What is this tape measure for... ??

[Mid Life Crisis]

We still use Imperial measurement in our workshop too, only because it would cost a fortune to replace all the gauging to check components.

 

[R2B2]

Everyone else uses metric

Ahh, but we are not alone.

Virtually the entire Oil Industry, namely exploration, recovery, production, engineering etc, uses imperial measurment - globally. (don't know about the retail end - Roxxo probaby would).

 

[mikew]

Ahh, but we are not alone.

Virtually the entire Oil Industry, namely exploration, recovery, production, engineering etc, uses imperial measurment - globally. (don't know about the retail end - Roxxo probaby would).

Yup, and the gas industry, but slowly a lot of the new repalcement equipment is being metricised.

Bit confusing on my station, we've got three compressor units, two all imperial fittings, and the newer one all metric, except the pipes and fittings!


:dunno:

 

[roXXo]

Ahh, but we are not alone.

Virtually the entire Oil Industry, namely exploration, recovery, production, engineering etc, uses imperial measurment - globally. (don't know about the retail end - Roxxo probaby would).

I work in the maritime oil industry and measurment has been all metric since the early seventies, Litres natural, Litres at 15C and Metric Tonnes, except for crude oil handled by American companies which is measured in Barrels (Bbls), US Gallons and Long tons.

Temperature in Celsius although the Yanks still use Fahrenheit

Ullaging is all metric, millimetres, as are pipe diameter, thickness and length.

API is still used although Density at 15c is the standard which replaced Specific Gravity at 60F.

Draft is quoted in metric and imperial. Some vessels still use tonnes per inch calculations.

Nautical miles and cables are still used for distance.
Wind speed and current is still measured in Knots (1 Nautical mile per hour)

Here's an interesting fact.
Tankers have to have radar but are not allowed to move within the Humber in fog with less than 1 cable visibilty.
Barges do not have to have radar but are allowed to sail in any visibilty!

Yes we still load barges. UK waters 700 - 1000 tonnes., Rhine barges - 4000 tonnes.

:beer:

 

[R2B2]

all metrric, as are pipe diameter, thickness and length.

Blimey - API still rools everwhere (afaik) up at the dirty end, especially pipe.

It's amusing to hear french speakers (for example) speaking in their native tongue and then suddenly interjecting "six-and-five-eighths" with a strong accent, and then continuing without a thought in French!

Glad you responded Roxxo - learnt something there.

 

[roXXo]

Fascinating thread Rob.

Something a bit different.

We also use metres per second for flow rates when welding on live lines. (pipelines in use, containing hydrocarbon products)

I wonder if we have any coded welders on here. Now that is a skilled job. Getting the right penetration

 

[R2B2]

Welding on live pipes??

What about pipe weight at your end of the industry....... do you use Lbs/ft or go by wall thickness?

 

[roXXo]

Wall thickness, pipe schedules, ambient temperature and flow rate.
Pressure tested to 30 bar. 3 x working maximum for white and black oils.
Different for LPG dependent on whether we have fully fridged cargo, semi or pressure vessels. We have heat exchangers that use sea water to raise the LPG temperature from - 17C to +1C.

Having said that all our measurements are metric, the Jetty, tankfarm and plant are nearly forty years old.
We have 36 inch crude lines, 22 and 24 inch fuel oil lines and 18 inch spirit and distillate lines. Also numerous 12,10, 6 and 4inch.

At the moment one of our 36 inch lines, 5 miles long, is out of service for intelligent pigging and repair.
Now that is fascinating.
The pig is pushed along by water and it records the wall thickness and internal condition of the pipeline. The information is then downloaded from the pig and a 3D drawing can be made of the inside. A bit different from ultrasonics, radiography and NDT of the last 30 years.
:beer:
Sorry for boring you

 

[Supabird1100]

I wonder if we have any coded welders on here. Now that is a skilled job. Getting the right penetration

Until a year ago, the college I teach at had a welding department. We ran the course and certification for coded welders on a 'on demand' basis. Myself and two other lecturers instructed on the course, supervised the testing process, and signed off the paperwork to enable the students to apply/renew their certificates. As you say Roxxo.....technical stuff indeed.

The powers that be closed our welding shop down to make way for 14-16 year old delinquent re-settlement......so another skill is lost !!!!

 

[R2B2]

Sorry for boring you

Lol! Interesting for me. It's obviously very different at your end of the game (or perhaps mine!)

My area is threading, see pic below. This is 6 5/8" Rotary connection that I had just machined onto a length of fairly hefty drillpipe. The deep cuts and markings you can see on the thick bit is from the power tongs that are used to torque the joint up. This particular connection is torqued to about 36,000 ft/lbs. 'kin good torque wrench I can tell you!

All the dims you can see are imperial, as are all the machining tolerances. This type of connection (API Regular) for drilling had quite generous tolerances really - most of the diameter ones being around 6 - 8 thou. A double shouldered one very similar in appearance to this had a length tolerance of only two thou as the mating face on the end, and the shoulder at the back, both had to mate and interfere similtaneously on the two faces in the corresponding female connection as the joint was being torqued up.

Some of the pemium production tubing that I hold a licence to machine had a tolerance of only +001" to -001" on 4 1/2" and 5 1/2" dia connections. When the machine was running at optimum temp (not too HOT - we were in the desert!) we could often land at + or - 0005".

Btw - your pigging sounds similar to our hole logging, during drilling. When the drill string was pooh'd (pulled out of hole!) they'd decend a logger slowly down the bare hole to log the condition and stability etc of the terrain before they lined to hole to make it safe and stable. This little apparatus was radio active though, so we always had to clear the drill floor and I never really saw exactly what went on. There would be hundreds of yards of graphs and other data coming off a printer in the office, with the biggest roll of paper you've ever seen attached to a printer!

Good stuff - I love it!

 

[roXXo]

Lol! Interesting for me. It's obviously very different at your end of the game (or perhaps mine!)


Good stuff - I love it!

Me too Rob

We also use ASA 150 and 300 bolted flanges for connection to ship's manifilods but some vesels come with DIN flanges. We have had to have ASA to DIN reducers made up.

As well as working with all types of engineering at our place that is contracted out to professionals we have a vast array of experiences in our own operations workforce. Ex platers, welders, turners, marine engineers, RAF engineers and Merchant Navy officers.

Supabird

The south bank of the Humber has been transformed in the last 10 years. Engineering opportunities abound now. Numerous companies offer modern day apprenticeships, and there are schemes to promote engineering in schools.
HETA, Humberside Engineering Training Association, offer apprenticeships in many disciplines. My eldest son Michael did an apprenticeship through them sponsored by Norske Hydro initially then Novartis. After completing his apprenticeship Novartis sponsored him to do his degree in Chemical engineering at Strathclyde Uni. Hegot his degree last year and has just completed his honours. He is now a B.Eng. Hons.
Doing a degree this way you get the full practical, proper work based industrial experience rather than just the theory from Uni.

I am pleased to say than engineering is alive and well in this neck of the woods thanks to a government realisation that we still need an engineering basedworkforce and that investment and resources have been made available to encourage young people into a fascinating career.