“Like a Rock” Polyurethane Blocks
Chevrolet uses the phrase “Like a Rock” to advertise their pick-up trucks. PT&P recently produced some polyurethane blocks for a major E&C customer to their specification of 2,000 pound compressive strength as measured by ASTM D1621 tests. Our supplier produced a special chemical blend for a nominal density of 38 pounds/cubic foot and PT&P built special molds to satisfy this “Like a Rock” requirement for the Gulf Coast ethylene plant.
PT&P Technical Team Goes to Algeria
In March, PT&P sent a technical team to a LNG facility near Skikda, Algeria to provide assistance on pipe support replacement for the GL1K project. This large facility has several units that have operated for more than twenty years. Our team examined the units and recommended replacement of cryogenic and spring supports. Since travel in Algeria is subject to heavy restriction, our team had to fly from Tarbarka, Tunisia by helicopter to and from the job site. The trip lasted about two weeks.
The Nov.-Dec. issue of World Cogeneration reports that Westinghouse Electric received a $15 million contract to provide full-scope operation and maintenance to the Bellingham Carbon Dioxide Recovery facility in Bellingham, MA. They also provide O&M services to the three-hundred megawatt co-generation plant next door. Piping Technology fabricated the large ducts which connect the two facilities when Fluor Daniel did the original construction.
The Dec. 11, 1995 issue of ENR has an article (and pictures) about the 240 MW co-generation plant in Crockett, CA built by Bechtel Power. This was the first project that Piping Technology supplied to Bechtel under their new MPA agreement with selected vendors. The article explains the unique problems associated with building a facility this large on their 2.6 acre site and the necessity to add penalty clauses to all supplier contracts to help meet their schedule. For pipe supports they also added extra crating requirements to minimize the chance of damage during shipment which might delay construction. Bechtel was pleased with PT&P’s performance on this challenging project.
During the summer of 1996, PT&P continues in its tradition of offering “real world” experience to high school and college students. Most of the students are working in the engineering and clerical departments at PT&P, and some are engaged in other activities. Both the students and PT&P have benefitted from the summer program.
Ginger Bailey
Clear Brook high School
Sally Ann Bailey
San Jacinto Junior College
Kevin Conrad
Rice University – Mechanical Engineering
Jermaine Gibbs
Rice University – Economics
Kevin Rennie
Rice University – Computer Engineering
Amish Patel
University of Houston – Chem. Engineering
Eugeny Gelfand
University of Texas – Mechanical Engineering
Piping Technology and Products, Inc. thanks and salutes our summer interns. We look forward to continued participation and cooperation in the future. Thank You For Your Feedback!!!
Many customers took the time to answer our survey about our printed mailing program. We appreciate your feedback and we will continue to try to communicate information you find useful and enjoyable. The results of the 1996 survey are as follows:
93% said our technical bulletins are useful in their job.
87% said their job requires the use of our catalog.
75% of those who use the catalog said the three types of indexes make it easy to find the information needed.
88% said our newsletter covers topics of interest to them.
Only 2% would like to see different photographs on our calendar.
he U.S. Department of Energy, major E&C firms and electric utilities are building commercial-size power plants to evaluate new technologies and equipment to produce electricity from coal without harmful emissions. These plants are expected to produce operating data which will be used to design many of the power plants required in the twenty-first century.
Coal is an abundant fuel source in North America and the price is not as subject to political and economic changes around the world as most other fuels are. But coal’s toxic elements make it one of the most polluting fuels. The U.S. Department of Energy has supported research programs for a number of years leading to these current projects. They are pioneering better ways to burn coal or to convert it to gas. The processes must be both efficient and clean.
PT&P has been a major supplier to three of these projects: the Southern Company Services plant in Wilsonville, Alabama, the Tampa Electric project in Polk County, Florida, and the Sierra Pacific project in Nevada. PT&P along with its customers are helping to insure a stable energy supply for our nation.
On November 11 of this year, Piping Technology once again hosted its annual Open House. Representatives from dozens of firms came from all areas to meet the PT&P team and to explore our impressive facilities. Close to 300 people passed through PT&P for the Open House and got a good look at what the future holds for our dynamic company.
Visitors got a chance to see first-hand the plans for our expansion, to view our new company video, to observe ongoing jobs in the shop and, of course, to stop for a delicious bite to eat along the way. Open House guests also went home with some souvenirs of their visit, from spring cans to PT&P caps to slide plate samples. And several lucky winners also received valuable door prizes won in a drawing.
The 1994 Open House was a great success, thanks to everyone who came. We are already getting excited about 1995 and the next chance to show you all the things that Piping Technology & Products, Inc. has to offer. Of course, you are always welcome to stop by the plant for a tour of the facilities at any time. We can’t wait to see you again next fall, or whenever you get a chance to come and visit.
The Society of Piping Engineers and Designers, or SPED, has been closely tied with Piping Technology & Products, Inc. since SPED’s founding in 1980. PT&P was one of the companies that helped found SPED fifteen years ago. We are still an active supporter, and our own Terry McCormick serves on the SPED board of directors. Thanks to this position, Terry has developed many friends in the field of piping design, which helps PT&P continue to serve this ever-changing industry.
SPED was born as the result of a union between the University of Houston and the community of piping professionals from the Houston area. Because of this special partnership, SPED has a genuine interest in encouraging the development of technical knowledge and engineering education. And now that SPED boasts over 400 members, the industry still benefits from the annual SPED conference and regular training courses. In addition to the more formal events and purposes of SPED, committee members certainly still know how to enjoy themselves. The annual fall picnic was held at the Buckhorn Ranch & Lake in Houston this year, and all of SPED’s members are eagerly looking forward to next year’.
