Gerald H. May, PE

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Gerald H. May, PE

Presents a SunCam continuing education series on the topic of:

Mechanical Integrity

Contact author at:
gmay@structint.com
Houston, Texas

Experience
Gerald May has over 45 years of diverse experience in piping engineering. He has engineered piping systems for new and retrofit coal fired, gas fired, nuclear and solar powered electric generating units; refineries, petrochemical plants, pulp and paper plants, pipelines and even a nerve gas detoxification unit. Responding to some significant piping failures in the 1980’s, his work expanded into evaluation and inspection of existing piping systems at many of the same types of facilities. This perspective of knowing how piping systems are designed and operated, and the problems that develop after decades of operation results in an understanding of how Piping Engineering should be performed – and the ramifications if inappropriate steps are taken.

Currently Mr. May is a Senior Engineer working with Structural Integrity Associates in Houston, Texas. He can be contacted at gmay@structint.com.

Education
B.S. Aerospace Engineering, University of Kansas 1971
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas 1972

Professional Engineer Registration
Colorado, Texas

Technical Papers
•    Piping Layout at Combined Cycle Plants: Lessons Learned, Power Gen, Orlando, FL, Dec. 2018
•    Maintaining Piping and Support Systems, CEP Magazine June 2005
•    The Need for In-Situ Pipe Support Testing, ASME Power Division Special Section, Energy-Tech.com, February 2005
•    Integration of Mechanical Integrity into the Design and Construction Project Phases, AIChE Spring National Meeting, April 2001
•    Development of 20 Year Plans for Inspection and Maintenance of High Temperature Equipment, co-author with Andrew Srubar of LCRA, Power- Gen 2000, Orlando, Florida
•    How to Prevent Re-Work During a Plant Turn-Around, AIChE, Spring National Meeting, Session 37, March 1997
•    Comparison of NDE and Metallurgical Condition of High Energy Steam Piping at Various Power Plants, co-author with Chuck Hancock, Texas Utilities and Lange Kimball, Brown & Root Power, EPRI Computer-Assisted Technologies for NDE and Plant Monitoring Workshop, Aug. 1992, Phil., PA
•    Examination of Riser Clamps on High-Temperature Piping, Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, May 1991, Vol 113, Page 337.
•    On-Line Vibration Measurement of a Nuclear Reactor During Hot Functional Testing, co-author with D.E. Thoren & J.C. Simonis, IEEE Conference 1973, Albuquerque, NM

Course Title Rating Hours Price

052-Introduction to Piping Engineering

(4.7) 109 Reviews

4 $90.00

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

Every industrial plant has numerous piping systems that must function reliably and safely. Piping systems are often easy to ignore or take lightly. However, industry around the world continuously experiences pipe failures, sometimes with catastrophic results. Plant personnel expect piping systems that operate safely, and plant owners need piping systems that are reliable.

This course introduces the engineers, to the fundamental considerations, the evaluation criteria and the primary solutions in the design of piping systems. The types of common failure modes are described, with the general approaches to determining if a piping system design is adequate for operation. Pipe support types are described, and their normal applications. This is not a pipe stress analysis course, but is much broader in context and only briefly introduces pipe stress analysis.

This course is intended for those who interface with piping design, maintenance and operation, and those who may be starting to work in piping engineering. There are three related courses by Mr. May on the Suncam syllabus titled:

Building Mechanical Integrity Programs Into New Plants
Pipe Support Failures
Life Cycle Mechanical Integrity of Piping Systems

096-Building Mechanical Integrity Programs into New Plants

(4.7) 7 Reviews

3 $67.50

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

Mechanical Integrity (MI) is the process of assuring equipment is in satisfactory condition to safely and reliably perform its intended purpose. MI is more than a set of inspection programs, as it should have an affect on design basis of the plant, operational procedures and maintenance procedures.

