A piping system is crucial to any process plant; hence it needs to be designed with precision and care. The efficiency of a plant highly depends on its ability to transport fluid through pipes to various equipment that function collectively. In order to create a piping system, it requires a systematic analysis of various engineering methods. In the past years, many standard practices for piping systems has emerged, and today this system is considered to be one of the major engineering sciences. As a result there is a continuous need for trained piping engineers to design piping system in every engineering and construction company.
As an academic discipline, piping engineering is rarely taught in universities. However, it is extremely important for the safety of a plant, safety of the personnel, public, and also for maintaining the level of consistency in a facility.
Pipes on the surface are simple to comprehend; they are a cylindrical bar with a hole in it to allow the flow of fluid or gaseous substance. In a plant they are subjected to numerous loading conditions during their life span. Piping systems can fail, hence it is important for the engineers to consider possible outcomes and work their way out to prevent the failure of the system and other hazards.
The Role of a piping engineer in an engineering company:-
"Pipes do fail, and sometimes with disastrous outcomes. A piping engineer at the plant understands the potential risks, can aid in troubleshooting the issues."
A piping engineer is a mechanical engineer whose expertise lies in disciplines which deal with planning, design and implementation of various piping structures (including plumbing system) for broad spectrum of industrial plants. Industries such as: manufacturing, oil and gas, energy, agriculture and food, residential and commercial construction, chemical, etc. are the major industries which take the help of piping engineering consultants and professionals to implement the apt system for better functioning of their plants. An engineer's duties and responsibilities vary depending on the position in a specific industry. The companies nowadays prefer professionals who have a degree in mechanical engineering, civil engineering, or pipe engineering. They are expected to have excellent drafting and analytical skills, in order to ensure that the planned piping projects are documented and designed well, and built to meet the desired functions. These professionals are expected to have strong management skills for both supervising the team and executing specific tasks. The main responsibility of a piping engineer is to create fundamental drawings that define the functions of a piping channel and to decide what materials should be used to create them. They help in choosing the appropriate materials to be used for pipelines. Also, engineers conduct huge amount of research and development activities while creating the piping systems.
As we have seen that pipes are an inevitable part of any process plants, hence it is equally important to have the right piping engineer or piping engineering consultant before setting up a facility.