Piping Technology & Products, Inc. is very proud of our involvement in SPED’s foundation and support. We hope that our support of this society will contribute to the pool of knowledge and experience in our field. We would also like to commend Terry McCormick on his continuing work on the board of directors, and to thank him for his devotion to our industry.
The newest addition to the Piping Technology & Products, Inc. family of machinery is a thermal spraying unit used for coating touch-ups on our equipment. The versatility of this piece of equipment makes it possible to recoat small areas of our products (which may have been missed by galvanizing) and ship them out quickly, without having to spend the time necessary to send the product for a completely new galvanizing job.
The spray gun works on a relatively simple principle. An electric arc within the gun melts the coating material, which is fed into the gun in wire form. As the wire feeder pulls the wire into the high heat zone, it is melted and blown or sprayed onto the surface to be coated by a forceful stream of compressed air. The spray coats the surface and cools to form a strong, flat structure which will protect the given material.
We at PT&P are very excited about this new addition to our shop, and are pleased that it will certainly allow us to offer you quicker deliveries and lower cost in the long run.
New Spirit of Excellence as PT&P Implements Bar-coding Plan for Quality
Sample Bar-Coded Tag
This fall, in the spirit of total quality, Piping Technology is beginning the implementation of a brand-new bar-coding system to streamline shipping, improve inventory techniques and maximize efficiency in all facets of our operation. The effects of this system will certainly be far-reaching, and will undoubtedly affect our customers positively and for years to come.
At present, the bar-coding system seeks to make shipment of jobs easier for both PT&P and for our clients around the world. All products are labeled with a computer-generated tag before they go out, thus cutting down on errors and man-hours, while simultaneously improving the readability and appearance of shipped products. See below for an example of our new shipping tags. As technology improves all around, we also expect for barcode scanners to be used by us and our clients. The scanners will allow for an instantaneous electronic record of all transactions to be made by whomever operates them. In this way, speed and efficiency will be running at peak levels on all sides.
1994 has been marked by many new developments in the expanding field of electronic data interchange. Computer upgrades, improved drafting and engineering software, and an electronic network connecting all of PT&P’s computers all contribute to our advance into the future. Look on the Technical page for an example of computer-generated finite element analyses we produce to aid in stress analysis of our product line.
PT&P published a new catalog last winter, and plans are also underway for converting the catalog data to CD-ROM for our forthcoming Electronic Catalog. Piping Technology recognizes the vital importance of high-tech information transfer capability, and it is for this reason that we are looking to make our catalogs and other company information available to our customers who have updated their own electronic capabilities. You can now reach PT&P on the Internet! Our World-Wide Web home page can be found at https://devptp.fronekgrp.com. Also, we can receive E-Mail at info@devptp.fronekgrp.com. We are asking all of our customers with electronic mail capabilities to send us their e-mail addresses so we can begin compiling our Internet database.
Our adaptation to the latest computerized business tools is yet another testament to PT&P’s flexibility and desire to remain up-to-date with the latest technology in our field. Look for our new catalog, the upcoming PT&P CD-ROM, and the many other advances in electronic data interchange soon to be implemented at Piping Technology. Join us in the future of design, engineering and communications!
Over the summer of 1995, Piping Technology & Products, Inc. again took advantage of the opportunity for outreach to area high school and college students in order to give them some real-life experience in the world of professional engineering. This year, PT&P sponsored 12 summer interns for work in the design, engineering and clerical departments of our offices. This internship program is a great opportunity for Piping Technology as well as for the students themselves. Several of the students returned from last summer, and it is certain that several of them will be back next year.
The summer interns came from local St. John’s high school and from universities all over the country. Among the represented colleges were the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Middlebury College and Rice University. As a matter of fact, PT&P employees got an exciting opportunity this season to watch summer intern Eric Ober help push the Rice football team to an unprecedented first-place ranking in the Southwest Conference.
Piping Technology & Products, Inc. is committed to furthering the education of today’s young leaders. PT&P realizes that, as we move into the future, the investments we make in the professional and academic development of students will most certainly flourish and provide us with a brighter tomorrow. Piping Technology & Products, Inc. thanks and salutes our summer interns. We look forward to continued participation and cooperation in years to come.
PT&P has received a contract to design, develop and furnish all of the supporting systems for a 250 kW fuel cell unit prototype. Greg P. Michaels and Kishor Bhalara represented PT&P in this venture, designing the alloy supports for the piping and equipment. See below for a look at the fuel cell. PT&P’s contributions are shown in dark green.
Fuel cell technology is a cutting-edge advance in the field of energy production. Though in principle fuel cells have been in development for over 150 years, today’s refinements and prototypes have put the units closer to commercial availability than ever before. During the “space race” of the 1950s and 1960s, NASA launched fuel cells into space for electrical generation on its Gemini and Apollo missions. Today, they are regularly used in space shuttle missions. Until recently, the high cost of fuel cells made them prohibitively expensive for commercial use. However, experts are now predicting a drop in the price per fuel cell kilowatt, and have even ventured that as much as 60,000 MW of power will be produced by fuel cell in the year 2010.
The fuel cell works on a simple though significant principle. Fuel cells produce power by converting chemical energy directly into electrical energy, without requiring work like that done by a rotating generator. As the need for mechanical work is eliminated, the efficiency of the fuel cell increases dramatically. If a fuel cell takes advantage of cogeneration technology as well, the overall efficiency of the unit skyrockets to between 80 and 90 percent, unheard of in conventional power generation schemes. See the diagram below for a look at PT&P’s contributions to this revolutionary advance in energy production technology.
Piping Technology and Products, Inc. is thrilled to be a part of this piece of history. This prototype is certain to profoundly affect the way the world gets its power in the future. PT&P continues to look toward the twenty-first century in our quest for innovation and excellence.
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