion of job-specific training modules, COG-focused required reading plan, a system adoption qualification checklist and final COG qualification requiring an oral board evaluation.
The team has already completed a significant step toward the preparation for agent operations by providing 24/7 DuPont shift engineering support. The COGs will be onsite and while on shift will occupy an office within the Chemical Limited Area.
