R.B. Turbo Engineering
Field notes
Practical notes on steel fabrication, erection and plant work — written by the people doing it.
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Scope
What a fabrication and erection scope actually covers
Two contractors can quote the same tonnage and mean very different things. Here is what sits inside a full fabrication and erection package, and what usually sits outside it.
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Commercial
How structural steel work is measured and billed
Structural fabrication and erection is priced per metric tonne. Understanding what that tonne includes — and what it does not — prevents most billing disputes.
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Ethanol
What makes ethanol plant structures different
Ethanol and distillery structures carry tall vessels, hot lines and a lot of vibration in a small footprint. That changes how the steel is detailed and how it is erected.
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Stainless
Why distillery tanks are TIG welded with nitrogen purging
A stainless fermenter is only as good as the inside face of its welds. Nitrogen purging is what keeps that face clean, and it is not an optional extra.
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PEB
PEB or conventional structural steel: how to choose
Pre-engineered buildings are lighter and faster for the right shape of building. For a process structure carrying equipment, conventional steel is usually still the answer.
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Programme
What actually delays a steel erection job
Erection rarely runs late because the crew is slow. It runs late because of five things that were decided long before anyone reached site.
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Compliance
Labour compliance on a fabrication site: EPF, ESIC and WC
If your contractor's manpower is not covered, the liability does not stay with the contractor. Here is what a plant should check before letting a crew through the gate.
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Protection
Red-oxide priming: what it does, and what it does not
Priming at site is in our scope on most orders. It is a holding coat, not a finish system, and treating it as one is how plants end up repainting in year three.
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Shutdown
Planning a plant shutdown so it finishes on time
A turnaround is not a long maintenance day. It is a project with a fixed end date, and almost all of the work that decides its outcome happens before it starts.
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Enquiry
What to send with an enquiry to get an accurate quote
Most enquiries we receive are missing two or three things that decide the price. Sending them up front turns a week of back-and-forth into a same-week number.
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