Thirty-seven plain-spoken technical articles on pipework, flanges, pressure equipment, materials, welding, FEA, structural design, standards and project delivery, written by the engineers who do the work.
Read in the interactive site →Pipework, Flanges & Valves
PipeworkPipe Schedule Selection: When to Use Sch 40, 80 or 160Schedule numbers explained from first principles. How pressure, temperature and material interact to determine the right wall thickness, and why…FlangesASME B16.5 Flange Classes: Pressure-Temperature Ratings ExplainedClass 150 through 2500 demystified. Why the same flange can hold different pressures at different temperatures, and how to read the P-T rating tablesPipeworkPipe Stress Analysis: When Thermal Expansion Becomes a Structural ProblemWhy pipework moves, what happens when it can't, and how to design piping systems that accommodate thermal growth without overstressing equipment nozzles or…Sealing & JointsBolted Flange Joint Integrity: Why Joints Leak and How to Prevent ItGasket selection, bolt load calculation, joint efficiency, and the effect of thermal cycling. Most flange joint leaks are preventable, and most trace back to…Sealing & JointsGasket Selection: Types, Materials and Correct ApplicationSpiral wound, ring joint, PTFE, compressed non-asbestos fibre: what each gasket type is, its applicable pressure and temperature range, and how to match gasket…Process Piping · CodesASME B31.3 Process Piping: A Practical GuideScope, fluid categories, wall thickness design, allowable stresses, quality factors, flexibility analysis, examination requirements and pressure testing. What…Fasteners · Pressure ServiceFasteners for Pressure Service: ASTM A193, A194 and EN ISO 898Stud bolt and nut material grades for flanged joints in process piping and pressure vessels. B7/2H, L7/4, B8M/8M, and their EN equivalents: what each grade…Valves · Process EngineeringValve Selection for Process Service: Types, Standards and CriteriaGate, globe, ball, butterfly, needle, diaphragm and check valves compared: selection criteria, pressure ratings, material selection, ASME/API standards and…Pipe Supports · Pipework DesignPipe Support Design: Types, Spacing and SelectionResting supports, guides, anchors, spring hangers and pipe shoes explained: support spacing calculations, the three load types, ASME B31.3 requirements and…
Pressure & Process Equipment
Pressure EquipmentPED, BS PD 5500 and EN 13445: Pressure Vessel Design ExplainedThe three frameworks most UK engineers encounter when designing pressure vessels. Which applies when, how they relate to each other, and what the Pressure…Process EquipmentHeat Exchanger Selection: Shell and Tube, Plate and Spiral ComparedThe three principal heat exchanger types, their thermal and hydraulic performance, fouling characteristics, maintenance requirements and typical applications.…Process EquipmentPump Selection: Centrifugal vs Positive DisplacementThe fundamental operating principles of each pump type, their performance characteristics, how viscosity and head affect selection, and the operating envelope…Process EquipmentControl Valve Sizing: Cv, Flow Coefficient and Why It MattersHow control valves are sized, what the flow coefficient Cv represents, and what happens when a valve is over- or under-sized. Practical guidance on specifying…Pressure Vessels · MaterialsLow Temperature Pressure Vessels: Metallurgical Implications of Sub-Zero ServiceWhy cold kills carbon steel. Ductile-to-brittle transition, Charpy impact testing, ASME UCS-66 exemption curves, material selection from −29°C to −196°C, and…Process Engineering · DocumentationP&ID Reading and Drawing Guide: Symbols, Tags and Control LoopsHow to read and produce Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams. ISA 5.1 symbology, instrument identification tags, control loop notation, safety instrumented…Process Safety · Pressure ReliefPressure Relief Valves: Sizing, Selection and Code RequirementsOverpressure scenarios, set pressure and accumulation, API 520 sizing equations for vapour, liquid and steam, back pressure effects, conventional vs balanced…Instrumentation · Process EngineeringProcess Instrumentation Fundamentals: Pressure, Temperature, Level and FlowHow pressure transmitters, thermocouples, RTDs, guided wave radar level instruments and Coriolis flow meters work, and how to select the right measurement…
Materials & Manufacturing
