Pickering Nuclear engineering interns make their mark through innovation

At Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, two mechanical engineering students have been working to drive innovation while soaking in valuable experience.

Since joining OPG in May 2017 for a 16-month internship in the Plant Design – Minor Modifications department, Fernando Salinas Medina and Adnan Lokhandwala have helped improve the station. They’ve also impressed with their initiative by taking on challenging projects at the plant’s X-Lab innovation centre, where technology like VR headsets, 3D printers and scanners, and specialized software is helping to make OPG’s operations more efficient.

​“We have been able to solve real-life problems using some very innovative technologies,” said Fernando, who is studying Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Mechatronics at Ryerson University. “Working in the X-Lab has been a great opportunity to learn and to contribute to OPG.”

Adnan, a student at McMaster University’s Mechanical Engineering and Management program, says the past year at Pickering Nuclear has been an experience that would be “almost impossible to get at university.”

Over the course of their internship, both students have worked with multidisciplinary teams to install several modifications at the plant. Aside from their regular work duties, the two can often be found at the station’s X-Lab, where the dynamic duo have completed two projects so far.

The first was the development of an in-house mobile app for OPG’s Brand Management group that streamlines the photo consent process. The app replaces the traditional paper-and-pen waiver with an easy-to-use digital consent. The information collected from users is stored in a reliable online database which improves a previously inefficient process.

The second project involved redesigning and replacing 60 obsolete and damaged control panel light covers at one of Pickering’s control rooms. Upon verifying the design met all requirements, the X-Lab team 3D-printed the light covers to replace the outdated ones, which can no longer be purchased on the market. The new covers were successfully installed and verified by operations.

“We had to rethink our approach multiple times for some of the issues that we encountered. However, we were always persistent and found solutions to resolve these challenges,” Adnan said.

It helps that the two ambitious students are like-minded and have an affinity for thinking outside the box, similarities that have helped to make a strong team.

“Working with Fernando has been one of the highlights of my OPG experience,” Adnan said.

“Adnan is very talented with extensive knowledge in multiple disciplines,” added Fernando. “We want to see each other succeed.”

As their internship wraps up in August 2018, the pair have hopes of returning to OPG in the future after they finish their final year at university. Their proudest moment? Being able to make an impact on the company in such a short period of time.

“It’s very nice to know our contributions will be used by many,” Fernando said. “We have put in a lot of time and effort to make positive and innovative changes that add value to the organization.”