CDR Sample for Electrical Engineer

Career Episode for CDR Australia

Introduction

  • In my second career episode, I would explain the project that I did at Saudi Aramco; the project was the Installation of Engine Running Flashing Lights on Port-Forward & Stbd Crane Mast & Crane Boom Tip. At the time of this project, I was working as design Engineer (Electrical) for the Lamprell plc, and the project took place between June 2004 and August 2004.The project was part of the upgrade done at Saudi Aramco or Saudi Arabian Oil Company to meet their requirements. Lamprell specializes in onshore and offshore oil & gas Industries. The Company that I was working for at this time is located at United Arab Emirates (“UAE”)

Background

  • Lamprell was established in Dubai in 1976 by Stephen Lamprell, and it is based in the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”).It has more than 40 years’ experience in the provision of fabrication, engineering and contracting services to the offshore and onshore oil & gas and renewable energy industries. The company has international expertise in the construction of the complex offshore and onshore process modules; it is also a market leader in the fabrication of jack-up rigs, land rigs, multi-purpose lifeboats, shallow water drilling, and rig refurbishment projects. It has the main fabrication yards in Hamriyah, Jebel Ali, and Sharjah all in UAE, other facilities are in Saudi Arabia. Lamprell is currently traded on the London Stock Exchange. Finally, Lamprell has about 9,000 people in various locations and consist of 300 multi-disciplinary specialist and engineers.
  • The Primary goals of this project was to install the Crane engine running flashing lights on Port-Forward & Stbd crane mast and boom tip as per HSE. It was also part of an upgrade to meet the new standards that had been put in place by Saudi Arabian Oil Company. The flashlights in the engine were also to improve the operation safety of the crane and the operators. The project also included supply and installation of flashlights and modification of the main electrical panel wiring in the crane.
  • Below is the organization structure that was used during implementation of this project at Lamprell

Figure 1 – CE-2 Organization Structure at Used on this Project

  • The following were my responsibilities at the time of during this project
  • Modification of main electrical panel wiring to connect the existing cables
  • Testing of the crane engine running flashing lights
  • Cable termination and cladding
  • Cable dressing to ensure neatly arrangement
  • Preparation of documentation that includes data sheet, certificates, and technical documents

Personal Engineering Activity

  • This project was scheduled to take four working days excluding scaffolding with a workforce of 5 people; therefore we arrived at the site one day before the start of the project to settle down and plan ourselves. This was also the time that we used to familiarize our self with the crane engine running flashlight. We started the installation the following day after finishing the planning and familiarization.
  • The first design that I did in this career episode was the installation of the crane engine running flashlights that measure the functionality of the engine. The flashlights were designed in such a way that it was operated by electrical relays that closes and open circuits electronically or electromechanically. When the relay contact is open, then there is no current passing through it, and engine lights go off and vice versa. The relays that we used were electromechanical and ensured the flashlights respond as per the running of the engine.
  • The primary challenge that I encountered with the use of electromechanical relays was the slow response time meaning it takes time for the lights to come on even when the switch is already in on position. After doing my research, I found out that the cause of the delay was not due to the connection but the disadvantage that is associated with this type of relays. To solve this problem, I replaced the electromechanical relays with electronic relays.
  • The second design that I did was the modification of the Port-Forward crane main electrical panel wiring to interconnect it with the existing cable from the crane boom tip flashing light to the crane mast flashing light. For this design, I used parallel connection because it ensures constant supply of power to different parts of the panel even if one connection is faulty as compare to using series connection whereby when one component in the circuit is defective the powers supply to other parts is interfered.
  • The challenge that I encountered when I was doing the modification of the wiring in crane main electrical panel was the lack of enough space in the panel to accommodate the new Moulded Case Circuit Breaker (MCCB) that was introduced to serve the extension. This forced me to add another small cabin panel to locate the new MCCB and integrate it to the existing panel since that was the power source for the new extension.
  • The technology that I introduced on this project was changing from electromechanical relays to electronic relays .This is an electromagnetic switch operated by a small amount of electric current from the secondary circuit. Unlike electromechanical relays, the electronic relays have no physical contacts to wear out and have a high switching speed and response time
  • The calculation that I did on this career episode was the reliability and life testing prediction of the electromechanical relays using the Weibull distribution. The method that was used utilizes the two-parameter Weibull distribution of beta (b) and eta (h). Increasing the switching frequency of the relays accelerates their aging. The formula used was as follow

