Engineering Facilities interview prep.

Behavioural questions to expect

1. Walk me through your background + engineering + project experience.
2. Tell me about a design or capital project you've led or been part of.
3. Why midstream engineering vs upstream / downstream / chemicals?
4. Why this asset type - liquids pipeline / gas transmission / compressor + pump station / terminal / LNG?
5. Why the firm?
6. What's your read on our asset footprint + active capital programme?
7. Tell me what you understand about how we execute capital projects.
8. Walk me through a major design decision you've made on a pipeline, station, or facility.

Technical concepts to master

• Pipeline + facility design

  Design basis + Class 1-4 (gas) / High-consequence routing · Wall thickness + materials selection (Barlow + API 5L) · Compressor + pump station layout · Cathodic protection + AC mitigation · Coating systems

• Hydraulics + compression + pumping

  Steady-state hydraulics · Transient + surge analysis · Compressor sizing - polytropic head + power · Pump sizing - TDH + NPSH · Pigging + facility design for pigs

• Project stage gates + AFE discipline

  FEL 1 (Appraise / Concept) · FEL 2 (Select) · FEL 3 / FEED (Define) · AFE (Authorisation for Expenditure) · Detail design + construction

• Safety-in-design + commissioning

  HAZOP (Hazard + Operability) · LOPA (Layer of Protection Analysis) · SIS + SIL (Safety Instrumented Systems / Safety Integrity Level) · PSSR (Pre-Startup Safety Review) · MOC (Management of Change)

Practical drills

• You're sizing a 50-mile natural gas transmission line, 24 inch nominal, MAOP 1440 psig, Class 2 location, API 5L X65. Walk through wall thickness selection, hydraulic profile considerations, and one or two key trade-offs.
• You're leading a HAZOP for a new compressor station - one node is the discharge of a centrifugal compressor. Walk through how you'd identify hazards + apply LOPA for one high-consequence scenario.
• You're 70% through FEED on a new LNG truck loading facility. Operations team requests adding a third loading bay (originally two-bay design). Walk through your decision.

Smart-question anchors

• Asset footprint + active capital programme - announced projects, FERC certificates
• Engineering execution model - in-house vs EPC, FEL discipline maturity
• Recent project track record - on-time / on-budget, lessons-learned commentary
• Design + integrity choices - coatings, CP, AC mitigation, high-strength steel use
• Regulatory engagement - PHMSA design, FERC, state PUC, environmental permitting

Sourced from

PHMSA 49 CFR Parts 192 / 193 / 195 · ASME B31.4 + B31.8 pipeline design codes + B31G integrity · API standards - 2510, 650, 620, RP 1102, RP 1117, 5L · NFPA 59A LNG standard + NACE SP0169 / SP0286 cathodic protection · AACE International cost estimate classification + stage-gate practice + CCPS safety-in-design