Recent Mech Eng Grad needs advice to get into Piping Engineering 2

[blacktalon]

Hey guys,


I am going to be graduating in 6 weeks in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria, in British Columbia Canada.

I was hoping to get some advice on the best way to approach getting into piping engineering. I have a few years CAD experience using Solidworks and Inventor and I know I would have no problem picking up MicroStation or CAESAR etc.

I have been reading ASME codes and API codes and downloaded a couple ebooks I have been reading on piping stress, tie downs, layouts, P&ID's etc.

It seems there is no formal training other than piping drafting courses which would be a waste of money in my eyes for someone who has a degree and previous CAD experience.


How did you guys start out in this industry? The major problem I see is that companies continue to look for experienced Pipeline engineers and let's face it.... the baby boomers are retiring in 10 years and unless places start training new grads... there will be a serious shortage. So I am a little concerned there.

Aside form that.... I am willing to travel internationally and really anywhere I have to to get going in this industry. I want a job I can travel around the world and work on different projects.

Anyway guys, your advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, maybe what you like best about your job even after all this year?


Thanks a lot,

Chad

 

[blacktalon]

I should also say that I really do enjoy applied fluid mechanics, stress analysis and maybe not so much heat transfer.... although I'm still good at it.

I have taken classes in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer, Advanced Thermofluids with emphasis on Vector Calculus, Navier-Stokes Eqn's etc.

I know in practice, the norm is to use moody's diagram, K-factors, relative roughness, and all that jazz.

Chad

 

[pennpiper]

Go here and read the article at this link.

It gives you a good description of the full picture of a typical Piping Engineering and Design Department.

After you read it then come back and ask questions or say which segment of the "Piping" family you want to start in.

 

[pennpiper]

OOps forgot to paste it in.

http://www.pipingdesigners.com/Tips/Job Descriptions.htm

Sorry,

 

[blacktalon]

Thanks for the reply Pennpiper....

I was aware of the that department layout already and I am interested in all of it. The least being the Piping Materials guy; but that still has it's interesting points.

I really want to get to doing project management with a good foundation in piping layouts, process designs etc.

Of course CAD will be the starting point for me as I become familiar with the codes etc.

 

[zdas04]

First thing you have to do is define the industry you are looking in. There is no such thing as a "Piping Industry". There are companies that have a "Piping Department", but it more often "Facilities Engineering Department" because you are accountable for projects that include piping, vessels, pumps, compressors, and drips.

Having been in Upstream Oil & Gas most of my life (and I was born near the end of the baby boom and retired 8 years ago) let me give you some advice about this industry. Other people will have to talk about Chemical and Petrochemical plants; potable and waste water piping; and gas distribution piping.

Today the industry has moved back in the direction of growing our own expertise after a decade of trying to pull expertise from other industries. New bodies are hired by the major oil and gas companies and put through a 3-5 year apprenticeship (often called a "Challenger Program" or some such) program where a new engineer has to complete a number of classes and a number of tasks under the supervision of an experienced engineer. Some companies have different Challenger rotations for different disciplines (i.e., you are tagged as a Production Engineer on day one and all your tasks are downhole or you are a Facilities Engineer and all your tasks are on (or near) the surface). Other companies dump all new hires into a bucket and you have to have a surface rotation, a downhole rotation, and maybe an offshore rotation and you specialize after graduation from the program. They all pretty much get to the same point. After Challenger, if you work for 3 years then you'll start getting calls from the middle sized companies enticing you to jump ship. Some of the middle and small companies are hiring off college campuses, but they don't have much of a training infrastructure and you are expected to contribute to profit on day one--not a realistic expectation and not very fair to the new hire.

A Facilities Engineer in this industry will do nearly zero drafting. I always did my own calcs, but most of my peers farmed that out to engineering consultants. The real piping design is generally done by consultants, but trying to go that route out of school will get you a crappy salary, horrible job security, and a very limited view of the projects (I see guys that have been working for an engineering firm for 10 years generally have 6 months experience repeated 20 times).

