Is Perry's Useful for the Practicing Engineer? 1

[KernOily]

Hi guys. Just wondering how useful you all, as practicing ChE's, find Perry's. As an ME, I have a Marks and I crack it, oh, once every two years, and even then it's only marginally useful. So before I plonk down the hundred-plus bones for a Perry's, I thought I'd ask you guys if you find it practical as a useful desktop tool for the practicing engineer in the process industries. I am doing a lot more ChE stuff these days, and I do frequently find the need for such information. I can usually find what I need in my other stuff but it's not as in-depth and it takes longer to get there. For example, I was looking recently for a method to estimate overall U for a flat plate-type hot water immersion coil used for tank heating. Thanks guys! Pete

 

[ash9144]

I can't imagine a ChE working in a plant without a Perrys. It has information on just about every topic you can encounter in day to day plant environment. I've had mine for twenty years, the cover is held in place with duct tape. It may not always have the exact answer you need but it will give some guidance and direction.

 

[moltenmetal]

Yes, Perry's is useful, and I use it far more than Mark's. A great resource to consult before bothering a more senior engineer with a question, if that's even an option for you. Every junior engineer should come with a Perry's and the inclination to consult it!

 

[jamesbanda]

Yes, I often access perry via knovel because i can do online searching even though i have a paper copy

 

[25362]

I used the spanish version of the 6 th edition to help me in translation of technical terms.

 

[sheiko]

Well, you can perform process design and operation without a Perry. For example, here in France, i know a lot of knowledgeable engineers not mastering english that work without. Of course they consult other valuable textbooks from time to time. The advantage of the Perry is that you have all in one book. Practical and thorough indeed.
Another option is to build your own "Perry" by compilating articles, photocopying chapters of interest from several different handbook and classify them in a folder. That's what i do and i find it far most effective as i have to analyse the material before archiving it.

"We don't believe things because they are true, things are true because we believe them."

 

[Latexman]

For me, #1 reference is Crane TP 410. #2 is Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes by Felder and Rousseau. #3 is Unit Operations by McCabe and Smith. #4 is Process Heat Transfer by Kern. Perry's is about #5.

Good luck,
Latexman

 

[BenThayer]

ditto on Crane TP 410. i would not have passed my PE without it.

but Perry's is still good. i still prefer my 5th edn. to the 6th. plus i have a Mark's 7th edn.

 

[SNORGY]

I second moltenmetal's sentiment. For the stuff I do, Perry's is a better resource than Marks.

Crane TP-410 is probably the highest concentration of extremely useful information ever crammed into a booklet less than half an inch thick. A simply brilliant publication.

I am surprised nobody mentioned GPSA Volumes I and II. Some amazingly useful things in there as well.

Regards,

SNORGY.

 

[maddocks]

I actually haven't cracked my Perry's for years. However, I won't travel without my GPSA and Laurance Reid papers on CD. Other notables include Kister's distillation books, McCabe & Smith, Kohl & Neilson and the Pressure Vessel Handbook. Fisher's Control Valve Handbook is amazingly useful and I second the thoughts on the Crane 410 manual.

 

[zdas04]

Perry's is about number 8 on my list (but I don't do plant stuff much). The book I pull out the most is the GPSA Field Data Book. Then a 1965 copy of the Handbookd of Natural Gas Engineering that I got when my company was closing their library and throwing stuff away. Then Camron Hydraulics. Then Crane. Then ASME codes. Then Marks. Then college text books. THEN Perry's. I find Perry's to be even more uneven that Mark's (i.e., some sections are really useful and well written, others are not written nearly as well).

David

 

[gpbche]

I use it a lot to refresh me on the fundamentals and as a starting point for some 'established' technologies or equipment. However, if you need to know about the latest or developing technologies, I feel the latest edition is still 5 years behind the times.

 

[BenThayer]

Perry's is necessary but can't say enough good things about Crane TP 410. I would not be a PE without it.

Seriously, I used that more than any other reference during my test.