Ankur's_Chemical_Engg_Blog

Most new process engineers working in design consultancy are unaware of the safety rules that need to be strictly adhered when making a field visit to a chemical process unit whether it be an upstream oil and gas processing installation, a refinery or a petrochemical plant. Today's blog entry tries to expalin some basic safety rules for a site visit. I...

I had been thinking of writing on the subject of "Inter Discipline Check", familiar to many experienced engineers working in the engineering design and consulting field by its acronym "IDC", for quite some time, and today seems to be quite appropriate.

Today's blog entry is specifically targeted for new chemical engineers joining...

Something new and interesting came up recently while I was checking some documents. This was related to "Human Factors Engineering" (HFE) related to an upstream oil & gas engineering installation. Today's blog entry is a kind of primer on HFE in context to the chemical process industry.

Let us start with the general definition of...

I am not delving into Greek mythology. The title is a metaphor indicating that lack of a good vendor database is a weak point of many engineering companies. Absence of a proper database is an obstacle in providing good quality engineering services as well as enabling timely completion of the engineering...

Providing powerpoint presentations related to a project, your company profile, or your area of expertise has become commonplace these days.

Considering the importance of presentations and having done quite a few of them I would like to share some tips on how to go ahead with powerpoint presentations. The tips start with right from preparing the...

Wikipedia gives the general definition of value engineering as follows:

"Value engineering (VE) is a systematic method to improve the "value" of goods or products and services by using an examination of function. Value, as defined, is...

When a young chemical engineer frequently encounters the acronym API at the start of his or her career, he or she has probably a lot of questions about what on earth is this institute all about and how is it that in my day-to-day job I encounter this term multiple times. This blog entry tries to give some insight about this legendary institution which can...

Many young engineers find it difficult to get adjusted to their work environment simply because they are unable to understand their manager / supervisor. This blog entry tries to provide some personality or behavioral traits of people whom you may encounter as your manager / supervisor.

Let me start with the “argumentative or “chatty” type of people. These...

Wikipedia gives the definition of a checklist as follows:

A checklist is a type of informational job aid used to reduce failure by compensating for potential limits of human memory and attention. It helps to ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task.

For further reading...

An engineering consulting organization is typically a part of the service industry and the core strength of such an organization is it's manpower. But when I say manpower there is a catch in it. What kind of a manpower should an engineering consultant typically sustain and grow is the million dollar question.

Let us first discuss the haves for an...

There are many engineering consultants / contractors in the field of Chemical Process industry which may further be sub-divided into Oil & Gas, Refining, Petrochemicals, Fine Chemicals, Water Resource Management etc. Most of these consultants / contractors have a Business Development (BD) cell whose job is basically get business or in other words...

With sharp focus on conservation of energy and water, recycling of waste for long-term sustainability of our environment, we all need to play our part, even in an engineering design office. Following are some recommendations to effectively contribute in our own small way in an office environment to sustain our environment:

Paper Procurement, Printing...

Working in an engineering design consultancy for almost 15 years has given me some insight into what needs to be done to work more efficiently and save time. Following are some rules that I would recommend:

1. Collect all data beforehand before starting any calculation. For example, if you are doing a pump hydraulic calculations have the following...

When I first started working in engineering design I came to know the real significance of the word "assume".
But can we avoid assumptions? The practical view point is that you cannot avoid assumptions during the initial phase of engineering design. Let us understand why it is necessary to assume during the initial stages of...

I do not claim to have knowledge of the subject of human psychology, but working 25 years in the chemical process industry I have seen two kinds of engineers and managers both in the operations and engineering side. The first kind who take decisions and own up to them, and which I try to emulate but not always successfully, and the second kind who avoid...