The Oil & Gas industry offers a wide range of career opportunities for aspiring engineers and professionals looking to build a rewarding career in the engineering sector. However, entering this industry often comes with several questions about career paths, required skills, job opportunities, industry expectations, and the right training to get started.

At FIRST STEP EDUCATION, we regularly receive enquires from engineering graduates, diploma holders, freshers, and working professionals who are eager to explore opportunities in the Oil & Gas sector, particularly in piping engineering design and analysis.

To help aspiring professionals make informed career decisions, we have compiled some of the most common questions we receive and provided clear, practical answers based on industry knowledge and professional experience.

Whether you are a recent graduate exploring your career options, a professional planning a career transition, or someone looking to upgrade your technical skills, this Q&A section will help you better understand the industry and the opportunities available to you.

Explore the questions below, gain valuable insights, and take your first step towards a career in the Oil & Gas industry with FIRST STEP EDUCATION.

1. How to select a proper flange facing?

The selection of a proper flange facing is depended on certain factors like flange material. Gasket material, Bolt strength, operating pressure, and temperature, and also fluid properties contained.

2. What is a flange?

A flange is a mechanical with two pipes, basically, it connects two pipes. The flanges can be used to connect pipes to other components like a valve, choke, etc.

3. What are the properties of the conveyed fluid that must be considered for a piping?

Type of fluid, flow rate, pressure and temperature

4. What are the three major categories of piping?

Large bore piping — This type of piping has more than two inches in diameter.

Small bore piping— This type of piping will have diameter less than or equal to two inches.

Tubing — This of piping has a diameter of more than four inches but it has less wall thickness than the above-mentioned types

5. What is the importance of piping engineering?

Piping engineering can be explained as designing, constructing, and fabricating lines for conveying fluids. This piping should maintain pressure and temperature difference and it also must maintain flow rate.

6. Where do we use power piping?

This type of piping is mostly used in electric power generating stations, geothermal heating systems, and district heating and cooling systems

7. Where do we use process piping?

Process piping is mostly used in petroleum refineries, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textile, paper, processing plants, etc.

8. Explain the design pressure in piping?

The design pressure is the pressure of each component in a piping system, this design pressure of a component in a piping system should not be less than the high pressure which could occur during the service.

9. Elaborate piping?

Piping can be described as an assembly of pipes, fittings, valves, instruments, and specialty components.

10. What are the major components in a piping system?

The major components in a piping systems are • Pipe Fittings (EIbows, reducers, flange connections) Flanges, gaskets, bolting Valves support

11. What is the importance of piping specification?

By the help of piping specification the proper material of a pipe and also the components in a piping system can be determined.

12. Why do we need elbows in a piping system?

Elbow would make an angle between the adjacent piping, there are elbows of 90 degrees and 45 degrees.

13. Explain pipe caps?

Pipe caps are specialized fittings which is used to close an open end.

14. What are weldolets ?

Weldolets are integral reinforcement fittings used for branch connection strength

15. What is a swage nipple?

This is a reducing fitting which is used to join piping of different sizes

16. Explain soluble dam?

A soluble dam is a water soluble material and it can be used to restrict the purging gas in a pipe.

17. What is the difference between a machine bolt and stud bolt?

One side of the machine bolt consists of the head while the other side has a nut, while in the case of a stud bolt it has nuts on both sides.

18. What are the basic functions of instruments?

The major function of instruments are to sense, transmit, indicate, read, and control.

19. What is SMAW and TIG welding?

SMAW- Shielded metal arc welding, TIG — Tungsten inter gas welding

20. What is the purpose of eccentric reducer and concentric reducer?

Eccentric reducers are used in pump suction to avoid cavitation and concentric reducers are used in pump discharge.

21. What would happen if we use concentric reducers in pump suction?

Air pockets will form if we use concentric reducers in pump suction and this would lead to cavitation and the pump will be damaged.

22. Explain pump cavitation?

A pump is not capable to handle vapor, it is designed to handle liquid. Vapor will be formed if the pump pressure falls below the liquid's vapor pressure and this would cause cavitation

23. Explain NPSH?

NPSH is a net positive suction head, it is the pressure that is available in the pump suction after excluding the vapor pressure.

24. How to calculate the net positive suction head (NPSH)?

Static head + surface pressure head — the vapor pressure of the product — the friction loss in the piping, valves, and fittings.

25. What are the insulation material which is used for the piping system?

A.Rigid — Calcium silicate, cellular glass Fibrous — Rock & glass wool

26. What is the standard for petroleum pumps?

The standard for centrifugal pumps in petroleum industry is API 610

27. What is the need for positive displacement pumps and where is it used?

It is used to move the viscous liquids and also it would inject chemicals or addictive into a system.

28. What are the types of rotary pumps?

External gear, cam and piston, two lobe, single screw, two screw

29. Where should we use rotary pumps?

It can be used for viscous fluids which is free of hard and abrasive fluids

30. Explain the code ANSI B31.1 and code ANSI B31.3?

The B31.1 is the code for power piping and B31.3 is for refinery or for chemical plants

OIL & GAS CAREER GUIDANCE: Q&A SECTION (PART 1)