PART 1

October 6, 2009

Dealing with Environmental Regulations

In the thirty nine years since President Nixon framed the Environmental Protection Agency, environmental regulations have not only multiplied but have grown increasingly more complex. Unfortunately, our emotions about environmental regulations have stood in the way of creating solutions to the well documented problems of pollution.

Emotionally, we are pained by the burdensome cost and the intrusion of government into our business, and rightfully so. On the other hand we are also pained when we realize we can no longer eat the fish we catch. We may even feel a tad guilty over our stewardship of the good earth. Visit the following Texas websites:

www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/fish/consumption_bans/

www.dshs.state.tx.us/seafood/

www.tceq.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/compliance/monops/aqi_rpt.pl

No matter what emotion is most prevalent in our thinking, collectively we have been locked into a negative frame of mind, providing only minimal ideas and solutions to the problems our clients face in this area.  Meeting environmental regulations in a begrudging sort of way has prohibited the creativity necessary to engineer and design ways to better deal with these regulations. It is time for the engineering industry to move forward, and lead the way to a better environment.

One such area that needs to be addressed is how we need to quickly identify process lines that pose a threat to the environment (VOC’s VHAP’s). These lines have to be monitored on a continuing basis. Currently, in order to identify these lines companies spend millions of dollars each year re-creating master engineering documents such as the P&ID’s and devising other methods to identify these lines and then repeat the process every few years. All too often, on the engineering side, we conceptualize and engineer projects without any thought as to how our clients will know which lines to monitor or how they will monitor them once identified.

Understanding the complications our clients face in dealing with environmental regulations should drive a new effort by engineering companies to address environmental concerns in a way that enables the process industry to better deal with them. Process engineers and pipe designers would do well to get intimately acquainted with environmental regulations and embrace them. After all, they are not going away.  Instead of waiting for challenges from our clients, I propose that we should be standing with answers and solutions in our hands.

The challenge is to make environmental regulations user friendly for the process industry. As more countries adopt EPA like regulations, the Engineering companies that tackle this issue today will be the global leaders tomorrow with all the benefits and profits therein.

Cheers,

R. Van Hudson

van.hudson@piperpiper.us

PIP’S Global Reach

By B. C. Ebert

Director – Process Industry Practices

Process Industry Practices (PIP) Used Globally

Process Industry Practices (PIP) (www.pip.org) is a consortium of process plant owners and engineering construction contractors. As of September 2009 PIP’s active membership has grown to 52 companies plus 46 additional subscriber and licensee companies. PIP is harmonizing member companies’ internal standards for design, procurement, construction, and maintenance into a set of industry wide practices for voluntary use. Members share the goal of reducing total installed costs of process plants by up to six percent through the implementation of common industry practices.

Organized in 1993, PIP is a separately funded non-profit initiative operating under the umbrella of the Construction Industry Institute at The University of Texas at Austin. PIP publishes and maintains recommended Practices for the process industry in the following disciplines: Civil, Structural, and Architectural (CSA); Coatings, Insulation, and Refractory (CIR); Electrical; Machinery; Piping and Instrument Diagrams (P&ID); Piping; Process Control & Analyzers; and Vessels. Specific Practices include design, selection, specification, and installation information. PIP has published over 450 Practices. A current listing of published Practices is available on the PIP website at: http://pip.org/practices/index.asp and Practices are for sale to non-members on an individual basis or by disciplines on an annual subscription or licensing basis.

Although developed by member companies that are based in the United States, PIP Practices are also used by companies around the globe. In addition to the global reach of the members, PIP subscribers include companies in Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, and The Virgin Islands. PIP Practices have been sold to companies in countries throughout Europe, Asia and the Far East, and South America.

PIP has internal work processes that recognize the benefits and drivers for “globalization” of their published Practices. Guidelines are provided to the discipline function teams to increase the global applicability of published Practices. PIP continues to enhance the applicability of its Practices by including data sheets for US Customary and Metric Units and by updating references to ICC, ISO and other globally used standards. The following benefits and drivers for globalization have been identified:

• Owners need a consistent set of Practices for facilities regardless of location.
• Consistent international Practices allow for more cost effective use of low cost engineering centers.
• Contractors need standards and specifications that can be applied to international projects.
• Operating companies cannot afford to develop and maintain multiple sets of standards and specifications for different regions.
• Standardization can be enabled/promoted.
• Many major projects are being constructed outside the U.S.
• More companies are moving towards using international standards.

As global standards requirements tend to be regional in nature, any Practice based on U.S. standards alone may be difficult to utilize in other regions.  In Europe, where ISO standards are dominant, Practices may not be applicable.  China and Russia are both moving to adopt ISO/IEC standards as national standards.  The Middle East, on the other hand, may still be receptive to U.S. standards.

