Turret Season is officially over! Last week we changed the solution in the turret tank and hooked it back up to its electrolytic reduction (ER) system. This is a long and exhausting process which takes about a week to complete. Let’s look at the steps involved in readying the turret for the off-season.
Thursday, A week out:
The turret tank holds 90,000 gallons of solution. We start building up water a week before filling so that we will have enough on hand. Did you know that we have outdoor tanks behind the lab which can hold all of the old solution or the new water?
星期一，还有三天的时间：
At the end of the season we fully drain the tank so that we can clean up all the muck at the bottom. At the end of each work day we shovel up the loose concretion from where we were working, but there is always a bit remaining. Additionally, concretion and corrosion products have spalled off the turret thanks to the ER system. ER helps to passivate the turret’s metal and encourage the concretion clinging to the surface to separate from the object. All of this is shoveled up and removed so that the chloride-rich debris doesn’t release chlorides back into solution. We don’t want to put salts背部into the turret!
New reference electrodes are made so that they are ready to be hooked up on fill day. These electrodes monitor what the turret is doing in its bath. The ER system is regulated by ensuring that these electrodes’ readings are stable and in the appropriate range. We need 14 of them to make sure that the whole turret is protected.
Tuesday, two days to go:
我们使用钢网板覆盖塔楼的尽可能多的表面积。这些阳极是ER系统的一部分。它们与电线连接在一起，并与炮塔一起连接到整流器。阳极有正电荷，炮塔具有负电荷。这鼓励负氯离子从铁中迁移到溶液中，因为它们被带正电的阳极片吸引。由于阳极板又大又重，因此我们使用高架起重机将它们放置在适当的位置。
Wednesday, one day to go:
All of the anodes are connected. The turret’s wiring is also attached today. The reference electrodes are installed around the turret’s walls and under the roof. Then comes the most important part: checking that the anodes are all connected and that the turret isn’t making contact with the anode. If the turret is accidentally connected to the anode the whole system will fail.
Thursday, Fill Day!:
现在一切都到位了，水已经准备就绪了，现在该填满了。我们向炮塔道别，关闭舱口门。随着水箱缓慢填充水，我们要添加氢氧化钠。我们必须在填充时戴上长手套和全脸面膜呼吸器，因为氢氧化物非常苛刻。总而言之，使用高架起重机将150磅的袋子添加到溶液中。整个填充过程大约需要5个小时，从开始水到清理。
星期五及以后：
Once everything is complete, the ER system is turned on. We will monitor the potential from the reference electrodes and adjust the voltage so that the turret is protected in the solution until it is time to drain the tank and work on the turret again!
很有意思！