Training engineers

As the domestic mix of fossil fuel resources changes over the coming years, new challenges will emerge for the design and renovation of our nation s installed base of refineries. While the practical aspects of this task must be left to the petroleum and gas industries, there is a need for fundamental research to provide new design concepts and for trained engineering personnel to maintain international competitiveness in these industries. 

Training Engineers and operators need sufficient training to understand and appreciate the modified operation. 

Deciding upon the length of time that each test point should be monitored for adequate data collection is something that even a well-trained engineer has to struggle with at times. Ideally, you would want to continue tests until the actual cause shows up. This is not always feasible, and the approach can be quite costly. In power quality tests, you are looking not only for the actual failure mode to repeat itself (which would be ideal) but also for any event that might show a tendency toward failure. 

In addition to training, engineering controls are the most effective way of minimizing exposure to harmful chemicals. Engineering controls include process or equipment modifications that reduce the amount of potentially hazardous materials to which an employee may be exposed. Isolation and ventilation are the primary methods of control. Engineering controls also include the maintenance, policing, and changing of work practices when necessary. 

This imbalance between science and engineering must be tackled at the undergraduate level, at least for those who aspire to be leaders in their profession. It is important at the earliest stage to introduce current opportunities and unsolved problems, rather than to concentrate on well tried and tested analyses that relate to old problems and now-standard design methods. It is simply not practicable to train engineers in all the standard methods that will be expected of them during a 20- to 40-year career they will inevitably have to learn on the job as their tasks alter. 

The university trained engineer usually thinks first of metal (steel, alloy, etc.) when designing chemical equipment-something easily shaped and erected, not occupying more space than is needed. Both architects and engineers think of concrete first when they think of floors, dykes, trenches, sumps, pits, etc., because they are easily formed and poured. 

As the learning curve is extended for each of these, production efficiency improves while quality is maintained. With this intention, the first batches of a new product (usually three to five) should be under a development jurisdiction to confirm transfer of the design requirements into production conformance (this is often termed performance qualification). Specialist departments other than QC will also be present (training, engineering, O M, etc.) to ensure the relevance of procedures, systems and performance. 

NVA-trained engineers provide the skilled nucleus for the enemy mine factories, but supervision and labor are primarily VC. The typical output of a local VC mine factory Is about I35 mines and explosive devices per month. 

Jf possible, trained engineer, infantry, or explosive ordnance disposal units will search oat and neutralize all boobytraps in front of friendly troops or prepare safe passage lanes. When discovered, boobytraps will either be disarmed immediately or marked by waniing signs. Only the simple ones will be disarmed during attack. Those more complicated will be marked and reported for removal. 

Camp Leech, the adjacent facility, trained an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 gas and flame engineers in the application of poison gas, smoke and flame, basic small arms training, engineering techniques, and defensive measures. This training included the firing of mortars and howitzers with gas shells. These projectiles sometimes fail to detonate on impact, resulting in UXO or duds, which are extremely dangerous. 

Train engineers and managers to use the results of hazard analyses in their decision making. 

In addition to this off-site training, engineers have extensive training at their own station to familiarise themselves with the plant. The engineer will be given an interview before taking up his duties. 

---