To get on this ride (if you're interested in Oil & Gas) you need to contact BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, ConocoPhillips, and EnCanna (since you're in Canada). They all have web pages and they all have information about jobs somewhere on the web page. For a "Challenger" job you HAVE to enter through the front door--contacting an Engineering Manager to try to end-run the process will usually get you excluded from consideration because these programs are so regimented.

David

 

[rmw]

I think if you can get the help wanted pages online from the Houston Chronicle, you could find a job tomorrow in Sunday's paper.

http://www.chron.com/channel/jobs/

I think you sound like a breath of fresh air. I'd try to get my mgr to hire you to take the piping away and let me focus on the pumps, valves and Hx's.

rmw

 

[blacktalon]

Thanks ZDAS04,

your comment was very informative. You see I always thought the facilities engineering was basically the reliability department in terms of vibration monitoring etc. which I am not interested in.

However, from what you are saying, it is something that you kind of work yourself into. Interesting.




Thanks RMW for your link. I will look.

Chad

 

[StevenHPerry]

Don't forget the engineering consulting side. Open the ASME piping codes and you'll find just as many members employed by the EPC firms as by OEM's or facility owners.

My experience with owners (refiners, electric utilities, chemical, food, general industrial) is that their expertise is heavy on operations and troubleshooting and less on design or analysis. Owners are farming out the design work to EPCs, and much of the beyond-the-basics analysis stuff comes our way too.

Keep in mind what work you think would be most fulfilling. If you're more a bookworm than a tinkerer, an EPC environment may be more up your alley.

- Steve Perry

http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenhperry

This post is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is offered with the understanding that the author is not engaged in rendering engineering or other professional service. If you need help, get help, and PAY FOR IT.

 

[miningman]

Given that you appear to be Canadian, the obvious centre for you is Alberta. Rather than focussing on piping, I would ask where do you want to work. Do you want the comfort of a EPCM office location in Calgary or Toronto or do want to go into the field in say Fort Mc?? Do you really know what piping engineering involves. Personally I would find it incredibly boring and speaking as a generalist who is heavily involved in Project Management, I would have thought that a more general background in field mech eng would be more usefull for you.

Answer these questions to yourself and then research who / where you want to work

 

[stanier]

Chad,

With your enthusiasm and desire to get into piping engineering some company will snap you up. From a personal perspective I found that embracing piping engineering alongwith pump systems design, hydraulic engineeering and materials science has enabled me to have an interesting life. The pipe stress analysts who I respect have to be committed to a very specialist field.

In respect of the "project managegment" suggested that is some time off for you. If you choose to go in that direction you will have to get on top of contract law, occupational health and safety, labor relations, time management and planning, cost/budget controls, government/client/contractor negotiations. All of these are along way from where you are now. Best to get some solid technical experience under your belt.

If you want to get experience quickly you might consider some time in the future going overseas or to a remote site.

"Sharing knowledge is the way to immortality"
His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

http://waterhammer.hopout.com.au/

 

[BigInch]

Go back to the Houston Chronicle link. If you can't do piping there, you never will.

Let your acquaintances be many, but your advisors one in a thousand’ ... Book of Ecclesiasticus

 

[blacktalon]

Haha. Thx BigInch. I will keep on that link you posted. There are actually quite a few piping jobs there. Whether they will hire a grad is a different story. lol.

 

[DSB123]

Hi blacktalon,
Go back to University/College and get an MBA then go down the "Project Engineering" route. They are generally better paid and do not need to know as much as an engineering specialist. Also they never get the blame when things go wrong on a Project as they always buy suits with teflon shoulder pads so the preverbial happens nothing sticks to them!!!

 

[BigInch]

Thank rmw for that link. I just seconded it 'cause it worked for me. They'll take a new grad if you have a pulse and a body temperature > 91F.

Thank DSB for the best advice you'll get here today.

Let your acquaintances be many, but your advisors one in a thousand’ ... Book of Ecclesiasticus