How Do you Read Codes and Standards ?

It's like any other skill - it takes practice. The ability to weed through standards and get to the meat is something that will only come with time, and perseverance. You may find sites with simplified explanations, but you'll never know if they're correct or not without reading the thing yourself.

I spent a couple of hours Friday trying to find out the difference between JAN, JANTX, JANTXV, JANJ and JANS semiconductors, and what the JANS radiation hardness designators mean. But I found it.

Use the search capability of your pdf reader to speed you along. And once you find the answer, WRITE IT DOWN so you never have to find it again.

Standards are not text books with helpful examples and easy to understand explanations backed by all the necessary theory to understand them. They are generally written by a panel or committee and are hard to understand, contradictory in places, vague, incomplete (and sometimes wrong in places). You really need a better understanding in the relevant subject matter FIRST before you try and read the standard, so that you can fill in the blanks (so to speak) otherwise you will get lost.

Have a look on the internet and get a better understanding of your subject material before trying to understand the standard. It really is the only way if you want to fully understand and appreciate the material the standard is referring to.

I agree, I think the biggest help in reading a standard or codes procedure is being able to stay awake. It is written in a bone dry form that is so dull and uninteresting and as you mentioned, vague, contradictory, and incomplete. I had to train for 2 months reading NAVSEA and MIL-STD procedures for pressure vessels, I can't tell you how many times I became cross-eyed and dosing off. It definitely takes experience to understand it, as you gain experience, go back and read it again, every time you perform a task take the standard with you and brush up on it before and after you do it. Don't forget to take a break, taking a short break will keep you refreshed and awake and you will retain the information better that way, so take a short walk and grab some coffee as well as a lot of patience. Good Luck!

Where's the acronym sheriff?!!!

On another blog I'm a member of, they have a nifty acronym feature. There's a page where members supply the meanings of acronyms, and then when you mouse over an acronym in a post, the meaning pops up.

I ran across a web site a good while back that had the same feature -- kinda neat AND helpful.

I suffered from the same problem -like all beginners- at my first steps in learning codes & standards related with design and fabrication of pressure vessels, heat exchangers, piping systems, storage tanks,... etc. The solution was to read more and more. I saved a copy of codes at home to look it when i need something, in addition to the original copy saved at my office. I used to read some articles every day for three hours at least. I used to use a dictionary, and I made a records for all new technical terms and its definitions. There is another copy from the codes at my laptop. A lot of discussions with staff and specialists were very important. I fellow all solved examples and problems. I carried out a lot of designs including drawings and calculations reviewed and approved by consultant and professional engineers. Now, I am a design general manager, and after 27 years, I have to read and learn every day.

Be Patient Please & Good Luck.

Practise, Practise and Practise.

I have just read DNV-RP-B401 - Cathodic Protection Design and have applied it as detailed.

You need a fore-knowledge of the subject matter before you can start to peruse the related Codes and(or )Standards. Codes would not show theoretical derivation of your subject matter but would teach you the essential practise(design & construction) of the subject matter.

These codes and(or) standards are being derived as the accepted norms by appointed commitees to ensure design integrity, safety , durability and other considerations.

And learning by rote takes a space of time and lots of practise. I would advice you to pick up a text on the subject matter before studying the codes.

hey grego, what do you mean by pickin up a text on the matter before studying the codes ?

by the way what do you do ?

Hi Primavera,

I meant gleaning relevant literatures or journals on the subject matter.

I am a field engineer working for an Oilfield Services firm, providing divers intervention and ROVs deployment services.

Sorry on this but your name sounds like a project management software I use. What do you do?

i am a field engineer also. But i work on construction installations envolving risers, pipelaying, and tie-ins, and deck installations.

I have DNV-RP-B401 and i ve noticed that it aint very dry and its also short..... i think i will read it too. But what does it have to do with your work ? i mean you only advise divers and manage ROVs ? Do you have any experience in Dog-Leg installations ? How long have you been in the bussiness ? years of experience as a field engineer ? was it your first job ? Did you start your career in the oil and gas industry or you shifted later ? do you like this domain ? why did you take it ?

What kind of journals texts do you advise me to read ? any that are online ?

My company provides divers intervention and ROVs deployment services to major oil producer and over the time we were able to carve out a niche in Corrosion Control and Platform Structural Integrity works. I would say this is where the main engineering lies.

I started out as a site engineer in Water Borehole construction, later move to marine construction company where we built Jetties, Dolphins, Quay wall and do Shoreline protections. Here finally I found myself in Oilfield services.

The joy is challenging but I would say is fun and also a learning ground for new techniques. I don't have Codes you are reading. Could you give me hint what you intend to do? may be we can rub minds together.

I can be contacted through emails: gakintola@atlanticmarineoil.com or fountainbase@yahoo.com

Check our website: www.atlanticmarineoil.com

It is nice talking to you.