Sabin Crocker, Jr., P.E.

Formerly Project Engineer, Bechtel Power Corporation

Gaithersburg, MD

In today s atmosphere of complex projects, extended liabilities, tight cost controls, and strict quality standards, it is essential that all phases of a project, from inception to operation, be effectively communicated and correctly executed. To this end, contract documents, design documents, fabrication details, procedures, and specifications are developed to communicate, monitor, and document the design, fabrication, and erection of piping systems precisely. The number and variety of documents to be prepared for a particular piping system are determined not so much by the importance of the piping system as by the complexity of the system and by the interface requirements of the owner, the design organization, the contractor, the material suppliers, and the regulatory agencies. In the following sections, the documentation requirements of a complex project are illustrated to provide a broad overview of the hierarchy of documents. However, since the specific requirements of a project are driven by...