The most effective method to implement MI is to define the goals in the Conceptual Design phase, and to develop strategies to reduce the Risk of Failure, and to reduce the Consequences of Failure. With this basis, a body of knowledge is available during the design, construction, commissioning, operational and maintenance phases of a plant to assist technical personnel in accurately assessing the condition of the equipment during the operational phase.

This course describes the necessary processes and approaches to define the end goals, and to assure the goals are achieved. By taking this course, the student should understand:

History of MI implementation
Reasons that MI should be implemented during the Conceptual Design phase
Available technical resources
Driving Factors for MI implementation
Problem areas to be avoided
Implementation strategies

167-Pipe Support Failures

(4.2) 30 Reviews

4 $90.00

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

The stability and integrity of industrial piping systems are dependent upon the proper design, installation and maintenance of the pipe supports. Numerous photos of pipe support failures, and some pipe support successes are presented to illustrate what should exist, and the result when a pipe support deteriorates and fails.

This course provides examples of the primary pipe support design types in industrial facilities, such as rigid rods, sliding supports, guides, sway struts, snubbers, anchors, variable spring hangers and constant support hangers. Photos are shown of each type of support and the types of failures often observed, such as this shattered spring. Broken Spring

Guidelines for proper design to avoid the common failures are provided.

This course is intended for those who work in industrial facilities to make them aware of the types of damage they might observe when in a plant, and for those on the design side who work in piping engineering or interface with piping engineering to understand the importance of pipe supports, and the design constraints that need to be planned for from the beginning of design.

The Piping Engineering curriculum by Mr. May includes:

Introduction to Piping Engineering
Building Mechanical Integrity Into a Plant Design
Life Cycle Mechanical Integrity of Piping Systems

168-Life Cycle Mechanical Integrity Of Piping Systems

(4.5) 20 Reviews

4 $90.00

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

The long term mechanical integrity of piping systems is critical to ensuring safety of personnel, and the reliability of a plant. Pipe failures do occur at many facilities, and most failures can be avoided by proper periodic visual observation of the pipe and pipe supports; and Non Destructive Examination (NDE) focused on certain piping systems and locations.

This course describes the methods, checklists and examples of performing visual observations. When finished, the student will understand why the variable spring hanger in the photo is a concern. The course also shows a method to set up a long term NDE monitoring system, and guides to evaluating the results. Guidelines for developing Short Term and Long Term Recommendations are also provided to maintain the Mechanical Integrity of piping systems over decades.

This course is intended for those who work in industrial facilities to make them aware of a system they could set up, or maintain; for management who should be focused on reliability and safety issues; and for engineers designing plants to set up appropriate programs during the design and construction phases of the project.

The Piping Engineering curriculum by Mr. May includes:

Introduction to Piping Engineering
Building Mechanical Integrity Into the Plant Design
Pipe Support Failures

428-Creating Effective Teamwork In Project Management

(4.9) 10 Reviews

3 $67.50

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

Almost all companies espouse the desire to have efficient project teams, but often the teams are not effective. There are many reasons for these failures, including management culture, ineffective leadership, contracts that diminish teamwork, and even not recognizing who the project team really is.

Several real-life examples are described to illustrate the positive and negative teaming situations. Some of the major mistakes are created by asking the wrong questions, failing to listen carefully to others, and cutting off communications when discussions are most needed. These examples are based upon experiences building and maintaining large petrochem, power and pulp & paper facilities. But the principles apply equally well to software development, facility operations, construction companies, in-house development projects, or any project that requires people to work together to develop an end product.

This course provides the most important individual principles for teaming effectively, which most people want to do, and then describes the management requirements to create an environment conducive to teaming. The remainder of the course assumes the company, project management and the project personnel want an effective team, then describes the concrete actions individuals, and management must do to allow the teaming to occur.

This course is intended for individuals to recognize their responsibilities to work as a team, and managers to see how they can be Effective Team Creators, and not Team Destroyers.