Storms and chickens

[Couperman]

I received an email today from someone who had taken one of my drawings and amended it, called it his own, had the components produced, and when they didn't fit asked for my advice .

 

This guy is a piping designer and has no real knowledge of machinery.

 

He said that he proposed to make a few changes to make his design fit and asked if I saw any problems with it!

This guy is not qualified enough to make these decisions. It is a critical machine, a hydrogen compressor, a very big hydrogen compressor compressing hydrogen to very high pressures, the kind that would on the event of a small leak cut through steel as though it were butter, and it burns with an invisible flame.

 

And yes I do have concerns with his proposed changes as they may have resulted in a large explosion and potentialy killed a lot of people and damaged a lot of expensive plant each with their own hazards.

 

I don't claim to know all the answers but I do know all the right questions and know who to ask.

 

I am absolutely fuming, I have flagged this up at the highest level and heads will roll.

 

I sent an email back suggesting that he was very lucky that his design didn't fit as if it had god only knows what may have happened.

 

The moral is 'If you're not entirely sure of what you're doing, sing up! you could be about to kill a lot of people'

 

 

 

Kev.

[Egluntyne]

Bloomin' cheek on two counts.

 

Firstly to nick your idea and secondly to mess it up and then ask for your advice!

 

Let's hope that the powers that be show him the door.

 

It sounds as if you have averted a disaster.

 

Its frightening.

[Guest]

sorry kev but that's the weirdest rant I've ever seen on here!

[Couperman]

Just to clarify the guy in question works for the same client as me, it's not some random dude, I actually know the bloke.

 

I wrote a long winded reply to his email originally but managed to shorten it for political reasons to 'Yes I do have concerns about your proposals as they may result in many deaths please change nothing and seek advice from rotating machinery experts' I did provide names of such experts who I know would say 'Why have you re-introduced hazards we had previously eliminated.

 

I am still so annoyed that no-one even consulted me, I know the entire history of the job.

 

Kev.

[Snowy]

Poor you Kev, must make you so angry to see what he's done. Not only pinching your idea but then making it dangerous! Some people really have no morals whatsoever - seems that anything goes in the race to be 'top dog' doesn't it?

[Laura & CTB]

No wonder you're fuming Kev!

 

It's frightening that he managed to get that far with it. I work in the compressed gases producing industry and you wouldnt believe the paperwork and signatures required for even the most minor of changes.

[Paola]

How could he think that he could get away from taking your paperwork and changing it for the worse

[Couperman]

I don't think he did it maliciously, he was probably just trying to be helpful. I am annoyed that the job didn't go to the right department. I know the full history of the original redesign as I designed it under the supervision of a very experience rotating machines engineer. Someone somewhere has decided to change the design for reasons unknown to me.

 

This was then undertaken by a guy who knew nothing of the discussions with the afore mentioned expert.

 

Some dimensions that were deliberately omitted by me so the thing could only be machined correctly were added by this guy. So with the new drawing it is possible to manufacture the component to be fully compliant and still not fit.

 

Which it doesn't. He then went on to try and solve that problem by changing something else. Not a good idea.

 

I am not suggesting that what he was proposing would definately have resulted in a large hole in the ground. But often subtle changes have huge consequences.

 

Kev.