MaterialsS275 vs S355: Which Structural Steel Grade Do You Actually Need?The practical difference between the two most common UK structural grades. When the extra yield strength of S355 is worth it, and when S275 does the job at…Materials304L vs 316L vs Duplex: Stainless Steel Grades for Process PipeworkA practical guide to choosing between the three most common stainless grades. Chloride limits, temperature constraints, cost differences and when duplex…MaterialsUnderstanding Corrosion: Galvanic, Pitting, Crevice and Erosion-CorrosionThe four corrosion mechanisms that cause most preventable engineering failures. How each mechanism works, which material and design combinations are…Manufacturing ProcessesRotary Tube Piercing: How Seamless Pipe Is MadeThe Mannesmann process explained: how a solid steel billet becomes a seamless tube without ever being drilled or welded. Cross-roll piercing mechanics,…Manufacturing · AdditiveMetal Additive Manufacturing: Processes, Materials and New DevelopmentsLPBF, WAAM, DED, binder jetting and electron beam processes compared. Material properties vs wrought equivalents, design for additive, topology optimisation,…
Welding, Drawings & Tolerances
CNC & ManufactureSpecifying CNC Machined Parts: What Information Your Machinist NeedsThe information gaps that cause delays, reruns and cost overruns on machined parts. Tolerances, surface finish, material callout, datum scheme: what to include…Drawing PracticeUnderstanding Weld Symbols on Engineering DrawingsBS EN ISO 2553 weld symbols decoded. Fillet, butt, plug, spot: reading the arrow side, other side and tail notation without needing a reference card everyDrawing PracticeHow to Read an Engineering Drawing: A Practical GuideThird-angle projection, tolerancing, title block, revision history, GD&T basics. A ground-up guide for anyone who needs to read or approve engineering drawings…NDT · Inspection · WeldingNDT Methods for Welds and Pressure EquipmentRT, UT, MT, PT and PAUT explained: when to use each method, what they find, weld quality acceptance levels per EN ISO 5817 and ASME Section V, and how to…GD&T · Tolerances · Engineering DrawingsEngineering Tolerances, Fits and GD&T: A Practical GuideISO 286 tolerance system, hole/shaft basis fits, clearance and interference fits, and GD&T symbols for flatness, straightness, roundness, cylindricity and…
Analysis, Structural & Lifting
AnalysisWhat is FEA and When Do You Actually Need It?Finite element analysis is frequently over-sold and under-explained. This article covers what it can and can't tell you, when a hand calculation is sufficient,…ComplianceLOLER and Lifting Equipment: What Mechanical Engineers Need to KnowThe Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations as they apply to designed lifting points, pad eyes, lifting beams and spreader frames. What to design,…Stress AnalysisRecognising Stress Concentrations: A Practical GuideA component can pass its nominal stress check and still fail at a shoulder radius or weld toe. How to trace the load path, judge severity, match the assessment…
Standards, Compliance & Project Delivery
DocumentationUnderstanding Mill Certificates: What to Check and Why They MatterWhat a 3.1 or 3.2 mill certificate tells you, what to verify against the order specification, and the common discrepancies that get missed onComplianceCDM 2015 for Mechanical Engineers: What You Actually Need to KnowThe Construction Design and Management Regulations as they apply to mechanical design work. Principal designer duties, design risk elimination, and what goes…Design PracticeHow to Write a Good Engineering BriefThe information that makes the difference between a clean first-pass design and three rounds of revision. What to include, what assumptions to state…ComplianceATEX Equipment Selection for Non-Electrical EngineersZone classification, equipment categories, gas groups, temperature classes: what each designation means and how to specify ATEX-compliant mechanical and…Design PracticeEngineering Change Control: Managing Design Revisions Without Losing TraceabilityHow to run a change control process that prevents the wrong revision reaching the fabricator, maintains a clear audit trail, and protects the integrity of…AutomationIndustrial Robots: Types, Manufacturers and How to Select the Right OneArticulated, SCARA, delta, Cartesian, collaborative: the major robot types, the key manufacturers and models, and a practical framework for matching robot…Food & Pharma · Design PracticeHygienic Design Principles: Engineering for Food, Pharma and BioprocessingEHEDG and ASME BPE principles applied to process equipment. Surface finish requirements, dead leg limits, self-draining geometry, weld quality standards,…