Piping Engineer Roles and Responsibilities

Piping engineering is a crucial part of every process plant. It is a specialized field in mechanical engineering dealing with piping and layout of equipment in various petrochemical, chemical, and hydrocarbon facilities. 

As a piping engineer, you will be responsible for accomplishing many tasks in their respective departments. Through this blog, we will discuss elaborately the duties and responsibilities of piping engineers of different roles and various other related topics such as skills required, job description, and many others. Without any further ado, let us get into the topic

What Does Piping Engineering Do?

As mentioned earlier, being a piping engineer comes with a lot of tasks, the primary responsibilities being to create the layout of overall plant facilities, place equipment and process unit in the plot, and ensure the connected piping design is as per the applicable regulations and standards for the safe operation of the design life. Some of the essential design competencies in piping engineering are as follows:

• Plant Setup and Layout
• Equipment Layout
• Piping placement and Layout 
• Piping Materials
• Piping Supports
• Piping Stress Analysis 
• CAD or 3D Modeling 

Piping engineers skills

Piping engineering involves mainly technical jobs and to become an efficient piping engineer, you need to possess specific skills. Let us now look into the skills required for piping engineers:

• Observation Skills
• Effective Analysis Skills
• Project Management Skills
• Drafting Skills
• Communication Skills Both Verbal and Written

Mechanical piping engineer job description and responsibilities:

Mechanical piping engineer job description

A mechanical piping engineer is responsible for designing and building the piping system to transfer oil, water, gas, or waste from one system to another while ensuring its safety and reliability. They are highly engaged in every aspect of piping design since it should be carefully done to avoid any failures and risks associated with it. Initially, they should create the blueprint of the piping system and then they are required to assist in selecting the equipment or materials that will be used to build the pipes and the related components. 

The mechanical piping engineering job description involves the entire duties and responsibilities of a piping engineer which can be modified to fit the piping position you looking for. Let us now acknowledge the piping engineering roles and responsibilities. 

Mechanical piping engineer roles & responsibilities

• Prepare all installation and selection documents for all mechanical equipment.
• Collaborate with a team of designers to complete all mechanical capital projects and provide all engineering support.
• Prepare and design all construction bid documents.
• Provide support to all expense projects and maintain accuracy in all piping projects and ensure compliance with all piping material specifications and maintain knowledge of all orders.
• Analyze all mechanical designs and prepare various concepts for piping designs and develop required mechanical drawings.
• Provide support to all purchase activities and evaluate all vendor submittals.
• Inspect all mechanical equipment and analyze all types of equipment and ensure adherence to all present technology.
• Provide assistance to all senior engineers and recommend improvements to all designs and travel to the site to analyze all equipment and maintain efficient relations with all plant personnel.
• Assist to make arrangements for all business trips for various departmental tasks and design all technical specifications and assist to procure and fabricate all materials.
• Coordinate with various teams to administer all assignments.
• Provide appropriate solutions for all parties and evaluate and analyze all client requirements and design all piping specifications for clients and recommend appropriate alternatives.
• Interpret all codes and maintain the overall performance of all piping activities.
• Provide support to all CADD functions and develop and maintain all activities according to project schedule and prepare appropriate forecasts.
• Develop new methods to recommend improvements to all activities of the piping section.

A piping Engineer should pay specific attention to the following aspects.

Adequacy

Piping design must be adequate to meet the process specification & Physical conditions

in which the plant is to operate.

Economy

Adequate design must be achieved at an Economic cost within the project budget.

Design Should be optimized to minimize the overall project cost as well as operations &

Maintenance costs of the facility

Clarity & Accuracy

The piping Engineer has to Interact with various other departments like process, Mechanical,

civil Structural, instrumentation, and electrical. Piping Engineers will require data from many

or all of the above departments to carry out their design similarly Piping design data will be

used by various departments to finalize their design. Hence clarity &accuracy of piping

design works is very important to avoid mistakes and rectifications at a later stage which

may prove to be very costly and can delay the project completion.

What a Mechanical Piping Engineer Should Know

A mechanical piping engineer should have a thorough knowledge of the following factors:

• Materials and Types of Equipment to Use
• International Codes and Standards
• Drifting Procedures and Practices
• Welding Methods
• Good Understanding of Engineering
• The Cost of the Piping Method
• Fabrication and Erection
• Problem-Solving Tools
• Inspection Activities 

Lead Piping Engineer Job Description & Responsibilities

Lead Piping Engineer Job Description

The job description or job summary for the lead piping engineer is as follows:

• Overall discipline coordination.
• Offering skills and knowledge in key areas of engineering disciplines such as design codes, legislative requirements, and the leading engineering practice. 
• Understanding clients’ needs – identifying and addressing design parameters and problems; developing and implementing solutions.
• Independently evaluate, organize, and prioritize work 
• Interface with other Project Specialists and Lead Engineers.
• Co-ordinate technical activities performed

Lead Piping Engineer Job Responsibilities

The roles and responsibilities of a lead piping engineer are as follows:

• The lead piping engineer will be responsible for the design calculator and specification, procedures, analysis, progress reports, CTR input, bid evaluation and studying reports, and other third-party submissions. 
• Performing Inter discipline, engineering compliance, and QA/QC on all the work 
• Ensuring and coordinating all the completed and ongoing projects done by CAD designers. 
• Review and management of the project as well as engineering procedures and engineering policy.
• Responsible for all work completed in their respective section
• Preparing the documentation for all projects and ensuring it is properly archived.
• Responsible for the training and development of engineers in their section
• Performs other related duties as assigned
• Training junior engineers.

