delays? - fabrication of a pressure vessel

[kagadpencil]

An oil company has hired an engineering firm to revamp a particular site. The job involves installation of several new pressure vessels, distillation trays .. on an on ..

Now an order has been placed to a fabricator in fabricate a new and huge stripper tower. I will like to hear you comments / advice to all the parties involved about the different things that they should do / take care of so that the final delivery schedule is met. What are thing things that can go wrong? What kind of mistakes can be committed by different parties involved? What are some of the precautions that can be taken by different personnel involved so that the total number of manhours and money spent on the job is minimized - Since I am getting involved in this process for the first time as a new employee at an engineering firm, I am very curious to know this process and the things that can be done to optimize the process.

 

[unclesyd]

Are you going to be the responsible person for completion of the vessel?
If so give a little of you background as the list of to do's is quite long.

 

[kagadpencil]

I am not responsible - I am a rookie and no one is going to make me responsible for this huge project. I am involved in the process as a mechanical engineer. As I work everyday, I learn new things - But what I want is an account of the whole process - may be briefly - I am sorry for posing a questions whose answer apparently is long and requires a lot of typing from folks who are paid hundreds of dollars per hour and are not ready to spend too much time typing it up.

 

[metengr]

If you are new to the process, I would obtain a copy of the contract documents, specifically, the bid or technical specification, and a project schedule. Nowadays, most contracts are EPC (engineer, procure and construct). This is different from years ago where an engineering firm was contracted to generate a technical specification that went back to the owner or client, and they were responsible for purchase requirements and project schedule development and execution.

Review the contract documents, technical bid specification, and project schedule. If you don't understand or have a question, ask someone in your organization. The key to most of these jobs is upfront planning, hold points and having a single point of contact for each phase of the project and an overall, project manager.

Many things could go wrong, as with any large project. However, the key to success is having a "Project Manager" that can pull the entire project together with individual contacts responsible for their part of the job. Communication is critical.

 

[unclesyd]

metengr put it pretty well.
Here are a few additional things to consider.

Depending on your jurisdiction try to get a copy of the code or a book explaining the code the vessel is being constructed under.

Learn when to ask a question. Like don't ask for an explanation if you know something is going on, wait until after the event.

On a big project you will feel overwhelmed at the onset due to things you haven't been exposed to in school and it will take a little time to get your feet wet. You don't have to get right involved in the meat of the project.

Learn the nomenclature, mainly the acronyms, used by both parties as both will use words and abbreviations you have never heard.

Learn the tools of the Project engineers, like the charts and scheduling processes.

Work on your print and sketch reading, especially understanding the detail sketches.

Make sure you are up on you measuring.

Pick up on labels, and MTR'S

Once you have a little understanding of the project make your self a short list traveler, this is list of all the hold points and what is to accomplished at this point.

If you have the chance make the meetings and visit the fabrication site as much as possible and watch and listen.

Make sure you understand the rules of the fabrication site and stay within their boundries.

It takes awhile to be able to jump into a large fabrication project and be an asset. It is a fairly steep learning curve, but you should be able to fairly quickly come up to speed and become as asset to your group.

The reason I say this is that you ask the first question?

 

[rmw]

If there are approval drawings required, make sure that they get out on time, get to the right people, and that those people turn them around in a timely fashion.

Many a project has been crippled by losing a lot of time with approval drawing turn around.

Make sure long lead items are either (1) pre agreed to, and ordered before even the approval drawings are sent, or (2) ordered immediately upon receipt of the return of the approval dwgs, and not after all the material take offs are done for the rest of the vessel components.

If there are customer specified hold points (inspection points) in the fabrication, make sure there is plenty of advance warning for the customer's inspector to be able to plan his/her scheduling. No use burning critical path time because the inspector can't be there until later.

If the vessels are significantly oversized or overweight, make sure that the delivery route is worked out well before shipment. Sitting on a giant truck is the wrong time to find out that something won't go through an underpass, etc., or can't be permitted by a jurisdiction it has to pass through.

rmw

 

[LuizSouza]

I hope you're expert in MS Project 2000, if so, just follow it.

 

[EdStainless]

In order to break it down into manageble pieces I would suggest looking at the sched and finding all of the inspection/test points. Find out what work is to be done and by whom at these points. Learing the tests and inspections is good, you will know where the project is that way.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Corrosion never sleeps, but it can be managed.

http://www.trenttube.com/Trent/tech_form.htm

 

[tickle]

Having worked firstly as an equipment supplier and then as as a EPCM engineer and then representing the customer, I know that there is rarely a project that will go perfectly to plan. Even though most people provide you with a schedule based on the ideal world.

The equipment supplier has numerous sticking points; getting the design done, the receipt of materials, equipment breaking, welders will be off, the production manager will have higher profile jobs. Then the approvals process will take longer than the EPCM people say it will, something will change (extra nozzles) that will require further design. I had a nice schedule for a large heat exchanger that I was building, the truck arrived at the port and promptly got stolen containing all of the tubes from the mill, another 16 weeks wait. There is not a lot that you can do in a situation like this.

As an EPCM engineer you have all of the problems of the equipment supplier but multiplied by all the different PO's that he places.

When you get to install the column, it may not fit, you have to have the crane the people etc, there on time. The shipping (as mentioned earlier) always seems to take longer than stated. The vessel may have to be accepted by customs. The internals do not fit in as well as hoped. The rest of the plant is not ready for commissioning. Make sure you know exactly what needs to be done at the final stage and prepare as much as possible.

I guess that what I am saying is that things will go wrong, and it is about doing everything possible to mitigate those risks. Hopefully the items that do go wrong are not on the critical path, some items are not worth worrying about.

Finally, I always make sure that there is a sizeable stage payment due on receipt of final documents maybe even include the documents as a deliverable on small projects, this generally sharpens the manufacturers mind in producing decent and expedient documents.

 

[LuizSouza]

For TICKLE, Murphy was an optimist.

 

[Rich2001]

Area when I have seen projects delays for fabricating pressure vessels have been:
[ul]
[li]the drawing approval process, as previously mentions.[/li]
[li]need to add, relocate or increase the size of a nozzle.[/li]
[li] changesd the process, temperature, pressure flow, et cetera.
[/ul]

While these do not happen all to often, in a fast pace project the process, mechanical, instrumentation and designs are going on concurrently it can slow the process down.

If you do not expect to make significant changes whenthe Purchase order is given givethe fabricator permission to order the material, if it is a long lead item.