It-Yourself Shortcut Methods

This paper, presented by the author at the 1985 AS EE Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, is intended to show how 

When Bruce presented his ten-minute solution to the graduate student instructor the next morning, the instructor remarked, You have the right answer, but 1 have never seen it done this way. I will never forget Bruce s reply, Well, 1 guess that s how they do it in the field.  

Like Bruce, I am here to share the perspective of the field. Shortcut equipment design methods play a major role in process equipment installations. Virtually all process designs employ these methods and shortcut techniques are developed from many sources. 

What exactly do we mean by the term shortcut equipment design method Here is an example. Two rules are given for determining the thickness in inches of copper boiler level float balls  

Rule 1. Thickness = diameter in inches x pressure in lbs per square inch/16,000 

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