Lead Piping Engineer Skills:

• Master the knowledge in the oil and gas engineering field and construction methods
• Understanding of the codes, standards, regulations, and practices
• Interpersonal skills
• Advanced computer skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Time management skills 

Piping Supervisor Job Description And Responsibilities

Piping Supervisor Job Description

• Offer and attend training
• Gaining knowledge and skills 
• Understanding of the application of the company’s procedure 
• Knowledge of quality standards and international codes

Piping Supervisor Responsibilities

• Supervising and approving construction activities and coordinating various aspects of the project such as material submission, inspection, working on drawings, etc
• Resolving difficulties and problems in discussion with other contractors
• Implementing a standardized work construction process and executing the control system for each construction activity
• Assisting regarding the inspection of received materials or equipment and the preventive maintenance of the stored equipment 
• Handling every construction activity such as site surveys, site inspections, etc. 
• Collaborating with other client construction supervisors
• Organizing and coordinating construction activities with accordance to schedules
• Monitoring and reviewing the completed work and ensuring it is on time and within the budget
• Reporting to the client’s Senior Construction Supervisor on main issues, progress reporting, and events at the site trends.
• Coordinating with client and construction personnel to make sure the client’s input and job requirements are addressed and implemented consistently.

Piping Site Engineer Job Description And Responsibilities

Piping Site Engineer Job Description:

A site engineer is responsible for overseeing the construction and maintenance of pipelines. They should also ensure that the pipelines are installed and operated in accordance with the project specification, standards, regulations, and safety guidelines. 

Skills Required:

• Communication skills 
• Observation skills 
• Time management skills 
• Critical thinking skills

Piping Site Engineer Job Responsibilities:

• Procuring materials based on their industry knowledge
• Working together with other construction engineers and project designers to create scheduled activities 
• Monitoring the installation of pipes and ensuring the work agrees with the design of the project
• Inspecting maintenance of pipeline systems and facilities 
• Surveying the site to study and analyze numerous conditions 
• Monitoring workers and the safety of the site

Piping Project Engineer Job Description And Responsibilities

Piping Project Engineer Job Description:

The project engineer should be responsible for every engineering and technical aspect of the project. They should schedule, plan and manage every technical activity focusing to ensure the accuracy of the project and quality from the initial stage to completion.  

Skills Required

• AutoCAD
• Safety training skills
• Excellent computer skills
• Planning and leadership skills
• Participation skills

Piping Project Engineer Responsibilities:

• Preparing, coordinating, scheduling, and monitoring the assigned engineering projects
• Ensuring compliance with applicable codes, practices, QA/QC policies, performance standards, and specifications
• Interact daily with the clients to determine their needs and requirements
• Perform overall quality control of the work such as the budget, schedule, plans, personnel’s performance, etc, and report regularly on the status
• Assign responsibilities & duties and mentor the project team
• Cooperate and communicate effectively with other project participants and offer assistance and technical support
• Review engineering deliverables and initiate appropriate actions

Piping Layout Engineer Job Description And Responsibilities:

Piping Layout Engineer Job Description:

The piping layout engineer is responsible to determine and develop the layout of the overall plant facility including detailed design using various design-related tools. They should continuously make improvements to the plant layout if required and come up with solutions to ensure the project is accomplished within the time frame and budget. 

Skills Required:

• Excellent team player
• Communication skills
• A high degree of flexibility
• Strong dedication to the project
• Entrepreneurial thinking skills

Piping Layout Engineer Job Responsibilities:

• Ensuring the Piping & Layout engineering support for different projects 
• Ensuring the accomplishment of assigned goals and the fulfillment of the quality requirements of the project and contractual obligations.
• Analyzing the technical documents such as specifications, calculation notes, drawings, etc
• Seeks solutions to bring out overall savings to the project.
• Estimates quantities or validates estimations done by another specialist of the team.
• Making sure all produced documents like design reports, technical specifications, drawings, etc are under his responsibility.
• Writes the Piping and Layout methodologies, Design Premises comprehensive of all necessary data, and general and specific design guidelines 

Piping Checker Job Description and Responsibilities

Piping Checker Job Description:

• Personnel with broad knowledge of technical application, maintenance, and operation of the piping system. They should review the engineering work and control day-to-day technical work.
• Coordinate the assigned engineering work with other projects or group
• Master the knowledge of piping codes and standards
• Undertake quality control review for compliance to design standards

The Responsibilities of Piping Checker are as follows:

• Assist to ensure all work designed or delivered by the piping engineering discipline complies with the relevant code, design criteria, and project specifications.
• Ensuring design drawing content is accurate and portrays design intent correctly
• Attending piping discipline engineering meetings
• Coordinating between the piping team and other disciplines based on the progress of the design
• Ensuring that quality of engineering work is done in accordance with project procedures and maintaining technical documentation
• Preparing and maintaining engineering standards
• Participating in the resolution of piping issues such as the planning phase, design, procurement, fabrication, construction, and commissioning
• Adhere to and promote the safety culture.