The main thing is determination and a constant desire to learn…

This is the opinion of Elena Kim, head of the production laboratory of the commissioning and environmental activities workshop of CHPP-2 named after. A. Zhakutova

Chemistry, as a science, did not come into my life by chance; my mother worked as the head of a chemical laboratory at the Kostanay chemical fiber plant. She imbued me with knowledge of chemistry. Therefore, the choice of profession was determined.

After graduating from the institute, she worked as an engineer in a laboratory at the Kustanai chemical fiber plant. She got married and moved to Taraz. I came to the energy industry by accident, brought my resume to the HR department of CHPP-4, there was a vacancy for a water treatment operator in a chemical shop. They accepted me and liked my diploma.

The first day of work was memorable for the size and noise of the equipment. I was very surprised that such large and complex equipment is managed and controlled by ordinary people who are not afraid to work on it and take responsibility for it.

She worked her way up from a chemical shop operator, head of a laboratory, to head of a chemical service, which included two chemical shops and two laboratories. Then she worked for three years at the French company Vicat Group at a joint Kazakh-French cement plant as a laboratory engineer, and for five years as the head of an oil and gas laboratory in the Kumkol field.

Having worked in various manufacturing sectors, I can say with confidence that work in the energy sector is the most important, necessary and life-sustaining.

Since August 2018, I have been working as the head of the production laboratory of the commissioning and environmental activities workshop of CHPP-2 named after. A. Zhakutova.

My first mentor at CHPP-2 was Kaliev Bauyrzhan Bolatovich, now he is the chief engineer of the station. A wonderful person, a professional in his field, a very competent specialist who delved into all issues related to chemical analysis in the laboratory.

Our laboratory monitors the quality indicators of fuel oil, coal, oils, gases and industrial waters. I monitor the production work of the laboratory team in all areas. I work with personnel in the field of occupational health and safety: briefings, development of directive materials.

Often in production, questions arise related to the chemical regime that require intervention, where you need to think, read, and experiment. Together with the team, we solve problems regarding the laboratory and the water-chemical regime of the station.

I enjoy solving problems related to chemical analytics where a theory associated with a manufacturing process is confirmed.

In the laboratory of TPP-2, we introduced methods for incoming control of the mineral salt deposit inhibitor IOMS for the effectiveness of inhibition of calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate. This analysis is effective in determining high-quality inhibitor samples based on the central laboratory of TPP-2. Introduced a technique for determining the exchange capacity of cation and anion exchange resins to monitor the operation of chemical shop filters, which is also used when conducting incoming inspection of ion exchange resins.

I think it is very important for a manager to treat every employee of his department with respect. If a laboratory is considered good, it is primarily because every laboratory assistant and laboratory engineer does their job efficiently and honestly, and for this I will always be grateful to them. My task is to educate and prepare personnel who know their job.

I want to leave behind a strong laboratory with qualified personnel and a modern fleet of laboratory equipment, capable of competing with other laboratories in the energy industry.

I can say that I am an accomplished specialist chemist-analyst-technologist. We now have a competent, efficient laboratory at CHPP-2. Young specialists come to us who want to learn and understand chemistry in order to connect their future with it.

The main thing for me in life is determination and a constant desire to learn.

If I started all over again, I would definitely go this route again.