After a busy year of travelling and teaching courses in Holland, Kuwait and South Africa I have finally got down to writing.
This months’ tip rant.
3D CAD programs for plant design.
Ever since CAD programs appeared in the early 1980’s, management of engineering companies have been saying that 3D CAD will mean the demise of expensive piping designers as the programs will solve any and all of the piping layout and detail problems and route piping in a manner which is both efficient and cost effective.
Read more: October 2011 - 3D CAD programs for plant design
Things are on the up and up. Summer is here and the birds are chirping and things are a lot better on the job front.
This months’ tip
SPRING HANGERS
The selection and sizing of spring hangers can be accomplished using whatever piping stress analysis software program. However, the selection should ALWAYS be checked using the manufacturers’ catalogue. The reason for this is that the stress program does not know what purpose the spring is being used for. For instance if you are trying to limit the loads on pump nozzles to a certain value and have located a spring on the piping close to the nozzle, the selected spring has been chosen by the program after completing a piping system moment calculation and distributing the loads amongst the restraints in order to achieve equilibrium.
Read more: July 2011 - Spring Hangers
At last we are back in Canada after another trip 'Down Under' last month. I taught on piping course in Perth and one in Brisbane. Exhausting but very enjoyable. Australia certainly has a lot to offer.
This months’ tip
Pipe Supporting Systems
Read more: August 2010 - Pipe Supporting Systems
Well, the trees are now bare in Southern Ontario and people are gearing up for the winter once again. Things, project wise are quiet right now in the process and petrochemical disciplines and we seem to be in a holding pattern awaiting some big contracts. Whereas, the mining discipline is at last seeing a turnaround.
This months’ tip
Read more: November 2010 - Stress Categories
Well guys spring is here and good times for pipers are back again. Activity in both the process and power industries have spawned a shortage in Piping Designers and Engineers. As we all know this business is very cyclic and when things get moving after a slump, like we’ve had in the last few years, there is always a shortage of experienced people.
The trouble is that a lack of worthwhile practical training is and always has been difficult to find. Colleges and Universities may offer some pseudo piping courses but they are usually so far removed from the real world that they are largely ineffective in the short span. Learning institutes are profit centres and wish to fill every class with paying students and most young people from North America are not interested in pursuing careers in Engineering.
Read more: 16 April 2012 - Check List for Pump Piping
