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By the way, I've got the same education as a mechanical engineer, why should I expect a lower wage than other skilled trades?


AJ

I was through with this thread but am compelled to respond to this statement. I will start by saying I freely admit I don�t have the skills you possess relative to your expertise in machining. May I ask what leads you to believe you are qualified in mine as a professional engineer? Would you care to back up your assertion from the above quote?

How about a hypothetical? I need a pump. This pump will be part of a portable skid mounted separations system used in crude oil/natural gas exploration. It must be sized to handle 200 gallons/minute raw crude flow. Will be used in various environments from a semi-submersible drill rig in the Gulf of Mexico to a trucked unit in California to a work boat off of Nova Scotia Canada to a fixed platform in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Tell me, what type pump would you specify? Vertical turbine? Horizontal split case? Other? Based on what I�ve told you what horsepower electrical driver (motor) would you select? (Have I given you enough info? (hint:NO!) If not tell me what you need) Should the internals be 304? Incolnel? (Based on what I�ve told you should you be able to decide? (Hint:YES)) This driver, what design standards must it meet to be certified for operation in the locales I�ve specified � ASME, IEEE, CSA, BS, NORSOK? What standard will rule for stress evaluations on the pump base plate and piping seeing as it will be used both on land in a California Zone 4 seismic area and offshore on a ship, let�s say the ship will meet at most 20 foot waves of 8 second duration�Title 24, CCG? What about cooling? Looks like it will be either fresh or seawater�what material do you suggest here to inhibit corrosion? Will I need an isolation spool between this material and the piping systems in the rest of the skid? How about cathodic protection? The welding on the mounting base for the pump, what code would you specify to ensure it will be approved in all of the area of operation�AWS, ASME, CWB, other? What kind of seals would you specify based on conditions in the various operating areas? Etc�etc�etc�.etc�etc��..to the final condition�.. As alluded to by Matthias above, I need you once you�ve designed this pump to affix your stamp and certify that you will be fully responsible for any errors and omissions to the design and in the event of any failure you will stand up to any production shortfalls, lost revenues, and in the worst case any plant damages or loss of life.

This scenario is an every day one for a qualified mechanical engineer, whose training you claim to have so let�s play�. answer the questions you can from the above, tell me what further information you need to answer the rest, qualify your design parameters, and estimate the value, i.e. your fee/charge out price for the final design including carrying the consequential damages for production shortfall/injury/loss of life��..