The following list provides guidelines to the PIP discipline function teams on when current Practices can be applied globally:

• In a region not dominated by ISO standards or the CE European Directives
• When the Practice applies to design and/or selection of equipment issues that are not code-based (e.g., heat exchanger thermal design, as opposed to fabrication)
• When minor overlays or addenda can adequately convey modified requirement
• Packaged equipment Practices
• Wherever U.S. standards are accepted
• Owner mandated (as permitted by local authority jurisdiction)

Information about PIP membership for companies who have US based resources can be found at: http://pip.org/membercos/joining/index.asp . Information about the PIP subscription program available to all others can be found at: http://pip.org/subscr/subscrprog/index.asp .

Optimizing Piping Standards

July 7, 2009

Industry-wide standards have now moved to the global arena. Standardizing leads to efficiency. Efficiency leads to cost savings. It is good for our companies, our clients, as well as our contractors. And now, in this era of globalization, standardization of documents and symbols is even more critical. Why? We engineer in one country, design and draft in a second, and construct in a third (with a construction company from yet a fourth). Standardization from a global perspective is paramount to maintaining a competitive edge.

Thankfully, Process Industry Practices, or PIP for short, has taken the ISA, ANSI, ASME, TEMA and OSHA guidelines, and filled in the gaps making them the go to global standard for pipe designers.

I suggest that whenever gaps occur in your company’s standards or your client’s standards, guide them towards the new global standards presented by PIP. As pipe designers we often have opportunities to do this especially when it comes to P&ID’s and the Line List. By using the PIP standards your company and your client will benefit by becoming more competitive, more profitable, and certainly more marketable. From a global perspective standardizing leads to:

• Reduced Cost

• Facilitating trade across borders

• Higher levels of safety

• Creating new markets

Give your clients a global marketing edge by using the global standards introduced by Process Industry Practices www.pip.org (PIP).

Cheers,

R Van Hudson

van.hudson@piperpiper.us

To design with intent, make your piping isometrics reflect your intentions. You can do this by conveying the things that do not ordinarily show up on piping isometrics dropped from a model. Convey the trouble spots and landmarks that will help the contractor get the overall picture. By allowing out of the box computer programs to define our deliverables, we limit the communications that enable our clients and contractors to see what we see.

For instance, showing where newly routed pipe comes within inches of existing steel or pipe leaves no doubt about your intentions as to where the new pipe is to be routed. It aids the pipe fitter in visualizing the new routing. Also, showing landmarks such as existing steel, and platforms etc., lend confidence to the project and again aids the pipe fitter in getting the big picture. Showing these items results in less confusion, fewer delays and fewer confrontations between the design team and the contractor. Usually, when pipe fitters know the designers intentions, they will make it happen.

Here is a short list of items that should be shown on piping isometrics.

• Existing pipe running parallel or adjacent to new pipe
• Existing steel columns
• Near misses- existing pipe or structure within inches of new pipe
• Conduit running close to new pipe.
• Anchor the pipe with dimensions to an existing column or piece of equip on at least one end of the isometric.
• Platforms
• Penetrations through floors and platforms.

Cheers,
R. Van Hudson

Watch out pipers, Uncle Sam is coming after your money. Expect huge changes in retirement accounts in the next few years, as the government finds itself unable to meet its obligations.  Expect higher taxes, increased age limits, lower limits on amounts you can take out, and mandates on what investments you can choose in your retirement plans. We can no longer put our financial future on autopilot. Without knowing the history of money and the history of business cycles, we cannot know what lies before us. Nor can we know what will protect us from further financial ruin. It’s time to hit the books. Here are three that will bring you up to speed in the shortest time possible.

• Tomorrow’s Gold by Marc Faber
• Adventure Capitalist by Jim Rogers 2003
• Manias, Panics and Crashes by Kindleberger 1978 4^th ed.

Cheers,

R. Van Hudson

One of the many challanges facing our industry is closing the knowledge gap between senior and junior piping designers. For decades this “gap” has grown. Interestlingly, as the gap has increased the quality of deliverables has plummeted. They are two sides of the same coin. Technology, management of talent, attitudes and globalization have all come to play in this complex issue.

As senior pipers we have a great deal of autonomy, as well as the responsibility, to ensure that the quality of our deliverables can be easily understood by our managers, our clients, and most importantly by the craft, for they decide whether we win or lose. By keeping our customers at the front of our thinking, and collaborating with other designers, we can solve this decades old issue.

WIN   A FREE COFFEE MUG

Submit the best piping tip for publication in TIPS FROM THE PRO’S and win a mug. The topic can be any piping related subject you choose. Send to mail@piperpiper.com along with your name and mailing address.

Antiques they are, but also, a reminder of quality. They remind us of a period in time when engineers and constructors instantly recognized our work, even before looking for our name.

Far more accurate and powerful are the tools we use today with computers and associated piping software. And yet, even after two decades with the new tools there is still an element missing. When issues arise I often find myself saying, “Oh, it’s just the way the computer does it” But deep down, I know better.

It is not the tools ancient or modern that produce the quality. It is a mindset.

Our hats off to all the pipers who take that extra step towards making a drawing perfect. It is called the “spirit of excellence”.