Where;             R= reliability

t= total number of test cycles

h= number of cycles where 63.2% of the population has failed (characteristic life)

n= sample size

b= slope parameter

  • I also used the AutoCAD Electrical in this career episode to do the drawings for this project. Another, important software that I used was the Panel Design Configurator-GEN that was crucial in generating symbols that are useful in the panel design. The advantages of this software are the improved performance and accuracy that minimizes the errors common when the design is done without any design softwares.
  • The Moulded Case Circuit Breaker (MCCB) that I used met the European Standard EN 60898-1, and the International Standards, IEC 60898-1 that defines the rate of the current in the circuit breaker. These breakers are labeled with current ratings in amperes but do not include the label, A., but the ampere figure has B, C or D in front. These codes ensure that the MCCB meets their intended purpose
  • I was sensitive to the environment and people working around me during the implementation of this project. The sensitivity towards environment was because I was dealing with electronic parts like MCCB that were potential electronic waste and could have affected the marine life if dropped into the sea. Lastly, I ensured there was safe working environment for me and my team at the site, for example, we used protective gears such as helmets safety belts, etc.
  • I acquired additional knowledge and skills in the used of the design softwares by attending the short courses in AutoCAD electrical that was offered at the local college for two weeks. We learned various techniques of using them satisfactorily without any difficulty. I also acquired knowledge by doing my research at the library and on the internet where I was able to read journals in electrical engineering.
  • I worked under the site manager during the implementation of this project; furthermore, I had three subordinates who were working under me. The three assistants were electrical technicians, and I was the one who assigned them the tasks. We had meetings with them every morning and after work to assess the progress and to plan the way forward. I played the role of the team leader and mentor to them.
  • I worked with the suppliers on this project since I was the person who was in contact with the vendors; I was also part of the technical team tasked with the evaluation of the offers from the suppliers. I worked closely with them because they were the key determinant of the products quality and the cost of the project. Lastly, the factors that I looked while selecting the suppliers was the experience, technical qualification and the guarantee they give on their supplies.
  • The economic decision that I made on this project was on the purchase of the installation materials for this site and the composition or number of personnel to undertake the project. I advised the procurement department at Lamprell to purchase the installation materials in large quantities so as to benefit from the discount while on the side of the personnel; I advised them to select a small group that was easy to manage.
  • The reports that I prepared for this project were sent to the site manager who in turn send to the head office of Lamprell. The first report was the WHAT-IF analysis report that involves changing some parameters and predicting the outcome and coming up with mitigation measures. Other reports that I prepared were Summary Cost report, Project Safety Risk Assessment Checklist and Environmental Aspect/Impact Assessment checklist.
  • I made a presentation to my senior and subordinates using Microsoft PowerPoint. This presentation was on the progress of the project. The presentation was also to collect the views of my team on the project implementation. Another presentation that I did was during the handing over of the project to the client whereby I trained the operators of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company on the operation of the engine Running Flashing Lights
  • I gained a lot of experience on this project because I applied the theoretical knowledge that I obtained in class. For example, I learned how to do the installation of the engine running flashing lights that include components like fuses, relays, breakers (MCCB) among others. I also learned how to do presentation successfully without affecting the attentiveness of the audiences. Lastly, the project improved my leadership skills because I was heading a group of three subordinates.
  • The project was completed on time within the budget despite some few challenges that we encountered during execution. Saudi Arabian Oil Company met all the requirements they were anticipating after completion of the installation and successful testing of engine flashing lights. Besides, the entire stakeholders in this project were happy with the way we implemented this project.

Summary

  • As an Electrical Engineer, working at Lamprell gave me experience on how to handle electrical engineering related issues. I used various calculation methods during the implementation of this project, such as the determination of the size of cable and selection of the right size of the breakers. Lastly with, my electrical engineering knowledge, I was able to introduce the use of electronically operated relay that has long life as compared to electromagnetically type.

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